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Thursday, July 31st, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Wycliffe Bible

Ezra 4:5

And thei hiriden counselouris ayens the Jewis, that thei schulden destrie the counseil of the Jewis, in alle the daies of Cirus, king of Persis, and `til to the rewme of Darius, king of Persis.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Joshua;   Lobbying;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Temple, the Second;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Darius;   Samaritans;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Haggai;   Joshua the son of jehozadak;   Samaria, samaritans;   Temple;   Zechariah, book of;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Counselor;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Samaritans;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Temple, the Second;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Ahasuerus;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Exile;   Ezra, Book of;   Temple of Jerusalem;   Wages;   Zerubbabel;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Darius;   Haggai;   Nehemiah, Book of;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Dari'us;   Ezra, Book of;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Darius;   Persia;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Babylonish Captivity, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ezra-Nehemiah;   Frustrate;   Haggai;   Hire;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Captivity;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
They also bribed officials to act against them to frustrate their plans throughout the reign of King Cyrus of Persia and until the reign of King Darius of Persia.
Hebrew Names Version
and hired counselors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Koresh king of Paras, even until the reign of Daryavesh king of Paras.
King James Version
And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
English Standard Version
and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
New Century Version
Their enemies hired others to delay the building plans during the time Cyrus was king of Persia. And it continued to the time Darius was king of Persia.
New English Translation
They were hiring advisers to oppose them, so as to frustrate their plans, throughout the time of King Cyrus of Persia until the reign of King Darius of Persia.
Amplified Bible
and hired advisers [to work] against them to frustrate their plans during the entire time that Cyrus king of Persia reigned, [and this lasted] even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
New American Standard Bible
and bribed advisers against them to frustrate their advice all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
World English Bible
and hired counselors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And they hired counsellers against them, to hinder their deuise, all the dayes of Cyrus King of Persia, euen vntill the reigne of Darius King of Persia.
Legacy Standard Bible
and hired counselors against them to frustrate their counsel all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Berean Standard Bible
They hired counselors against them to frustrate their plans throughout the reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Contemporary English Version
During the time that Cyrus was king and even until Darius became king, they kept bribing government officials to slow down the work.
Complete Jewish Bible
They also bribed officials to frustrate their plan throughout the lifetime of Koresh king of Persia and on into the reign of Daryavesh king of Persia.
Darby Translation
and they hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Easy-to-Read Version
These enemies hired government officials to work against the people of Judah. The officials constantly did things to stop the Jews' plans to build the Temple. This continued the whole time that Cyrus was the king until Darius became the king of Persia.
George Lamsa Translation
And hired objectors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Good News Translation
They also bribed Persian government officials to work against them. They kept on doing this throughout the reign of Emperor Cyrus and into the reign of Emperor Darius.
Lexham English Bible
and bribed officials against them to frustrate their plan for all the days of Cyrus king of Persia until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Literal Translation
And they hired counselors against them to break their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and hyred councelers aganst them and hyndered their deuyce, as longe as Cyrus the kynge of Persia lyued, vntyll the reigne off Darius kynge off Persia.
American Standard Version
and hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Bible in Basic English
And they gave payment to men who made designs against them and kept them from effecting their purpose, all through the time of Cyrus, king of Persia, till Darius became king.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And hyred counsellers against them, to hinder their deuice as long as Cyrus the king of Persia liued, vntil the raigne of Darius king of Persia.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
and hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
King James Version (1611)
And hired counsellers against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the dayes of Cyrus king of Persia, euen vntill the reigne of Darius king of Persia.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
and continued hiring persons against them, plotting to frustrate their counsel, all the days of Cyrus king of the Persians, and until the reign of Darius king of the Persians.
English Revised Version
and hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Update Bible Version
and hired counselors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Webster's Bible Translation
And hired counselors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
New King James Version
and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
New Living Translation
They bribed agents to work against them and to frustrate their plans. This went on during the entire reign of King Cyrus of Persia and lasted until King Darius of Persia took the throne.
New Life Bible
They paid people to speak against them and to make trouble in their plans all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the rule of King Darius of Persia.
New Revised Standard
and they bribed officials to frustrate their plan throughout the reign of King Cyrus of Persia and until the reign of King Darius of Persia.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and hiring against them counselors, to overturn their purpose, - all the days of Cyrus, king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius, king of Persia.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And they hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their design all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of the Persians.
Revised Standard Version
and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Young's Literal Translation
and are hiring against them counsellors to make void their counsel all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even till the reign of Darius king of Persia.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
and hired counselors against them to frustrate their counsel all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Contextual Overview

