Ezra 4:8

Easy-to-Read Version

Then Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter against the people of Jerusalem. They wrote the letter to Artaxerxes the king. This is what they wrote:

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Rehum the chief deputy and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter to King Artaxerxes concerning Jerusalem as follows:

Hebrew Names Version
Rechum the chancellor and Shimshai the Sofer wrote a letter against Yerushalayim to Artachshasta the king in this sort:

King James Version
Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort:

English Standard Version
Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows:

New Century Version
Rehum the governor and Shimshai the governor's secretary wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king. It said:

New English Translation
Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter concerning Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows:

Amplified Bible
Rehum the [Persian] commander [of the Samaritans] and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows—

New American Standard Bible
Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes, as follows—

World English Bible
Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort:

Geneva Bible (1587)
Rehum the chancelour, and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Ierusalem to Artahshashte the King, in this sort.

Legacy Standard Bible
Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes, as follows—

Berean Standard Bible
Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows:

Contemporary English Version
Later, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and their advisors got together and wrote a letter to Artaxerxes when he was king of Persia. It was written in Aramaic and had to be translated. A letter was also written to Artaxerxes about Jerusalem by Governor Rehum, Secretary Shimshai, and their advisors, including the judges, the governors, the officials, and the local leaders. They were joined in writing this letter by people from Erech and Babylonia, the Elamites from Susa, and people from other foreign nations that the great and famous Ashurbanipal had forced to settle in Samaria and other parts of Western Province.

Complete Jewish Bible
Rechum the district governor and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter against Yerushalayim to Artach'shashta the king as follows:

Darby Translation
Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king after this sort:

George Lamsa Translation
Arkhom the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artakhshisht the king according to custom;

Good News Translation
Again in the reign of Emperor Artaxerxes of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and their associates wrote a letter to the emperor. The letter was written in Aramaic and was to be translated when read. Also Rehum, the governor, and Shimshai, the secretary of the province, wrote the following letter to Emperor Artaxerxes about Jerusalem:

Lexham English Bible
Rehum the royal officer and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows

Literal Translation
Rehum, the master of counsel in charge, and Shimshai the scribe, wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king, thus:

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Rehum ye chaunceler, and Simsai the scrybe, wrote this letter agaynst Ierusalem to Artaxerses the kynge.

American Standard Version
Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort:

Bible in Basic English
Rehum, the chief ruler, and Shimshai the scribe, sent a letter against Jerusalem, to Artaxerxes the king;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Rehum the recorder, and Samsai the scribe wrote a letter from Hierusalem to Artaxerxes the king, as it foloweth.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort--

King James Version (1611)
Rehum the Chancellour, and Shimshai the Scribe, wrote a letter against Ierusalem, to Artaxerxes the king, in this sort:

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Reum the chancellor, and Sampsa the scribe wrote an epistle against Jerusalem to King Arthasastha, saying,

English Revised Version
Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort:

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Reum, Beel, Theem, and Samsai, the scryuen, writen sich oon epistle fro Jerusalem to the kyng Artaxerses; Reum,

Update Bible Version
Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort:

Webster's Bible Translation
Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort:

New King James Version
Rehum Ezra 4:8 through Ezra 6:18 is Aramaic.">[fn] the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes in this fashion:

New Living Translation
Rehum the governor and Shimshai the court secretary wrote the letter, telling King Artaxerxes about the situation in Jerusalem.

New Life Bible
Rehum the captain and Shimshai the writer wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes.

New Revised Standard
And in the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam and Mithredath and Tabeel and the rest of their associates wrote to King Artaxerxes of Persia; the letter was written in Aramaic and translated. Rehum the royal deputy and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Rehum holder of judicial authority, and Shimshai the scribe, wrote a certain letter against Jerusalem, - to Artaxerxes the king, thus:

Douay-Rheims Bible
Reum Beelteem, and Samsai the scribe wrote a letter from Jerusalem to king Artaxerxes, in this manner:

Revised Standard Version
Rehum the commander and Shim'shai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Ar-ta-xerx'es the king as follows--

Young's Literal Translation
Rehum counsellor, and Shimshai scribe have written a letter concerning Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king, thus:

THE MESSAGE
Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows: From: Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary, backed by the rest of their associates, the judges and officials over the people from Tripolis, Persia, Erech, and Babylon, Elamites of Susa, and all the others whom the great and honorable Ashurbanipal deported and settled in the city of Samaria and other places in the land across the Euphrates. (This is the copy of the letter they sent to him.) To: King Artaxerxes from your servants from the land across the Euphrates. We are here to inform the king that the Jews who came from you to us have arrived in Jerusalem and have set about rebuilding that rebellious and evil city. They are busy at work finishing the walls and rebuilding the foundations. The king needs to know that once that city is rebuilt and the wall completed they will no longer pay a penny of tribute, tax, or duty. The royal treasury will feel the loss. We're loyal to the king and cannot sit idly by while our king is being insulted—that's why we are passing this information on. We suggest that you look into the court records of your ancestors; you'll learn from those books that that city is a rebellious city, a thorn in the side to kings and provinces, a historic center of unrest and revolt. That's why the city was wiped out. We are letting the king know that if that city gets rebuilt and its walls restored, you'll end up with nothing in your province beyond the Euphrates.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes, as follows—

