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Ezra 4:5-7
Good News Translation
Ezra 4:5-7
Good News Translation
5 They also bribed Persian government officials to work against them. They kept on doing this throughout the reign of Emperor Cyrus and into the reign of Emperor Darius.[a]
Opposition to the Rebuilding of Jerusalem
6 [b]At the beginning of the reign of Emperor Xerxes, the enemies of the people living in Judah and Jerusalem brought written charges against them.
7 Again in the reign of Emperor Artaxerxes of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and their associates wrote a letter to the emperor. The letter was written in Aramaic[c] and was to be translated when read.[d]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Ezra 4:5 The account of these events is continued at verse 24. The material in verses 6-23 describes events which took place almost a century later.
- Ezra 4:6 AddEsth 1:1
- Ezra 4:7 From 4.8 to 6.18 this book is not in Hebrew, but Aramaic, the official language of the Persian Empire.
- Ezra 4:7 The letter … read; or It was in Aramaic and was written in the Aramaic script.
Good News Translation (GNT) 
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
