Ezra 4 Cross References - VIN

¹ Now the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple for the LORD the God of Israel. ² they came to Zorobabel and to the chiefs of the families, and said, Let us build with you, for we, like you, seek our God, and we sacrifice to him, from the days of Asaradan, king of Assur, who brought us here. ³ But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build a house unto our God; but we alone will build unto the LORD God of Israel as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us. ⁴ Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build ⁵ They hired counselors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. ⁶ At the beginning of the reign of Ahasuerus, they lodged a formal accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. ⁷ In the time of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his friends, sent a letter to Artaxerxes, king of Persia, writing it in the Aramaic language. ⁸ Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows, ⁹ (then Rehum the royal officer, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, the judges, the envoys, the officials, the Persians, the Erechs, the Babylonians, the Susians (that is the Elamites) ¹⁰ and the rest of the peoples, whom the great and noble Osnappar hath exiled, and set in the city of Samaria,—and the rest Beyond the River, and so forth: ¹¹ This is the copy of the letter that they sent: To King Artaxerxes, From your servants the men beyond the River. ¹² be it known to the king that the Jews who have come up from near you to us have gone to Jerusalem. They are building the rebellious and wicked city. They are finishing the wall and repairing the foundation. ¹³ Now be it known to the king that if this city is built and the walls are finished, they will not pay tribute and toll, and the royal revenue will be reduced. ¹⁴ Now, since we eat the salt of the palace, and it is not right for us to see the king`s injury, therefore have we sent and informed the king; ¹⁵ that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. You will see in the book of the records, and know that this city is a rebellious city, and hurtful to kings and provinces, and that they have started rebellions within it in the past. That is why this city was destroyed. ¹⁶ We inform the king that, if this city is built and the walls finished, then you will have no possession beyond the River. ¹⁷ The king sent a reply: "To Rehum the royal officer, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates who live in Samaria and the rest of the province Beyond the River, greetings. And now ¹⁸ the letter that you sent to us has been translated and read before me. ¹⁹ I decreed, and search has been made, and it is found that this city of old time has made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made in it. ²⁰ and mighty kings have been over Jerusalem, even rulers over all beyond the river, and toll, tribute, and custom is given to them. ²¹ And now establish a decree for those men to cease work, so that that city shall not be built up any more! ²² Be careful that you not be slack doing so. Why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings? ²³ As soon as a copy of the letter from King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum, to Shimshai the scribe, and to their colleagues, they traveled quickly to Jerusalem and compelled the Jews to cease by force of arms. ²⁴ Then the work of the house of God in Jerusalem stopped. So it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

⁴ But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side: there is neither adversary nor evil event. ⁵ Behold, I intend to build a house for the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spoke to David my father, saying, 'Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place shall build the house for my name.'

⁹ »‘You will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon (peace), and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign. ¹⁰ "'He is the one who will build a house for my name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for a very ong time.'"

¹¹ All the articles of gold and silver numbered 5,400. Sheshbazzar brought all of them along with the exiles who traveled from Babylon to Jerusalem.

⁷ In the time of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his friends, sent a letter to Artaxerxes, king of Persia, writing it in the Aramaic language. ⁸ Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows, ⁹ (then Rehum the royal officer, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, the judges, the envoys, the officials, the Persians, the Erechs, the Babylonians, the Susians (that is the Elamites) ¹⁰ and the rest of the peoples, whom the great and noble Osnappar hath exiled, and set in the city of Samaria,—and the rest Beyond the River, and so forth:

¹⁶ And the Israelites, the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy.

¹⁹ On the fourteenth day of the first month the returned exiles observed the Passover feast. ²⁰ for the priests and the Levites, had purified themselves, as one man, all of them, were pure,—so they slaughtered the passover for all the Sons of the Exile, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.

⁹ He started his journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month. He arrived at Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, by the good help of his God.

⁷ And they passed a call throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the sons of the exile, to assemble at Jerusalem;

¹⁶ and the sons of the exile work thus; and Ezra the priest with men - heads of the fathers of the house of their fathers and all who, by name, separate and settle in the first day of the tenth month to examine the word.

¹ But when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry, and was very indignant, and mocked the Jews. ² And he spoke before his brothers and the army of Samaria and said, What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, seeing they are burnt? ³ Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, "What they are building, if a fox climbed up it, he would break down their stone wall." ⁴ “Hear, our God; for we are despised. Turn back their reproach on their own head. Give them up for a plunder in a land of captivity. ⁵ and neither cover their perversity nor wipe away their sin from your face: for they vex you in front of the builders. ⁶ So we rebuilt the wall, and all of the wall was joined up to half its height. For the people had a heart to do it. ⁷ Now when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the restoration of the walls of Jerusalem were going forward and the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. ⁸ So all of them plotted together to come fight against Jerusalem and to make trouble for it. ⁹ But we prayed to our God. We also set up guards day and night because of them. ¹⁰ Meanwhile, the people of Judah said, "The builders are tired and there's so much rubble that we can't reconstruct the wall!" ¹¹ Our enemies said, "Before they notice or see us, we'll penetrate their midst, kill them, and stop the work!"

