EZRA 6

1 Then Dareyawesh the sovereign made a decree, and a search was made in the house of the books wherein also the treasures of Baḇel were kept. 2 And at Aḥmetha, in the palace which is in the province of Maḏai, a scroll was found, and this was written in it: 3 In the first year of Sovereign Koresh, Sovereign Koresh made a decree concerning the House of Elah in Yerushalayim, \"Let the House be built in the place where they brought offerings, and its foundations strongly laid, its height sixty ammah, its width sixty ammah, 4 three rows of heavy stones and one row of new timber. Let the expenses be paid from the sovereign's house. 5 \"And let the gold and silver utensils of the House of Elah, which Neḇuḵaḏnetstsar took from the Hĕyḵal which is in Yerushalayim and brought to Baḇel, be returned and go to the Hĕyḵal which is in Yerushalayim, to its place, and deposit them in the House of Elah,\" 6 Now, Tattenai, governor beyond the River, and Shethar-Bozenai, and your companions the officials beyond the River, stay away from there. 7 Leave the work of this House of Elah alone. Let the governor of the Yahuḏim and the elders of the Yahuḏim build this House of Elah on its place. 8 And I make a decree as to what you should do for the elders of these Yahuḏim, for the building of this House of Elah: Let the exact expense be paid to these men from the sovereign's resources, out of the taxes beyond the River, so that they are not stopped. 9 And whatever they need - both young bulls and rams, and lambs for the burnt offerings of the Elah of shamayim, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the request of the kohenim who are in Yerushalayim - let it be given them day by day without fail, 10 so that they bring pleasing offerings to the Elah of shamayim, and pray for the life of the sovereign and his sons. 11 And I make a decree that whoever changes this word, let a timber be pulled from his house, and let him be impaled, hanged on it. And let his house be made a dunghill because of this. 12 And Elah, who has caused His Name to dwell there overthrows any sovereign or people who put their hand to change, to destroy this House of Elah which is in Yerushalayim! I Dareyawesh make the decree - let it be done promptly. 13 Then Tattenai, governor beyond the River, Shethar-Bozenai, and their companions promptly did according to what Dareyawesh the sovereign had sent. 14 And the elders of the Yahuḏim were building, and they were baraḵ through the naḇa of Ḥaggai the naḇi and Zeḵaryah son of Iddo. And they built and finished it, according to the decree of the Elah of Yisra’ĕl, and according to the decree of Koresh, and Dareyawesh, and Artaḥshashta sovereign of Paras. 15 And this House was completed on the third day of the month of Aḏar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Sovereign Dareyawesh. 16 Then the children of Yisra’ĕl, the kohenim and the Lĕwites and the rest of the sons of the exile, did the dedication of this House of Elah with joy, 17 and offered at the dedication of this House of Elah one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and as a sin offering for all Yisra’ĕl twelve male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Yisra’ĕl. 18 And they appointed the kohenim to their divisions and the Lĕwites to their divisions, over the service of Elah in Yerushalayim, as it is written in the Book of Mosheh. 19 And the sons of the exile performed the Pesaḥ on the fourteenth day of the first month, 20 for the kohenim and the Lĕwites had cleansed themselves - all of them were clean. And they slaughtered the Pesaḥ for all the sons of the exile, and for their brothers the kohenim, and for themselves. 21 And the children of Yisra’ĕl who had returned from the exile ate together with all who had separated themselves from the uncleanness of the gentiles of the land in order to seek 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 Elohim of Yisra’ĕl. 22 And they performed the Festival of Matstsoth seven days with joy, for 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 caused them to rejoice, and turned the heart of the sovereign of Ashshur toward them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the House of Elohim, the Elohim of Yisra’ĕl.