1Then Sisinnes, the under-little-king of Celosyria and Phenice (or the governor of Greater Syria and Phoe-nicia), and Sathrabuzanes, and their fellows, obeyed to these things, that were deemed of (or by) king Darius,

2and stood full diligently into the holy works, working together with the elder men of (the) Jews, (and) princes of Syria (or the temple officers).

3And the holy works be made wealsome, as the prophets Haggai and Zechariah prophesied.

4And they fulfilled all things, after the behest (or the command) of the Lord God of Israel, and after the counsel of Cyrus, and of Darius, and of Artaxerxes, king(s) of Persia.

5And our house is ended (or was finished), in the three and twentieth day of the month of March, in the sixth year of king Darius.

6And the sons of Israel, and the priests, and (the) deacons [or Levites], and others that were of the captivity, the which be set to, did after those things that be written in the book of Moses.

7And they offered into the dedi-cation of the temple of the Lord, an hundred bulls, two hundred wethers (or rams), four hundred lambs;

8(and) twelve kids, for the sins of all Israel, after the number of the twelve lineages of Israel.

9And the priests and (the) deacons [or Levites] stood, clothed [or clad] with the stoles, by their lineages, upon the works of the Lord God of Israel, after the book of Moses; and there were porters [or ushers] by all the gates.

10And the sons of Israel did that pask, with them that were of the captivity, in the moon of the first month, the fourteenth day, when the priests and (the) deacons be hallowed.

11And all the sons of (the) captivity they be not hallowed together, for (or but) all the Levites be hallowed together.

12And they offered (the) pask to all the sons of (the) captivity, and to their brethren (the) priests, and to themselves.

13And the sons of Israel, the which were of the captivity, all they that had left (or separated) from all the cursed-nesses of (the) Gentiles, or heathen folk, of the earth, ate, and sought the Lord;

14and they hallowed the feast day of therf loaves, seven days eating in the sight of the Lord;

15for he converted the counsel of the king of Assyria in (or towards) them, to comfort (or to strengthen) the hands of them to (or in) the works of the Lord God of Israel.