1 Forsothe the enemyes of Juda and of Beniamyn herden, that the sones of caitifte bildiden a temple to the Lord God of Israel; 2 and thei neiyeden to Zorobabel, and to the princes of fadris, and seiden to hem, Bilde we with you, for so as ye, we seken youre God; lo! we han offrid sacrificis fro the daies of Assoraddon, kyng of Assur, that brouyte vs hidur. 3 And Zorobabel, and Josue, and the othere princes of the fadris of Israel, seiden to hem, It is not to vs and to you, that we bilde an hows to oure God; but we vs silf aloone schulen bilde to `oure Lord God, as Cirus, the kyng of Persis, comaundide to vs. 4 Forsothe it was doon, that the puple of the lond lettide the hondis of the puple of Juda, and trobliden hem in bildyng. 5 And thei hiriden counselouris ayens the Jewis, that thei schulden destrie the counseil of the Jewis, in alle the daies of Cirus, king of Persis, and `til to the rewme of Darius, king of Persis.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

hired: Psalms 2:1, Psalms 2:2, Nahum 1:11, Acts 24:1-27

Darius: Ezra 4:24, Ezra 5:5-17, Ezra 6:1-18

Reciprocal: Daniel 8:3 - one Daniel 10:1 - Cyrus Daniel 11:2 - three

Cross-References

Genesis 4:10
And God seide to Cayn, What hast thou do? the vois of the blood of thi brother crieth to me fro erthe.
Genesis 4:11
Now therfor thou schalt be cursid on erthe, that openyde his mouth, and resseyuede of thin hond the blood of thi brothir.
Genesis 31:2
Also Jacob perseyuede the face of Laban, that it was not ayens hym as yistirdai, and the thridde dai agoon,
Genesis 31:5
Y se the face of youre fadir, that it is not ayens me as `yisterdai and the thridde dai agoon; but God of my fadir was with me.
Numbers 16:15
We comen not. And Moises was wrooth greetli, and seide to the Lord, Biholde thou not the sacrifices of hem; thou wost that Y took neuere of hem, yhe, a litil asse, nethir Y turmentide ony of hem.
Job 5:2
Wrathfulnesse sleeth `a fonned man, and enuye sleeth a litil child.
Psalms 20:3
Be he myndeful of al thi sacrifice; and thi brent sacrifice be maad fat.
Matthew 20:15
Whether it is not leueful to me to do that that Y wole? Whether thin iye is wickid, for Y am good?
Acts 13:45
And Jewis sien the puple, and weren fillid with enuye, and ayenseiden these thingis that weren seyd of Poul, and blasfemyden.
Hebrews 11:4
Bi feith Abel offride a myche more sacrifice than Caym to God, bi which he gat witnessyng to be iust, for God bar witnessyng to hise yiftis; and bi that feith he deed spekith yit.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose,.... Either to advise and persuade the king of Persia's officers in those parts not to supply them with money, or to influence the great men at his court to get the edict revoked: and this they did

all the days of Cyrus king of Persia; who, though the hearty friend and patron of the Jews, yet being engaged in wars abroad with the Lydians and Scythians, and leaving his son as viceroy in his absence, who was no friend unto them, the work went on but slowly, attended with interruptions and discouragements:

even until the reign of Darius king of Persia; who was Darius Hystaspis, between whom and Cyrus were Cambyses the son of Cyrus, and Smerdis the impostor, who pretended to be Smerdis, the brother of Cambyses; a space of about fifteen years.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Hired counselors - Rather, “bribed” officials at the Persian court to interpose delays and create difficulties, in order to hinder the work.

Darius - i. e., Darius, the son of Hystaspes

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ezra 4:5. Hired counsellors — They found means to corrupt some of the principal officers of the Persian court, so that the orders of Cyrus were not executed; or at least so slowly as to make them nearly ineffectual.

Until the reign of Darius — This was probably Darius the son of Hystaspes.


 
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