CHAPTER 4

(535 B.C.)

ZERUBBABEL REFUSES THE HELP OF THEIR ADVERSARIES

¹Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity built the Temple unto the LORD God of Israel (Satan now sends his adversaries, endeavoring to hinder the building of the Temple);

²Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, let us build with you: for we seek your God, as you do; and we do sacrifice unto Him since the days of Esar-haddon king of Assur (Assyria), which brought us up hither (these were the Samaritans, who occupied what was formerly referred to as the northern kingdom of Israel).

³But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, You have nothing to do with us to build an House unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us (the plan fomented here by Satan was designed to destroy the people of God; his proposal through the Samaritans for help, which was no doubt sorely needed, possibly seemed attractive on the surface; however, the Evil One had far more in mind than the Temple; he wanted to dilute the Jewish people by intermarriage with the Samaritans, thereby destroying the pure bloodline through which the Messiah must come).

⁴Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building,

⁵And 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 (the Lord allowed this opposition in order to test the faith of His people; regrettably, they failed; in fact, everything that happens to the Believer is, in essence, a test of faith).

THE STOPPING OF THE WORK ON THE TEMPLE BY ARTAXERXES, THE KING

⁶And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem (a new king has taken the throne, so fresh representations were made to him by the adversaries, lest the work of the Temple should continue).

⁷And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian tongue, and interpreted in the Syrian tongue (Artaxerxes now takes over the Persian kingdom, and the adversaries appeal to him, as well!).

⁸Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort:

⁹Then wrote Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions; the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Susanchites, the Dehavites, and the Elamites (either the Samaritans were not now amalgamated into a single people, or else they thought, by listing all of these different names, that such would portray power and strength to the king, and he would, therefore, accede to their request),

¹⁰And the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Asnapper brought over, and set in the cities of Samaria, and the rest who are on this side the river, and at such a time (who this great and noble Asnapper was, we arent told; they were speaking of the Jordan River).

¹¹This is the copy of the letter that they sent unto him, even unto Artaxerxes the king; Your servants the men on this side the river, and at such a time.

¹²Be it known unto the king, that the Jews which came up from you to us are come unto Jerusalem, building the rebellious and the bad city, and have set up the walls thereof, and joined the foundations.

¹³Be it known now unto the king, that, if this city be built, and the walls set up again, then will they not pay toll, tribute, and custom, and so you shall endamage the revenue of the kings.

¹⁴Now because we have maintenance from the kings palace, and it was not meet for us to see the kings dishonour, therefore have we went and certified the king;

¹⁵That search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers: so shall you find in the book of the records, and know that this city is a rebellious city, and hurtful unto kings and provinces, and that they have moved sedition within the same of old time: for which cause was this city destroyed.

¹⁶We certify the king that, if this city be built again, and the walls thereof set up, by this means you shall have no portion on this side the river. (The enemies of the Lord told half-truths and outright lies, in order to hinder the rebuilding of the Temple.)

THE ANSWER OF THE KING TO THE LETTER

¹⁷Then sent the king (Artaxerxes) an answer unto Rehum the chancellor, and to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their companions who dwell in Samaria, and unto the rest beyond the river (east of the Jordan River), Peace, and at such a time.

¹⁸The letter which you sent unto us has been plainly read before me.

¹⁹And I commanded, and search has been made, and it is found that this city of old time has made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made therein.

²⁰There have been mighty kings also over Jerusalem, which have ruled over all countries beyond the river; and toll, tribute, and custom, was paid unto them.

²¹Give you now commandment to cause these men to cease, and that this city be not built, until another commandment shall be given from me.

²²Take heed now that you fail not to do this: why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings?

²³Now 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 unto the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power (the adversaries lost no time in brandishing the letter from the Persian king, demanding that the work stop; by threatened force, the work did stop).

²⁴Then ceased the work of the House of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia (if the work was resumed early in Darius second year, the entire period of suspension cannot have much exceeded a year and a half; however, the Jews allowed many other things to hinder, which stretched into approximately fifteen years of inactivity, as it regards the rebuilding of the Temple).