¹³ Daniel was brought before the king. The king spoke to Daniel: "Are you that Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Judah?

²⁵ “Know therefore and discern that from the going out of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem to the Anointed One, the prince, will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It will be built again, with street and moat, even in troubled times.

⁹ because a great door for effective work has opened to me, even though many oppose me.

¹¹ From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah,

²⁴ Because the king of Assyria brought captives from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sephar-vaim and settled them in the cities of Samaria to replace the Israelites, the settlers possessed Samaria and lived in its cities.

²⁷ Then the king of Assyria gave orders, saying: "Send one of the priests you took from there. Let him live there and teach the people the way of the god of the land." ²⁸ And one of the priests whom they exiled from Samaria came and lived in Bethel, and he taught them how they should fear the LORD. ²⁹ However each nation made gods of their own and put them in the houses of the high places which those of Samaria had made, each nation in their city in which they dwelt. ³⁰ The men of Babylon made Succoth Benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima, ³¹ the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. ³² And they were fearing the lord, and they made for themselves priests of the high places; and they offered for themselves in the houses of the high places. ³³ They feared the LORD, and served their own gods, according to the custom of the nations from where they exiled them.

⁴¹ Yet these nations feared the Lord and at the same time served their graven images. And even to this day their children and their children's children do as their fathers did.

³⁷ And he will be worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, and Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him with the sword: and they escaped to the land of Ararat: and Esarhaddon his son will reign in his stead.

⁵ Then the heads of fathers of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites, even all whose spirit God had stirred, rose up to go up to build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem.

² who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel:

² Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brothers the priests and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brothers, stood up and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God.

¹² But many of the elderly priests, Levites, and heads of the families who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house, but many shouted aloud with joy.

⁸ They scoff and speak with malice; in arrogance, they threaten oppression.

²³ Like the glaze covering an earthen vessel are smooth words with an evil heart. ²⁴ A malicious man disguises himself with his lips, but he harbors evil in his heart. ²⁵ When his speech is charming, do not believe him; for there are seven abominations in his heart. ²⁶ His malice may be concealed by deception, but his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.

³⁷ So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.

³ Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride on horses. We shall not say any more to the work of our hands, Our gods! For in You the fatherless finds mercy.

¹³ For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. ¹⁵ It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their actions.

⁴ This issue arose because some false brothers were brought in under false pretenses to spy on our freedom in Christ Jesus, in order to enslave us.

⁸ Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these oppose the truth—men of depraved mind, disqualified as regards the faith—

¹ Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies that even deny the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction on themselves. ² Many will follow their immoral ways, and as a result, the way of the truth will be maligned.

²² In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia. He sent a proclamation throughout his kingdom, and also put it in writing. He said:

³ In the first year of king Cyrus, king Cyrus made a decree [concerning] the house of God at Jerusalem: Let the house be built for a place where they offer sacrifices, and let its foundations be solidly laid; its height sixty cubits, its breadth sixty cubits, ⁴ with three layers of great stones and a layer of timber. Let the new expenses be paid from the house of the king. ⁵ Also, let the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylonia, be returned and brought to the temple in Jerusalem to its place. Put them in the house of God."

²⁰ I answered them: »The God of heaven will be our help; so we, his servants, will go on with our building. But you have no part or right or any name in Jerusalem.«

²⁸ "'I say of Cyrus: 'He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please. He will say of Jerusalem, 'Let it be rebuilt,' and of the Temple, 'Let its foundations be laid.'"

⁴ "For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen one, I have called you by name. I have given you a title of honor, although you do not know me.

¹⁶ Look, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

²² You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. ²³ But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him.

²¹ You have no part or share in our ministry, because your heart is not right before God.

⁴ the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory and the covenants; theirs the giving of the Law, the temple worship, and the promises. ⁵ Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them proceeds the human descent of Christ, who is God over all, forever worthy of praise! Amen.

⁹ I wrote to the church: but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept us. ¹⁰ So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping against us with evil words. And not satisfied with that, he refuses himself to welcome the brethren, and also stops those who want to welcome them and puts them out of the church.

³ In spite of their fear because of the peoples of the surrounding lands, they set the altar on its base; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, even burnt offerings morning and evening.

