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Tunc Darius rex praecepit: et recensuerunt in bibliotheca librorum, qui erant repositi in Babylone.

Et inventum est in Ecbatanis, quod est castrum in Medena provincia, volumen unum: talisque scriptus erat in eo commentarius:

Anno primo Cyri regis, Cyrus rex decrevit ut domus Dei aedificaretur, quae est in Jerusalem, in loco ubi immolent hostias, et ut ponant fundamenta supportantia altitudinem cubitorum sexaginta, et latitudinem cubitorum sexaginta,

ordines de lapidibus impolitis tres, et sic ordines de lignis novis: sumptus autem de domo regis dabuntur.

Sed et vasa templi Dei aurea et argentea, quae Nabuchodonosor tulerat de templo Jerusalem, et attulerat ea in Babylonem, reddantur, et referantur in templum in Jerusalem in locum suum, quae et posita sunt in templo Dei.

Nunc ergo Thathanai dux regionis, quae est trans flumen, Stharbuzanai, et consiliarii vestri Apharsachaei, qui estis trans flumen, procul recedite ab illis,

et dimittite fieri templum Dei illud a duce Judaeorum, et a senioribus eorum, ut domum Dei illam aedificent in loco suo.

Sed et a me praeceptum est quid oporteat fieri a presbyteris Judaeorum illis ut aedificetur domus Dei, scilicet ut de arca regis, id est, de tributis quae dantur de regione trans flumen, studiose sumptus dentur viris illis, ne impediatur opus.

Quod si necesse fuerit, et vitulos, et agnos, et haedos in holocaustum Deo caeli, frumentum, sal, vinum, et oleum, secundum ritum sacerdotum, qui sunt in Jerusalem, detur eis per singulos dies, ne sit in aliquo querimonia.

10 Et offerant oblationes Deo caeli, orentque pro vita regis, et filiorum ejus.

11 A me ergo positum est decretum: ut omnis homo qui hanc mutaverit jussionem, tollatur lignum de domum ipsius, et erigatur, et configatur in eo, domus autem ejus publicetur.

12 Deus autem, qui habitare fecit nomen suum ibi, dissipet omnia regna, et populum qui extenderit manum suam ut repugnet, et dissipet domum Dei illam, quae est in Jerusalem. Ego Darius statui decretum, quod studiose impleri volo.

13 Igitur Thathanai dux regionis trans flumen, et Stharbuzanai, et consiliarii ejus, secundum quod praeceperat Darius rex, sic diligenter executi sunt.

14 Seniores autem Judaeorum aedificabant, et prosperabantur juxta prophetiam Aggaei prophetae, et Zachariae filii Addo: et aedificaverunt et construxerunt, jubente Deo Israel, et jubente Cyro, et Dario, et Artaxerxe regibus Persarum:

15 et compleverunt domum Dei istam, usque ad diem tertium mensis Adar, qui est annus sextus regni Darii regis.

16 Fecerunt autem filii Israel sacerdotes et Levitae, et reliqui filiorum transmigrationis, dedicationem domus Dei in gaudio.

17 Et obtulerunt in dedicationem domus Dei, vitulos centum, arietes ducentos, agnos quadringentos, hircos caprarum pro peccato totius Israel duodecim, juxta numerum tribuum Israel.

18 Et statuerunt sacerdotes in ordinibus suis, et Levitas in vicibus suis, super opera Dei in Jerusalem, sicut scriptum est in libro Moysi.

19 Fecerunt autem filii Israel transmigrationis Pascha, quartadecima die mensis primi.

20 Purificati enim fuerant sacerdotes et Levitae quasi unus: omnes mundi ad immolandum Pascha universis filiis transmigrationis, et fratribus suis sacerdotibus, et sibi.

21 Et comederunt filii Israel, qui reversi fuerant de transmigratione, et omnes qui se separaverant a coinquinatione gentium terrae ad eos, ut quaererent Dominum Deum Israel.

22 Et fecerunt solemnitatem azymorum septem diebus in laetitia, quoniam laetificaverat eos Dominus, et converterat cor regis Assur ad eos, ut adjuvaret manus eorum in opere domus Domini Dei Israel.

The Decree of Darius

King Darius then issued an order, and they searched in the archives(A) stored in the treasury at Babylon. A scroll was found in the citadel of Ecbatana in the province of Media, and this was written on it:

Memorandum:

In the first year of King Cyrus, the king issued a decree concerning the temple of God in Jerusalem:

Let the temple be rebuilt as a place to present sacrifices, and let its foundations be laid.(B) It is to be sixty cubits[a] high and sixty cubits wide, with three courses(C) of large stones and one of timbers. The costs are to be paid by the royal treasury.(D) Also, the gold(E) and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, are to be returned to their places in the temple in Jerusalem; they are to be deposited in the house of God.(F)

Now then, Tattenai,(G) governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai(H) and you other officials of that province, stay away from there. Do not interfere with the work on this temple of God. Let the governor of the Jews and the Jewish elders rebuild this house of God on its site.

Moreover, I hereby decree what you are to do for these elders of the Jews in the construction of this house of God:

Their expenses are to be fully paid out of the royal treasury,(I) from the revenues(J) of Trans-Euphrates, so that the work will not stop. Whatever is needed—young bulls, rams, male lambs for burnt offerings(K) to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine and olive oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem—must be given them daily without fail, 10 so that they may offer sacrifices pleasing to the God of heaven and pray for the well-being of the king and his sons.(L)

11 Furthermore, I decree that if anyone defies this edict, a beam is to be pulled from their house and they are to be impaled(M) on it. And for this crime their house is to be made a pile of rubble.(N) 12 May God, who has caused his Name to dwell there,(O) overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to change this decree or to destroy this temple in Jerusalem.

I Darius(P) have decreed it. Let it be carried out with diligence.

Completion and Dedication of the Temple

13 Then, because of the decree King Darius had sent, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates(Q) carried it out with diligence. 14 So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching(R) of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo. They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus,(S) Darius(T) and Artaxerxes,(U) kings of Persia. 15 The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.(V)

16 Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles—celebrated the dedication(W) of the house of God with joy. 17 For the dedication of this house of God they offered(X) a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred male lambs and, as a sin offering[b] for all Israel, twelve male goats, one for each of the tribes of Israel. 18 And they installed the priests in their divisions(Y) and the Levites in their groups(Z) for the service of God at Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses.(AA)

The Passover

19 On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles celebrated the Passover.(AB) 20 The priests and Levites had purified themselves and were all ceremonially clean. The Levites slaughtered(AC) the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their relatives the priests and for themselves. 21 So the Israelites who had returned from the exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves(AD) from the unclean practices(AE) of their Gentile neighbors in order to seek the Lord,(AF) the God of Israel. 22 For seven days they celebrated with joy the Festival of Unleavened Bread,(AG) because the Lord had filled them with joy by changing the attitude(AH) of the king of Assyria so that he assisted them in the work on the house of God, the God of Israel.

Footnotes

  1. Ezra 6:3 That is, about 90 feet or about 27 meters
  2. Ezra 6:17 Or purification offering