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Then ceased the worke of the house of God, which was in Ierusalem, & did stay vnto the second yeere of Darius King of Persia.

Then Haggai a Prophet & Zechariah the sonne of Iddo a Prophet prophecied vnto the Iewes that were in Iudah, and Ierusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, euen vnto them.

Then Zerubbabel the sonne of Shealtiel, and Ieshua the sonne of Iozadak arose, and began to builde the house of God at Ierusalem, and with them were the Prophetes of God, which helped them.

But the eye of their God was vpon the Elders of the Iewes, that they coulde not cause them to cease, till the matter came to Darius: and then they answered by letters thereunto.

Be it knowen vnto the King, that we went into the prouince of Iudea, to the house of the great God, which is builded with great stones, & beames are layde in the walles, and this worke is wrought speedily, and prospereth in their hands.

But they answered vs thus, & sayd, We are the seruants of the God of heauen and earth, and buylde the house that was buylt of olde & many yeeres ago, which a great King of Israel builded, and founded it.

But after that our fathers had prouoked the God of heauen vnto wrath, he gaue them ouer into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar King of Babel the Caldean, & he destroyed this house, & caryed the people away captiue vnto Babel.

But in the first yere of Cyrus King of Babel, King Cyrus made a decree to buylde this house of God.

And the vessels of golde and siluer of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar tooke out of the Temple, that was in Ierusalem, & brought them into the Temple of Babel, those did Cyrus the king take out of the Temple of Babel, & they gaue them vnto one Sheshbazzar by his name, whome he had made captaine.

And he sayde vnto him, Take these vessels and goe thy way, and put them in the Temple that is in Ierusalem, and let the house of God be buylt in his place.

Then came the same Sheshbazzar & layde the foundation of the house of God, which is in Ierusalem, and since that time euen vntill nowe, hath it bene in buylding, yet is it not finished.

Nowe therefore if it please the King, let there be searche made in the house of the Kings treasures, which is there in Babel, whether a decree hath bene made by King Cyrus, to build this house of God in Ierusalem, and let the King send his minde concerning this.

In the first yeere of King Cyrus, King Cyrus made a decree for the house of God in Ierusalem, Let the house be buylt, euen the place where they offred sacrifices, and let the walles thereof be ioyned together: let the height thereof be three score cubites, and the breadth thereof three score cubites,

And also let them render the vessels of the house of God (of golde and siluer, which Nebuchadnezzar tooke out of the Temple, which was in Ierusalem, & brought vnto Babel) & let him goe vnto the Temple that is in Ierusalem to his place, and put them in the house of God.

Suffer ye the worke of this house of God, that the captaine of the Iewes and the Elders of the Iewes may buylde this house of God in his place.

For I haue giuen a commandement what ye shall doe to the Elders of these Iewes, for the buylding of this house of God, that of the reuenues of the King, which is of the tribute beyonde the Riuer, there be incontinently expenses giuen vnto these men that they cease not.

And that which they shall haue neede of, let it be giuen vnto them day by day, whether it be yong bullockes, or rammes, or lambes for the burnt offrings of the God of heauen, wheate, salt, wine, and oyle, according to the appoyntment of the Priestes that are in Ierusalem, that there bee no fault,

That they may haue to offer sweete odours vnto the God of heauen, and praye for the Kings life, and for his sonnes.

And the God that hath caused his Name to dwell there, destroy all Kings & people that put to their hand to alter, & to destroy this house of God, which is in Ierusalem. I Darius haue made a decree, let it be done with speede.

So the Elders of the Iewes builded, & they prospered by the prophecying of Haggai the Prophet, & Zechariah the sonne of Iddo, & they buylded & finished it, by the appoyntment of the God of Israel, and by the commandement of Cyrus and Darius, and Artahshashte king of Persia.