⁷ Now when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the restoration of the walls of Jerusalem were going forward and the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. ⁸ So all of them plotted together to come fight against Jerusalem and to make trouble for it.

¹¹ Our enemies said, "Before they notice or see us, we'll penetrate their midst, kill them, and stop the work!"

⁹ For, they all, were seeking to put us in fear, saying, Their hands will slacken from the work, and it will not be accomplished. Now, therefore, strengthen thou my hands!

³ Strengthen the weak hands, and make the feeble knees firm. ⁴ Tell those who have a fearful heart, "Be strong. Do not be afraid. Look, your God will come with vengeance, God's retribution. He will come and save you.

⁴ Then the officials said to the king, "Let this man be put to death because he's undermining the efforts of the soldiers who remain in this city and that of all the people by speaking words like these to them. Indeed, this man is not seeking the well-being of this people, but rather their harm."

²⁴ Then the work of the house of God in Jerusalem stopped. So it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

⁵ And the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them until the report came to Darius, and then answer was received. ⁶ This is a transcript of the letter that Tattenai viceroy Beyond-the-Stream, and Shethar-Bozenai and their colleagues, the officials Beyond-the-Stream, sent to king Darius. ⁷ The letter sent to him was written like this: To: King Darius: Greetings! ⁸ May it be known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, the house of the great God. It is being built with stone blocks and timber is being put in the walls. This work is being done with diligence and is making progress in their hands. ⁹ We asked the elders, "Who authorized you to build this temple and to reinforce these walls?" ¹⁰ We also asked them their names so that we could certify the identities of their leaders to you. ¹¹ And this is the answer they returned to us: 'We are servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are building the house that was built formerly many years ago, which a great king of Israel had built and finished. ¹² Only because our fathers angered Eloah of the heavens, He granted them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the Chaldean, king of Babylon; and he demolished this House and deported the people to Babylon. ¹³ However, in the first year of Cyrus the king of Babylon, king Cyrus gave an order to build this house of God. ¹⁴ Also, the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took away from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to the temple in Babylonia, King Cyrus removed them from the temple in Babylonia and they were given to Sheshbazzar, whom he appointed governor. ¹⁵ And he said to him, Take these vessels and go. Deposit them in the temple in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be built on its place. ¹⁶ Then this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of the house of God in Jerusalem. And from that time until now it is being built, but not yet finished.' ¹⁷ And now, if it seems good for the king, let it be investigated in the house of the treasury of the king in Babylonia to see if a decree was issued forth from King Cyrus to build this house of God in Jerusalem. And let the king send to us his desire on this matter."

⁵ Also, let the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylonia, be returned and brought to the temple in Jerusalem to its place. Put them in the house of God." ⁶ Now you, Tattenai viceroy Beyond-the Stream, Shethar-Bozenai, and you, their colleagues, the officials of Beyond-the-Stream, stay away from there. ⁷ let alone the work of this house of God, let the governor of the Jews, and the elders of the Jews, build this house of God on its place. ⁸ Moreover I make a decree what you shall do for these elders of the Jews for the building of this house of God: that of the king’s goods, even of the tribute beyond the River, expenses must be given with all diligence to these men, that they not be hindered. ⁹ And that which they need, both young bulls and rams and lambs, for the burnt offerings of the God of Heaven; wheat, salt, wine, and oil, as say the priests in Jerusalem, let it be given them day by day without fail, ¹⁰ so that they may offer sacrifices of sweet odor to the God of Heaven, and pray for the life of the king and of his sons. ¹¹ And I have given orders that if anyone makes any change in this word, one of the supports is to be pulled out of his house, and he is to be lifted up and fixed to it; and his house is to be made waste for this; ¹² May the God who has set his name there overthrow any king or people who sets his hand to alter or to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, issue forth a decree. Let it be done with diligence." ¹³ Because of what King Darius had mandated, Tattenai, the Trans-Euphrates Governor, Shethar-boznai, and their colleagues carried out his orders quickly. ¹⁴ So the elders of the Jews were building and prospering, through the prophecy of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo. They finished building by the command of the God of Israel and by the decree of Cyrus, Darius, and King Artaxerxes of Persia. ¹⁵ The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar during the sixth year of the reign of King Darius. ¹⁶ And the Israelites, the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy. ¹⁷ They offered at the dedication of this house of God one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and for a sin offering for all Israel, twelve male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel. ¹⁸ And they set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their separate orders, for the services of God in Jerusalem, according to the writing of the Book of Moses

¹ Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot in vain? ² The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One.

¹¹ From you goes out one who plots evil against the LORD, one who plans wickedness.

