that the king of Babylon had made armies, arose, and went to Egypt; Gedaliah governor, there came to Ge- for they were afraid of the Chaldees. daliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the 26 AND IT CAME TO PASS in the son of Methaniah, and Johanan the seven and thirtieth year of the capson of Kareah, and Seraiah the son tivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and [B. C. 564], in the twelfth month, on Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, the seven and twentieth day of the they and their men. month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of his prison.

23 And Gedaliah sware to them, and to their men, and said to them, Fear not to be the servants of the Chaldees. Dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it will be well with you.

21 But it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of royal descent, came, and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah, that he died, and the Jews and the Chaldees that were with him at Mizpah.

25 And all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the

27 And he spake kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon;

28 And changed his prison garments. And he did eat bread continually in his presence all the days of his life.

29 And his allowance was a continual allowance given him from the king, a daily rate on its day, all the days of his life.

THE BOOK OF EZRA.

2 And there were among them two they kept the Feast of Tabernacles, hundred singing men and singing as it is written, and offered the daily women. Their horses were seven burnt offerings by number, according to the ordinance, each day's number in its own day.

hundred thirty and six; their mules, two hundred forty and five; their camels, four hundred and thirty and five; their asses, six thousand seven hundred and twenty.

3 And afterward they offered up the continual burnt offering, both of the new moons, and of all the solemn 3 And some of the chief of the feasts of the LORD that were made fathers, when they came to the House holy, and for every one that willingly of the LORD which is at Jerusalem, offered a freewill offering unto the offered freely for the House of God LORD. From the first day of the to set it up in its place; they gave seventh month began they to offer after their ability unto the treasure burnt offerings unto the LORD. But of the work sixty and one thousand the foundation of the Temple of the Darics (or pounds sterling] of gold, LORD was not laid. and five thousand Minahs [or 11,000 pounds' weight] of silver, and one hundred priests' under-coats.

4 So the priests, and the Levites, and some of the people, and the singers, and the gate-keepers, and the Nethinim, [or Temple-servants] dwelt in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.

CHAPTER III.

AND WHEN THE SEVENTH MONTH

was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem. Then rose up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the Altar of the God of Israel, to offer up burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God.

2 And they built the Altar on its foundations; for fear was upon them because of the peoples of the countries. And they offered up offerings thereon unto the LORD, burnt offerings morning and evening. And

4 Now they gave money to the masons, and to the carpenters; and food, and drink, and oil, to them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea coast of Joppa, according to the grant that they had from Cyrus king of Persia.

5 And in the second year of their coming to the House of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem; and they appointed the Levites from twenty years old and upward, to set forward the work of the House of the LORD.

6 Then stood Jeshua with his sons, and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah [or Hodaviah] as one man, to set forward the workmen in the House of God; the sons of Hendad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites.

7 And when the builders laid the foundation of the Temple of the

3 Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them while building, and hired counsellors against them, to defeat their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

LORD, they set priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the ordinance of David king of Israel. And they sang together by courses in praising and giving thanks to the LORD; for he is good, for his kindness endureth forever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the House an accusation against the inhabitof the LORD was laid.

8 And many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were old men, that had seen the former House, when the foundation of this House was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy; so that the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.

CHAPTER IV.

NOW WHEN THE ADVERSARIES OF

4 AND IN THE REIGN OF AHASUERUS [or Cambyses], in the beginning of his reign [B. C. 529], wrote they

ants of Judah and Jerusalem; even in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in Syriac letters, and translated in the Syriac tongue. 5 Rehum the keeper of the decrees and Shimshai the scribe wrote a PUBLIC LETTER against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes [or Cambyses] the king in this manner. This is the copy of the public letter that they sent to him.

Unto Artaxerxes the king; thy servants the men beyond the River, and so forth.

Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the capitivity were building the Temple unto the LORD the God of Israel; then they came to 6 Be it known to the king, that Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the the Jews who came up from fathers, and said to them, Let us near thee to us are come to Jebuild with you; for we enquire of rusalem, and are building the rebelliyour God, as ye do; and we have ous and the bad city, and are comsacrificed unto him since the days of pleting its walls, and repairing the Esar-haddon king of Assyria, who foundations. Be it known now to the brought us up hither.

2 But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said to them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build the House unto our God; but we ourselves alone will build unto the LORD the God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath command

ed us.

king, that, if this city be builded, and the walls be completed, then will they not pay custom, tribute, and road-service, and in the end thou wilt bring loss upon the kings.

7 Now because we have salt [or maintenance] from the palace, and it is not meet for us to see the king's dishonour, therefore have we sent and certified the king; so that search be

made in the book of the records of 11 Then ceased the work of the thy fathers; so shalt thou find in the House of God which is at Jeru

book of the records, and know that this city is a rebellions city, and hurtful to kings and provinces, and that they have made sedition within the same of old time; for which cause was this city destroyed. We certify the king that, if this city be builded again, and its walls completed, by this means thou wilt have no portion beyond the River [Euphrates].

8 The king sent answer,

Unto Rehum the keeper of the de-
crees, and to Shimshai the scribe,
and to the rest of their com-
panions that dwell in Samaria,
and to the rest beyond the River,
and so forth.

9 The letter which ye sent to us hath been plainly read before me. And of myself I made a decree, and search hath been made, and it is found that this city of old time hath made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made therein. There have been mighty kings also over Jerusalem, who have ruled over all the countries beyond the River; and custom, tribute, and road-service was paid to them. Make ye now a decree to cause these men to cease, and that the city be not builded, until a decree shall be made by myself. Take heed now that ye fail not to do this; why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings?

10 Now when the copy of king Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem to the Jews, and made them to cease by strength of arm and by power.

salem. So it ceased until the second year of THE REIGN OF DARIUS king of Persia.

CHAPTER V.

THEN [B. C. 520] the prophets,

Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even to them.

2 Then arose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the House of God which is at Jerusalem; and with them were the prophets of God helping them.

3 At the same time came to them Tatnai the Pacha [or governor] beyond the River, and Shethar-boznai, and their companions, and said thus to them, Who hath made a decree for you to build this House, and to complete this wall?

4 Then we told them in like manner what were the names of the men that were making this building.

5 But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews that those men could not cause them to cease till a decree of Darius came; and then they returned answer by letter concerning this.

6 The copy of THE PUBLIC LETTER that Tatnai, the Pacha beyond the River, and Shethar-boznai, and his companions the Apharsachites, who were beyond the River, sent to Darius the king. They sent a letter to him, wherein was written thus ;

Unto Darius the king, all peace. 7 Be it known to the king, that we went into the province of Judah, to