Matthew(i)
1 Then commaunded kyng Darius that searche shoulde be made in the lybrary of the kinges treasure house, whych lay at Babilon.
2 So at Egbathanis in a castel that lieth in the lande of the Medes, there was founde a boke, and in it was there an acte wrytten after this maner:
3 In the first year of kyng Cirus, commaunded the same king Cirus to buylde the house of God at Ierusalem, in the place where the sacryfyce is made, & to lay the foundacion to beare thre skore cubites height & thre skore cubytes bredth,
4 & thre walles of roughe stones, and one walle of tymber, and the expences shalbe geuen of the kinges house.
5 And the goulde and syluer vessel of the house of God (whiche Nabuchodonozor toke oute of the temple at Ierusalem, & brought vnto Babilon) shalbe restored agayne, that they maye be brought vnto the temple at Ierusalem to their place into the house of God.
6 Get you farre from them therfore, thou Thathanai captayne beyond the water, & Stharbuzanai, & youre councelers whiche are beyonde the water, get ye awaye from them.
7 Let them worcke in the house of God, that the captayne of the Iewes and their Elders maye buylde the house of God in his place.
8 I haue commaunded also, what shalbe done to the Elders of Iuda for the buyldyng of the house of God, that there shall dilygently be taken of the Kinges goodes, euen of the rentes beyonde the water, & geuen vnto the men, and that they be not hindred.
9 And yf they haue nede of calues, lambes, or goates, for the burntofferynge vnto the God of heauen, wheate, salt, wyne and oyle, after the custome of the pryestes at Ierusalem, there shalbe geuen tem daylie as is accordyng: & se that this be done without faute,
10 that they maye offre swete sauoures vnto the God of heauen, and praye for the kinges lyfe & for his children.
11 This commaundement haue I geuen. And what man soeuer he be that altereth these wordes, there shall a beame be taken from his house, & set vp, and he shalbe hanged theron, & his house shalbe prysed for the deade.
12 But the God that dwelleth in heauen, destroye al kinges and people, that put to their hande to alter & to breake doune the house of God at Ierusalem. I Darius haue commaunded, that this he diligently done.
13 Then Thathanai the captayne beyond the water, and Stharbuzanai with their counselers (to whom king Darius had sent) dyd theyr diligence.
14 And the Elders of the Iewes builded, and they prospered thorowe the Prophesyenge of Aggeus the Prophet and Zachari the sonne of Ado: and they buylded, and set vp the worcke, accordinge to the commaundemente of the God of Israel, and after the commaundement of Cyrus, Darius & Arthaxerses kinges of Persia.
15 And they perfourmed the house vnto the thirde daye of the moneth Adar, that was in the sixte year of the raigne of kinge Darius.
16 And the children of Israel, the pryestes, the Leuites, & the other children of the captiuyte helde the dedicacion of the house of God with ioye,
17 and offered at the dedycacion of the house of God, an hundred calues, two hundred lambes, four hundred goates: and for the synofferinge for all Israell twelue he goates, accordinge to the nombre of the trybes of Israel,
18 and set the priestes in their courses and the Leuites in their offyces to minister vnto God, which is at Ierusalem, as it is wrytten in the boke of Moses.
19 And the chyldren of the captyuyte helde Passeouer vpon the fourtenth daye of the fyrst moneth:
20 for the preastes and Leuites had purifyed them selues, so that they were all cleane as one man, & kylled Passeouer for all the chyldren of the captyuite, and for theyr brethren the preastes, and for them selues.
21 And the chyldren of Israel which were come agayne out of captyuite, & al such as had separated them selues vnto them from the filthynesse of the Heathen in the lande, to seke the Lorde God of Israel, ate
22 and helde the feast of vnleuended bread seuen dayes with ioye: for the Lord had made them glad, and turned the herte of the king of Assur vnto them, so that the handes were strengthed in the worcke of the house of God, whiche is the God of Israel.