¹ Five days later, the high priest Ananias came down with some of the elders and an attorney named Tertullus, and they presented their case against Paul before the governor. ² When Paul had been called in, Tertullus opened the prosecution: “Because of you, we have enjoyed a lasting peace, and your foresight has brought improvements to this nation. ³ In every way and everywhere, most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with all gratitude. ⁴ But so as not to detain you unduly, I would request that you be kind enough to hear us briefly. ⁵ We have found this man to be a nuisance, stirring up dissension among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes, ⁶ and he even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him.

⁸ By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges of which we accuse him." ⁹ The Jews supported his accusations by asserting that these things were true. ¹⁰ When the governor had motioned for him to speak, Paul replied: "Realizing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, I cheerfully make my defense. ¹¹ Since you can easily verify that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. ¹² Yet my accusers did not find me debating with anyone in the temple or riling up a crowd in the synagogues or in the city. ¹³ and they cannot prove to you the charges they are now bringing against me. ¹⁴ I do confess to you, however, that I worship the God of our fathers according to the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, ¹⁵ and I have the same hope in God that they themselves cherish, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. ¹⁶ Therefore I strive always to have a clear conscience before God and men. ¹⁷ After several years, then, I returned to Jerusalem to bring alms to my people and to present offerings. ¹⁸ in which they found me purified in the temple courts, not with a crowd or with a disturbance. ¹⁹ But there are some Jews from Asia who ought to be present before you and bring charges against me, if they have anything against me, ²⁰ or these men themselves should say what crime they found when I stood before the Sanhedrin, ²¹ unless it was this one thing I called out as I stood in their presence: ‘It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.’” ²² Then Felix, who was well informed about the Way, adjourned the hearing and said, “When Lysias the commander comes, I will decide your case.” ²³ He ordered the centurion to keep Paul under guard, but to allow him some freedom and permit his friends to minister to his needs. ²⁴ Some days later, Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess, and sent for Paul and heard him talk about faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁵ And as he reasoned about righteousness, self control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid, and answered: Go away for now. When I have a convenient time I will call for you. ²⁶ At the same time he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe. So he sent for Paul frequently and talked with him. ²⁷ After two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. Since Felix wanted to do the Jews a favor, he left Paul in prison.

¹ This is what happened during the reign of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who ruled over 127 provinces from India to Cush.

¹ In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans—

³⁷ Above his head they put up the charge against him in writing: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS

⁵ We have found this man to be a nuisance, stirring up dissension among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes, ⁶ and he even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him.

⁸ By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges of which we accuse him." ⁹ The Jews supported his accusations by asserting that these things were true.

¹³ and they cannot prove to you the charges they are now bringing against me.

⁷ And when Paul arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious charges against him, which they could not prove.

¹⁰ And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying: Now has come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren, he that accused them before our God day and night, is cast down.

²⁶ Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah and Shebna and Joah said to the chief commander, "Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we are understanding, but you must not speak Judean with us in the ears of the people who are on the wall."

⁹ (then Rehum the royal officer, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, the judges, the envoys, the officials, the Persians, the Erechs, the Babylonians, the Susians (that is the Elamites)

¹⁷ The king sent a reply: "To Rehum the royal officer, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates who live in Samaria and the rest of the province Beyond the River, greetings. And now

⁶ This is a transcript of the letter that Tattenai viceroy Beyond-the-Stream, and Shethar-Bozenai and their colleagues, the officials Beyond-the-Stream, sent to king Darius.

¹¹ And Eliakim and Shebna and Joah said to the chief of the cupbearers, Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it. But do not speak to us in Jewish in the ears of the people on the wall.

⁴ Then spoke the Chaldeans to the king in Aramaic, O king, live forever: tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.

¹⁷ Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were priests, Seraiah was scribe,

²⁵ Sheva was secretary, Zadok and Abiathar were priests,

¹⁸ And they called to the king, and Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder went out to them.

²² The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.

³⁰ The men of Babylon made Succoth Benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima, ³¹ the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.

⁶ Now you, Tattenai viceroy Beyond-the Stream, Shethar-Bozenai, and you, their colleagues, the officials of Beyond-the-Stream, stay away from there.

² In those days when king Xerxes sat on his royal throne in the castle of Susa,

³ Let the king appoint officials in all the provinces of his kingdom to bring all the beautiful young virgins into the harem in Susa the capital. Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king's eunuch, who is in charge of the women to give them their beauty treatments.

² A harsh vision is revealed to me; the deceiver deceives, and the plunderer plunders. Go up, O Elam; besiege, O Media! I have caused all her sighing to cease.

²⁵ and all the kings of Ailam and all the kings of the Persians

³⁴ The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying,

²⁴ “There is Elam and all her multitude around her grave; all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who have gone down uncircumcised into the lower parts of the earth, who caused their terror in the land of the living, and have borne their shame with those who go down to the pit.

