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[a]Then Rehum, the governor, and Shimshai, the scribe, wrote the following letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes: “Rehum, the governor, Shimshai, the scribe, and their fellow officials, judges, legates, and agents from among the Persians, Urukians, Babylonians, Susians (that is, Elamites), 10 and the other peoples whom the great and illustrious Osnappar[b] transported and settled in the city of Samaria and elsewhere in the province West-of-Euphrates, as follows….”

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Footnotes

  1. 4:8–23 The letter to Artaxerxes I (465–424 B.C.) deals with the building of the fortification walls of Jerusalem, not the building of the Temple. The interruption of the work on the city wall some time before 445 B.C. was the occasion for the arrival of Nehemiah in the province (Neh 1:1–4; 2:1–5).
  2. 4:10 Osnappar: probably Ashurbanipal; see note on 4:2.

Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows:

Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary, together with the rest of their associates(A)—the judges, officials and administrators over the people from Persia, Uruk(B) and Babylon, the Elamites of Susa,(C) 10 and the other people whom the great and honorable Ashurbanipal(D) deported and settled in the city of Samaria and elsewhere in Trans-Euphrates.(E)

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