Ezra 4:3-5

Tree of Life Version

³ But Zerubbabel, Jeshua and the rest of the prominent patriarchs of Israel said to them, “It is not for you and us to build a House for our God—but we alone will build it for Adonai the God of Israel, just as Cyrus—king of Persia—has commanded us.”

⁴ Then the people of the land began discouraging^[a] the people of Judah and making them afraid to build. ⁵ They bribed advisors in order to thwart their plans all the days of King Cyrus of Persia and until the reign of Darius king of Persia.