² As I observed the vision, I looked around the citadel of Susa in Elam Province. While I watched, I found myself beside the Ulai Canal.

⁹ Parthians, Medes, and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,

²⁴ Because the king of Assyria brought captives from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sephar-vaim and settled them in the cities of Samaria to replace the Israelites, the settlers possessed Samaria and lived in its cities. ²⁵ When they first lived there they did not respect the LORD. So the LORD sent lions among them, causing some of them to die. ²⁶ So they said to the king of Assyria, "The nations whom you deported and settled in the cities of Samaria do not know the customs of the God of the land, so he sent lions among them, and now they are killing them because they do not know the customs of the God of the land." ²⁷ Then the king of Assyria gave orders, saying: "Send one of the priests you took from there. Let him live there and teach the people the way of the god of the land." ²⁸ And one of the priests whom they exiled from Samaria came and lived in Bethel, and he taught them how they should fear the LORD. ²⁹ However each nation made gods of their own and put them in the houses of the high places which those of Samaria had made, each nation in their city in which they dwelt. ³⁰ The men of Babylon made Succoth Benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima, ³¹ the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. ³² And they were fearing the lord, and they made for themselves priests of the high places; and they offered for themselves in the houses of the high places. ³³ They feared the LORD, and served their own gods, according to the custom of the nations from where they exiled them. ³⁴ To this day they do after their former customs: they fear not the LORD, neither do they after their statutes or after their ordinances, nor after the law and commandment that the LORD commanded the sons of Jacob, whom he named Israel. ³⁵ And the LORD made a covenant with them, and commanded them, saying, You shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them; ³⁶ But the LORD, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm, him you will fear and to him you will bow yourselves and to him you will sacrifice. ³⁷ Furthermore, you shall be careful to observe forever the statutes, ordinances, law, and the commandment that he wrote for you. And you are not to fear other gods. ³⁸ You shall not forget the covenant that I have made with you. You shall not fear other gods. ³⁹ but you will fear the LORD your God and he will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies. ⁴⁰ But they did not listen, but did according to their former custom. ⁴¹ Yet these nations feared the Lord and at the same time served their graven images. And even to this day their children and their children's children do as their fathers did.

¹ Now the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple for the LORD the God of Israel.

¹¹ This is the copy of the letter that they sent: To King Artaxerxes, From your servants the men beyond the River.

¹² Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, scribe of the law of the God of heaven, all peace;

⁷ Therefore give everyone what you owe: if you owe taxes, pay taxes; if customs, then customs; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

²⁰ "You say you have counsel and [military] strength for war. These are only words. To whom are you looking for support that you rebel against me?

¹ ¶ In his time Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came up, and Jehoiakim became his slave three years; then he turned and rebelled against him.

¹³ And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him take oath by God; and he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from returning to the LORD the God of Israel.

¹⁵ that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. You will see in the book of the records, and know that this city is a rebellious city, and hurtful to kings and provinces, and that they have started rebellions within it in the past. That is why this city was destroyed.

¹⁹ I decreed, and search has been made, and it is found that this city of old time has made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made in it.

³ At that time Tatnai, governor of the province Beyond the River, and Shethar-boznai, and their associates, came to them, and said this to them: Who has commanded you to build this house and to complete this structure?

⁹ We asked the elders, "Who authorized you to build this temple and to reinforce these walls?"

³ They replied to me, "The survivors in the province who have survived the captivity are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned in the fire."

¹ Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised, in the city of our God, in his holy mountain 2 Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion, on the north sides, the city of the great King.

²¹ How the faithful city has become a harlot! She who was full of justice! Righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers. ²² Your silver has become dross; your wine is diluted with water. ²³ Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves. Every one loves a bribe and runs after gifts. They do not defend the orphan and the legal dispute of the widow does not come before them.

³ For because of the anger of the LORD this happened in Jerusalem and Judah until his casting them from his presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

¹² "Say now to the rebellious house, 'Do you not know what these things mean?' Tell them, 'Look, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took its king, and its princes, and brought them to him to Babylon: ¹³ »He took one of the royal family and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath. He also took away the mighty of the land, ¹⁴ that the kingdom might be brought low, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand. ¹⁵ But he rebelled against him by sending his messengers to Egypt to give to him horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Will he escape doing these things, and can he break the covenant and escape? ¹⁶ As truly as I live, sayeth the LORD God, he shall die at Babylon: in the place where the king dwelleth, that made him king, whose oath he hath despised, and whose covenant he hath broken. ¹⁷ Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company won't help him in the war, when they cast up mounds and build forts, to cut off many persons. ¹⁸ Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, see, he had given his hand, and has done all these things, he shall not escape. ¹⁹ “Therefore the Sovereign LORD says: 'As I live, I will surely bring on his own head my oath that he has despised and my covenant that he has broken. ²⁰ '"I will spread out a hunter's net and catch him in it. I will take him to Babylon and punish him there, because he was unfaithful to me. ²¹ All his fugitives in all his bands will fall by the sword, and those who remain will be scattered toward every wind. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken it.'

