1Forsooth Haggai, the prophet, and Zechariah, the prophet, the son of Iddo, prophesied, prophesying in the name of (the) God of Israel, to the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem.

2Then Zerubbabel, the son of Salathiel, and Joshua, the son of Jozadak, rose up, and began to build (again) the temple of God in Jerusalem; and with them rose up the prophets of God, helping them. (And then Zerubbabel, the son of Salathiel, and Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, rose up, and began to rebuild the Temple of God in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God rose up with them, to help them.)

3And in that time Tatnai, that was duke beyond the flood, and Shetharboznai, and the counsellors of them, came to them; and said thus to them, Who gave counsel to you to build this house (again), and to restore these walls? (And at that time, Tatnai, who was the governor of the province west of the Euphrates River, and Shetharboznai, and their counsellors, or their officials, came to them; and said to them thus, Who gave counsel to you to rebuild this House, and to restore these walls?)

4To the which thing we answered to them, and told them, which were the names of (the) men (or what the names of the men were), (who were the) authors of that building.

5Forsooth the eye of [the] God of them was made on the elder men of (the) Jews, and they might not forbid, or hinder, the Jews to build; and it pleased (them) that the thing should be told to Darius, and that then they should make satisfaction against that accusing. (But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, and so they did not forbid, or hinder, the Jews from continuing to build; and it pleased them to report all of this to Darius, but to take no action until he replied to them.)

6This is the exemplar of the epistle, which Tatnai, duke of the country beyond the flood, and Shetharboznai, and his counsellors, (the) Apharsachites, which were beyond the flood, sent to king Darius. (This is the text of the letter, which Tatnai, the governor of the province west of the Euphrates River, and Shetharboznai, and his counsellors, or his officials, the Apharsachites, who also lived there in the province west of the Euphrates River, sent to King Darius.)

7The word which they sent to him was written thus; All peace be to king Darius.

8Be it known to the king, that we went to the province of Judea, to the house of [the] great God, which is (being) builded (again) with stone(s) unpolished, and wood (that) be set in the walls thereof, and that (the) work is builded diligently, and increaseth in the hands of them. (Be it known to the king, that we went to the province of Judah, to the House of the great God, which is being rebuilt with unpolished stones, and timber that be set in its walls, and that the work is being diligently done, and progresseth under their hands.)

9Therefore we asked those eld(er) men, and thus we said to them, Who gave to you power to build (again) this house, and to restore these walls? (And so we asked those elders, and we said to them thus, Who gave you the authority to rebuild this House, and to restore these walls?)

10But also we asked of them their names, that we should tell to thee; and we have written the names of those men, which they be, that be princes among them. (And we also asked them their names, so that we could tell them to thee; and we have listed the names of those men, who they be, who be the leaders of this work.)

11Soothly they answered by such (a) word, and said, We be the servants of (the) God of heaven and of earth; and we build (again) the temple that was builded before these many years, and which temple the great king of Israel had builded, and made, (or and we rebuild the Temple that was built here many years ago, which Temple the great king of Israel had built and finished).

12But after that our fathers had stirred [the] God of heaven and of earth to wrathfulness, he betook them in(to) the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, (the) Chaldean, king of Babylon; and he destroyed this house, and translated the people thereof into Babylon (or and carried off the people to Babylon).

13And in the first year of Cyrus, king of Babylon, this Cyrus, king of Babylon, putted forth a commandment, that the house of God should be builded (again).

14For why king Cyrus brought forth from the temple of Babylon also the golden and silveren vessels of God’s temple, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple, that was in Jerusalem, and had borne those away into the temple of Babylon, and those vessels were given to Sheshbazzar, by name, whom he made also prince (of Judah). (And King Cyrus brought forth from the temple in Babylon the gold and the silver vessels of the Temple of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple that was in Jerusalem, and had carried them away to that temple in Babylon, and those vessels were given to Sheshbazzar, by name, whom Cyrus had appointed to be the governor of Judah.)

15And Cyrus said to him, Take these vessels, and go, and set them in the temple, that is in Jerusalem; and be the house of God builded (again) in the place where it was. (And Cyrus said to him, Take these vessels, and go, and put them in the Temple, that is in Jerusalem; and let the House of God be rebuilt in the place where it once was.)

16Therefore then that Sheshbazzar came, and setted the foundaments of God’s temple in Jerusalem; and from that time till to now it is builded, and it is not yet fulfilled. (And so then that Sheshbazzar came, and laid the foundation of the Temple of God in Jerusalem; and from that time until now it is being rebuilt, but it is not yet finished.)

17Now therefore, if it seemeth good to the king, reckon he in the biblet of the king, which is in Babylon, whether it be commanded of king Cyrus, that God’s house should be builded (again) in Jerusalem; and send he to us the will of the king on this thing. (And so now, if it seemeth good to the king, let a search be made in the library, or in the archives, of the king, which is there in Babylon, to determine whether it was commanded by King Cyrus, that the House of God should be rebuilt in Jerusalem, or not; and then send he to us the desire of the king on this matter.)