Darius’s Search
3In the first year of King Cyrus, he issued a decree6:3 2Ch 36:22–23; Ezr 1:1–4 concerning the house of God in Jerusalem:
Let the house be rebuilt as a place for offering sacrifices, and let its original foundations be retained.6:3 Lit be brought forth Its height is to be ninety feet6:3 Lit 60 cubits and its width ninety feet,6:3 1Kg 6:2
Darius’s Decree
8I hereby issue a decree concerning what you are to do, so that the elders of the Jews can rebuild the house of God:
The cost is to be paid in full to these men out of the royal revenues6:8 Ezr 7:20 from the taxes of the region west of the Euphrates River, so that the work will not stop.
11I also issue a decree concerning any man who interferes with this directive:
Let a beam be torn from his house and raised up; he will be impaled on it, and his house will be made into a garbage dump because of this offense.6:11 Est 2:23; 9:14
13Then Tattenai governor of the region west of the Euphrates River, Shethar-bozenai, and their colleagues6:13 Ezr 5:3,6; 6:6 diligently carried out what King Darius had decreed.
14So the Jewish elders continued successfully with the building under the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo.6:14 Ezr 5:1; Hg 1:1; Zch 1:1 They finished the building according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus,6:14 Ezr 1:1–4; 6:3–5 Darius, and King Artaxerxes6:14 Ezr 7:12–26 of Persia.
Temple Dedication and the Passover
16Then the Israelites, including the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the exiles, celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy.
19The exiles6:19 Ezr 1:11; 2:1 observed the Passover6:19 Ex 12:1–11; Nm 28:16 on the fourteenth day of the first month.
20All of the priests and Levites were ceremonially clean, because they had purified themselves. They killed the Passover lamb for themselves, their priestly brothers, and all the exiles.6:20 2Ch 30:15–17
21The Israelites who had returned from exile6:21 Ezr 1:11; 2:1 ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the uncleanness of the Gentiles of the land6:21 Lit land to them6:21 Ezr 9:11; Neh 10:28 in order to worship the Lord, the God of Israel.
22They observed the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days6:22 Ex 12:14–20; Dt 16:3–8 with joy, because the Lord had made them joyful, having changed the Assyrian king’s attitude toward them, so that he supported them6:22 Lit strengthened their hands in the work on the house of the God of Israel.6:22 Ezr 6:8–12
Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard
Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.