³⁴ O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling.

² And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this man subverting our nation, forbidding payment of taxes to Caesar, and proclaiming Himself to be Christ, a king.” ³ So Pilate asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” “You have said so,” Jesus replied. ⁴ Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.” ⁵ But they kept insisting, “He stirs up the people all over Judea with His teaching. He began in Galilee and has come all the way here.”

⁵ We have found this man to be a nuisance, stirring up dissension among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes,

²² Avoid every kind of evil.

¹³ Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to the king as the supreme authority, ¹⁴ or to governors who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. ¹⁵ For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorance of foolish men.

²⁰ and mighty kings have been over Jerusalem, even rulers over all beyond the river, and toll, tribute, and custom is given to them.

²⁴ Also we inform you that it shall not be lawful to impose tribute, custom, or toll, on any of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple servants, or laborers of this house of God.

⁴ And others there were that said, We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards.

² Your tongue devises woes, Like a honed razor, you who practice deceit."

⁶⁹ The arrogant smear me with lies; I keep your precepts with my whole heart.

⁹ As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. “Follow Me,” He told him, and Matthew got up and followed Him.

²⁵ “Yes,” he answered. When Peter entered the house, Jesus preempted him. “What do you think, Simon?” He asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs and taxes: from their own sons, or from others?”

⁶ This is also why you pay taxes. For the authorities are God’s servants, who devote themselves to their work. ⁷ Therefore give everyone what you owe: if you owe taxes, pay taxes; if customs, then customs; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

³¹ And they come to you as the people come, and they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words. But they will not do them. For with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goes after their unjust gain.

⁵ "Why wasn't this perfume sold for 300 denarii and the money given to the destitute?" ⁶ Judas did not say this because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. As keeper of the money bag, he used to take from what was put into it.

¹² From then on, Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews kept shouting, "If you release this fellow, you're not a friend of Caesar! Anyone who claims to be a king is defying Caesar!" ¹³ When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat on the judgment seat at a place called the Stone Pavement, which in Aramaic is Gabbatha. ¹⁴ (it was the day of Preparation for the passover, about noon). "There is your king!" he said to the Jews. ¹⁵ At this, they shouted, “Away with Him! Away with Him! Crucify Him!” “Shall I crucify your King?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” replied the chief priests.

²⁰ because through the LORD's anger these things happened to Jerusalem and Judah until he threw them from his presence. Zedekiah then rebelled against the king of Babylon,

⁴ The city was breached, and the entire army left during the night through the gate that stood between the two walls beside the royal garden, even though the Chaldeans had surrounded the city. They escaped by way of the Arabah,

¹² be it known to the king that the Jews who have come up from near you to us have gone to Jerusalem. They are building the rebellious and wicked city. They are finishing the wall and repairing the foundation.

¹⁹ But Sanballat the Horonite, the Ammonite servant Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab heard it, and they mocked and despised us, saying, "What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?"

⁶ in which was written: It is reported among the nations, and Gashmu says [it, that] thou and the Jews think to rebel, for which cause thou buildest the wall, and according to these words thou wilt become their king.

⁵ When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel and bow down to him, he flew into a rage. ⁶ he was greatly inflamed with wrath, and determined to destroy all the Jews throughout the whole kingdom of Artaxerxes. ⁷ In the twelfth year of the reign of King Ahasuerus, in the first month (the month Nisan), the pur, that is the lot, was cast in Haman's presence to determine the best day and month to carry out his plot. The lot indicated the twelfth month, the month Adar. ⁸ Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, "There is a certain people scattered and divided among the people throughout the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different than all the other people, they don't obey the king's laws, and it's not in the king's best interest to leave them alone.

