¹¹ This is the answer they gave to us: “We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth. We are rebuilding the ·Temple [^Lhouse] that a great king of Israel [^CSolomon] built and finished many years ago [^Ctenth century bc; 1 Kin. 7–8]. ¹² But our ·ancestors [fathers] made the God of heaven angry, so he handed them over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean [^Cthe leading tribe of Babylon], who destroyed this ·Temple [^Lhouse] and ·took [deported] the people to Babylon ·as captives [into exile].

¹³ “Later, in the first year Cyrus was king of Babylon [^Che was a Persian king but had multiple titles, including this one], he ·gave a special order [issued a decree] for this ·Temple [^Lhouse] of God to be rebuilt.