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Ezra 4:5-7
Contemporary English Version
Ezra 4:5-7
Contemporary English Version
5 During the time that Cyrus was king and even until Darius[a] became king, they kept bribing government officials to slow down the work.
Trouble Rebuilding Jerusalem[b]
6 (A) In the first year that Xerxes was king,[c] the neighboring people brought written charges against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
7 Later, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and their advisors got together and wrote a letter to Artaxerxes when he was king of Persia.[d] It was written in Aramaic and had to be translated.[e]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 4.5 Cyrus … Darius: Cyrus ruled 539–530 b.c. (see the note at 1.1); Darius I, known as Darius the Great, ruled 522–486 b.c.
- 4.6 Jerusalem: Verses 6-23, which tell about the events of a later period, are placed here because they are also concerned with the problem of stopping or slowing down work on the temple.
- 4.6 first year that Xerxes was king: Either the end of 486 or the beginning of 485 b.c. The Hebrew has the king's Persian name “Ahasuerus,” but he is better known as “Xerxes,” the Greek form of the name.
- 4.7 Artaxerxes … Persia: Artaxerxes I (465–425 b.c.).
- 4.7 It was … translated: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
Ezra 4:5-7
New International Version
Ezra 4:5-7
New International Version
5 They bribed officials to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Later Opposition Under Xerxes and Artaxerxes
6 At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes,[a](A) they lodged an accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.(B)
7 And in the days of Artaxerxes(C) king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. The letter was written in Aramaic script and in the Aramaic(D) language.[b][c]
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