³ For because of the anger of the LORD this happened in Jerusalem and Judah until his casting them from his presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. ⁴ and in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came against Jerusalem with all his army. He encamped near it and set up siege works all around it. ⁵ So the city came under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. ⁶ By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine became so severe that there was no food for the people of the land. ⁷ The wall of the city was broken through, and all the soldiers fled, leaving the city at night by way of the gate between the two walls next to the king's garden, even though the Chaldeans were all around the city. They went in the direction of the Arabah. ⁸ The Babylonian army pursued King Zedekiah and caught up with him in the plain of Jericho. His entire army had deserted him. ⁹ Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he passed sentence on him. ¹⁰ And the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also slaughtered all the officials of Judah at Riblah. ¹¹ And he put out Zedekiah's eyes; and the king of Babylon, chaining him in iron bands, took him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death. ¹² Now the tenth day of the fifth Month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the chief captain and the king of Babylon's servants came unto Jerusalem, ¹³ He burned down the LORD’s Temple, the royal palace, and all the houses in Jerusalem. Every important building was burned down. ¹⁴ The entire Babylonian army that was with the captain of the guard tore down the walls around Jerusalem. ¹⁵ Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard carried into exile some of the poorest of the people, the rest of the people left in the city, the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen. ¹⁶ Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, left some of the poorest people in the land to work in the vineyards and on the farms. ¹⁷ The Chaldeans broke in pieces the bronze pillars that were in the LORD's temple and the stands and the bronze sea that were in the LORD's temple, and they carried all the bronze to Babylon. ¹⁸ they took the pots, shovels, snuffers, bowls, dishes, and all the copper utensils used in the Temple service. ¹⁹ The captain of the bodyguard took away the bowls, the fire pans, the basins, the pots, the lamp stands, the pans, and the bowls for libations, both those made of gold and those made of silver. ²⁰ The copper from the two pillars, the pool, and the twelve copper bulls under the stands that King Solomon had made for the LORD’s Temple could not be weighed. ²¹ One pillar was twenty-seven feet high and eighteen feet in circumference. It was three inches thick and hollow. ²² And there was a crown of brass on it: the crown was five cubits high, circled with a network and apples all of brass; and the second pillar had the same. ²³ There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides. The total number of pomegranates on the surrounding filigree was one hundred. ²⁴ And the captain of the guard took Serayah the chief priest, and Zephanyah the priest second in rank, and the three door-keepers; ²⁵ From the city he also took an army commander, seven men who had access to the king whom he found in the city, the scribe who was in charge of the militia, and sixty common people whom he found in the city. ²⁶ Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. ²⁷ And the king of Babylon put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was taken prisoner away from his land. ²⁸ These are the people Nebuchadnezzar took into exile: in the seventh year, 3,023 Judeans; ²⁹ in Nebuchadnezzar's eighteenth year, 832 people from Jerusalem; ³⁰ in Nebuchadnezzar's twenty-third year, Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard took 745 people from Judah into exile. All the people taken into exile numbered 4,600. ³¹ And it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the twenty-fifth day of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the [first] year of his reign, lifted u ³² He spoke kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in Babylon, ³³ Jehoiachin changed his prison clothes and regularly dined with the king as long as he lived. ³⁴ The king of Babylon gave him a daily food allowance as long as he lived.

⁴ Then the other administrators and satraps began to seek to find a pretext against Daniel in connection with the kingdom, but they were not able to find any pretext and corruption because he was trustworthy, and no negligence or corruption could be found in him. ⁵ Then these men said, "We will not find any pretext against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God." ⁶ Then these administrators and satraps went as a group to the king and said this, "Your majesty, live forever! ⁷ All of the royal administrators, prefects, satraps, scribes, and governors have concluded that the king should establish and enforce an edict that anyone who prays to any god or man for the next 30 days (except to you, your majesty) shall be thrown into the lions' pit. ⁸ Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it not be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed." ⁹ Then King Darius commanded the decree to be written. ¹⁰ When Daniel learned that the written document had been signed, he went to an upstairs room in his house that had windows opened facing Jerusalem. Three times a day he would kneel down, pray, and give thanks to his God, just as he had previously done. ¹¹ Then these men met together and found Daniel praying and seeking mercy before his God. ¹² So they approached the king and asked, "Didn't you sign an edict that for the next 30 days if anyone prays to any god or man, except to you, your majesty, he would be thrown into the lion pit?" The king responded, "The decree has been established, in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians that can't be repealed." ¹³ Then they said to the king, "Daniel, who is one of the Judean exiles, pays no attention to you, your majesty, or to the written decree, since he is still praying three times a day."

⁶ But when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have now come here, ⁷ and Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying there is another king, named Jesus!”

³ Then David struck down Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, when he went to restore his monument at the Euphrates River.

²⁴ For he had dominion on this side of the river, and he was at peace on all sides round about.

⁷ In the time of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his friends, sent a letter to Artaxerxes, king of Persia, writing it in the Aramaic language.

⁹ (then Rehum the royal officer, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, the judges, the envoys, the officials, the Persians, the Erechs, the Babylonians, the Susians (that is the Elamites) ¹⁰ and the rest of the peoples, whom the great and noble Osnappar hath exiled, and set in the city of Samaria,—and the rest Beyond the River, and so forth: ¹¹ This is the copy of the letter that they sent: To King Artaxerxes, From your servants the men beyond the River.

