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

2Then Zerubbabel, the son of Sala-thiel, and Joshua, the son of Jozadak, rose up, and began to build the temple of God in Jerusalem; and with them rose up the prophets of God, helping them.

3And in that time Tatnai, that was duke beyond the flood, and Shethar-boznai, and the counsellors of them, came to them; and said thus to them, Who gave counsel to you to build this house, and to restore these walls?

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

5Forsooth the eye of [the] God of them was made on the elder men of Jews, and they might not forbid, or hinder, the Jews to build; and it pleased that the thing should be told to Darius, and that then they should make satisfaction against that accusing.

6This is the exemplar of the epistle, which Tatnai, duke of the country beyond the flood, and Shetharboznai, and his counsellors, Apharsachites, which were beyond the flood, 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 builded with stone unpolished, and wood be set in the walls thereof, and that work is builded diligently, and increaseth in the hands of them.

9Therefore we asked those eld [or old] men, and thus we said to them, Who gave to you power to build 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.

11Soothly they answered by such word, and said, We be the servants of God of heaven and of earth; and we build the temple that was builded before these many years, and which temple the great king of Israel had builded, and made.

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

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 [or them] away into the temple of Babylon, and those vessels were given to Shesh-bazzar, by name, whom he made also prince.

15And Cyrus said to him, Take these vessels, and go, and set [or put] them in the temple, that is in Jerusalem; and be the house of God builded in the place where it was.

16Therefore then that Sheshbazzar came, and setted [or set] the founda-ments of God’s temple in Jerusalem; and from that time till to now it is builded, and it is not yet fulfilled.

17Now therefore, if it seemeth good to the king, reckon he in the biblet or library of the king, which is in Babylon, whether it be commanded of king Cyrus, that God’s house should be builded in Jerusalem; and send he to us the will of the king on this thing.