Ezra 4:3-5

International Children’s Bible

³ But Zerubbabel, Jeshua and the leaders of Israel answered, “No. You people will not help us build a Temple to our God. We will build it ourselves. It is for the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us to do.”

⁴ Then the people around them tried to discourage the people of Judah. They tried to make them afraid to build. ⁵ Their enemies hired others to delay the building plans. This went on during the time Cyrus was king of Persia. And it continued to the time Darius was king of Persia.