⁷ The letter sent to him was written like this: To: King Darius: Greetings!

⁵ And whenever you go into a house, first say, Peace be to this house.

²⁶ “Claudius Lysias, To His Excellency, Governor Felix: Greetings.

⁷ To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁸ So they read the book from the law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that they could understand the reading.

¹⁴ then you shall inquire and make search, and ask carefully; and, behold, if the thing is truly established, that this abominable thing has been done among you,

⁷ And the LORD was with him. He was blessed wherever he went. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and did not serve him.

²⁰ because through the LORD's anger these things happened to Jerusalem and Judah until he threw them from his presence. Zedekiah then rebelled against the king of Babylon,

¹⁷ And now, if it seems good for the king, let it be investigated in the house of the treasury of the king in Babylonia to see if a decree was issued forth from King Cyrus to build this house of God in Jerusalem. And let the king send to us his desire on this matter."

² It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the honor of kings is to search out a matter.

¹³ »He took one of the royal family and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath. He also took away the mighty of the land, ¹⁴ that the kingdom might be brought low, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand. ¹⁵ But he rebelled against him by sending his messengers to Egypt to give to him horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Will he escape doing these things, and can he break the covenant and escape? ¹⁶ As truly as I live, sayeth the LORD God, he shall die at Babylon: in the place where the king dwelleth, that made him king, whose oath he hath despised, and whose covenant he hath broken. ¹⁷ Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company won't help him in the war, when they cast up mounds and build forts, to cut off many persons. ¹⁸ Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, see, he had given his hand, and has done all these things, he shall not escape. ¹⁹ “Therefore the Sovereign LORD says: 'As I live, I will surely bring on his own head my oath that he has despised and my covenant that he has broken.

¹⁸ On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram. He said: "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,

³ I'm giving you every place where the sole of your foot falls, just as I promised Moses. ⁴ Your territorial border will extend from the wilderness to the Lebanon Mountains, from the great River Euphrates all the land of the Hittites as far as the Mediterranean Sea where the sun sets.

²¹ And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt. They brought tribute, and served Solomon all the days of his life.

³ And David struck Hadarezer the king of Zobah at Hamath, as he went to establish his power by the Euphrates River;

⁶ Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus; and the Syrians became servants to David, and brought tribute. The LORD gave victory to David wherever he went.

¹³ He put garrisons in Edom; and all the Edomites became servants to David. The LORD gave victory to David wherever he went.

¹⁹ When the vassals of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and became subject to him. So the Arameans were not willing to help the Ammonites anymore.

¹⁴ not including revenue from traders and merchants. In addition, all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the nation brought gold and silver to Solomon.

²³ All the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. ²⁴ And every year they brought him presents, vessels of silver and of gold, and garments, and armour, and spices, and horses, and mules.

¹¹ And the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents and tribute of silver; and the Arabians brought him flocks, seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred he goats.

⁷ God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians who lived in Gur Baal, and the Meunim. ⁸ The Ammonites paid taxes to Uzziah. His fame spread to the border of Egypt because he became very powerful.

¹³ Now be it known to the king that if this city is built and the walls are finished, they will not pay tribute and toll, and the royal revenue will be reduced.

¹⁶ We inform the king that, if this city is built and the walls finished, then you will have no possession beyond the River.

⁸ He shall also rule from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.

⁸ Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, "There is a certain people scattered and divided among the people throughout the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different than all the other people, they don't obey the king's laws, and it's not in the king's best interest to leave them alone. ⁹ If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to those who do the job, to bring to the treasury of the king."

³ Then Esther the queen answered, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request. ⁴ I and my people have been sold to be destroyed and killed, to be annihilated. If we had been sold as male and female slaves I would have kept quiet, because this is not a need sufficient to trouble the king."

⁸ Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows, ⁹ (then Rehum the royal officer, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, the judges, the envoys, the officials, the Persians, the Erechs, the Babylonians, the Susians (that is the Elamites)

¹⁶ For they do not sleep, unless they do evil. Their sleep is taken away, unless they make someone fall.

¹ Woe to those who devise iniquity and work evil on their beds! When the morning is light, they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand.

¹⁵ "Their feet are swift to shed blood.

⁵ And the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them until the report came to Darius, and then answer was received.

¹ Then king Darius gave orders, and they searched in the library of the books that were laid up in Babylon,

³ And I sent messengers to them, saying, I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and come down to you?

⁵ "The success of the wicked is brief and the joy of the godless lasts but a moment.

¹⁵ on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of King Darius.

¹⁸ For we wanted to come to you—indeed I, Paul, tried again and again—but Satan obstructed us.