Contextual Overview

⁶ These enemies even wrote letters to the king of Persia trying to stop the Jews. They wrote a letter the year that Xerxes became the king of Persia. ⁷ Later, when Artaxerxes became the new king of Persia, some of these men wrote another letter complaining about the Jews. The men who wrote the letter were Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the other people in their group. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated. ⁸ Then Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter against the people of Jerusalem. They wrote the letter to Artaxerxes the king. This is what they wrote: ⁹ From Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary, and from the judges and important officials over the men from Tripolis, Persia, Erech, and Babylon, and from the Elamites from Susa, ¹⁰ and from the other people who the great and powerful Ashurbanipal moved to the city of Samaria and other places in the country west of the Euphrates River. ¹¹ This is the copy of the letter sent to King Artaxerxes: From your servants living in the area west of the Euphrates River. ¹² King Artaxerxes, we wish to inform you that the Jews you sent from there are now in Jerusalem. They are trying to rebuild that terrible city. The people there have always rebelled against other kings. Now they have almost finished repairing the foundations and building the walls. ¹³ Also, King Artaxerxes, you should know that if Jerusalem and its walls are rebuilt, the people of Jerusalem will stop paying their taxes. They will stop sending money to honor you. They also will stop paying customs fees, and the king will lose all that money. ¹⁴ We have a responsibility to the king. We don't want to see this happen, so we are sending this letter to inform the king. ¹⁵ King Artaxerxes, we suggest that you search the writings of the kings who ruled before you. You will see in the writings that Jerusalem always rebelled against other kings. It has caused much trouble for other kings and nations. Many rebellions have started in this city since ancient times. That is why Jerusalem was destroyed.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

scribe: or, secretary, Ezra 4:9, 2 Samuel 8:17, 2 Samuel 20:25, 2 Kings 18:18

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 21:8 - she wrote Ezra 2:2 - Rehum Ezra 4:7 - the Syrian tongue Ezra 4:23 - Rehum

Cross-References

Genesis 4:3
At harvest time, Cain brought a gift to the Lord . He brought some of the food that he grew from the ground, but Abel brought some animals from his flock. He chose some of his best sheep and brought the best parts from them. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift.

Genesis 4:6
The Lord asked Cain, "Why are you angry? Why does your face look sad?

Genesis 4:9
Later, the Lord said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" Cain answered, "I don't know. Is it my job to watch over my brother?"

Genesis 4:10
Then the Lord said, "What have you done? You killed your brother and the ground opened up to take his blood from your hands. Now his blood is shouting to me from the ground. So you will be cursed from this ground.

Genesis 4:12
Now when you work the soil, the ground will not help your plants grow. You will not have a home in this land. You will wander from place to place."

Genesis 4:15
Then the Lord said to Cain, "No, if anyone kills you, I will punish that person much, much more." Then the Lord put a mark on Cain to show that no one should kill him.

Genesis 4:24
The punishment for killing Cain was very bad. But the punishment for killing me will be many times worse!"

Genesis 4:26
Seth also had a son. He named him Enosh. At that time people began to pray to the Lord .

2 Samuel 3:27
When Abner arrived at Hebron, Joab met him in the gateway, pulled him aside to talk in private, and then stabbed him in the stomach. So he got his revenge against Abner. Joab killed Abner because Abner had killed Joab's brother Asahel.

2 Samuel 14:6
I had two sons. They were out in the field fighting. There was no one to stop them. One son killed the other son.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort. This means the same letter as before; which, according to Jarchi, was sent in the name of Mithredath Tabeel and his company, was endited by Rehum, master of words or sense, and written by Shimshai the scribe, whom he makes to be a son of Haman i; but it was written rather in all their names.

i So Midrash Esther, fol. 85. 3.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The chancellor - literally, “Lord of judgment;” the title, apparently, of the Persian governor of the Samaritan province. Every Persian governor was accompanied to his province by a “royal scribe” or “secretary,” who had a separate and independent authority.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ezra 4:8. Rehum the chancellor — With this verse the Chaldee part of the chapter begins; and the same language continues to the end of Ezra 6:18. These men wrote to Darius in their own language; and the king in the same dialect returns an answer, chap. v. This circumstance adds authenticity to what is written: so scrupulous was the inspired penman, that he not only gave the words which each spoke and wrote, but he gave them also in the very language in which they were conceived and in the character peculiar to that language.