² Those who came with Zerubbabel were Jeshua, Nehemiah, ^[a]Seraiah, ^[b]Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, ^[c]Mispar, Bigvai, ^[d]Rehum, and Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel:

² they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers’ houses, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him ^(A)since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.”

³ But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel said to them, ^(A)“You may do nothing with us to build a ^[a]house for our God; but we alone will build to the Lord God of Israel, as ^(B)King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”

² So ^(A)Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of ^[a]Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and ^(B)the prophets of God were with them, helping them.