Biblia the Byble, that is, the holy Scrypture of the Olde and New Testament, faithfully translated in to Englyshe.

The IIII. Chapter.

BVt whan the aduersaries of Iuda [ A] and Ben Iamin herde, that the chil¦dren of the captiuyte buylded the tē∣ple vnto the LORDE God of Israel, they ca¦me to Zorobabel & to the pryncipall fathers, and sayde vnto them: We wyl buylde with you: for we seke the LORDE youre God like as ye do. And we haue done sacrifice vnto him,* 1.1 sence the tyme that Assar Hadon the kynge of Assur broughte vs vp hither. But Zorobabel and Iesua and the other awnciēt fathers of Israel, answered them: It is not mete for vs and you to buylde the house of oure God, but we wyl buylde alone vnto the LORDE God of Israel, * 1.2 as Cyrus the kyn∣ge of Persia hath commaunded vs.

Then the folke of the londe hyndered the people of Iuda, and made them afrayed to buylde, and hyred councelers aganst them and hyndered their deuyce, as longe as Cy∣rus the kynge of Persia lyued, vntyll the reigne off Darius kynge off Persia. But whan Ahasuerus was kynge, in the begyn∣nynge off his reigne wrote they vnto him a complaynte agaynst them of Iuda and Ierusalem.

And in the tyme of Artaxerses, wrote Bi¦sellam, [ B] Mithridath, Tabeel and the other of their councell vnto Artaxerses the kynge of Persia. But the scripture of y^e letter was wrytten in the Syrians speach, and was in∣terpretated in the langage of the Syrians. Rehum y^e chaunceler, and Simsai the scry¦be, wrote this letter agaynst Ierusalem to Artaxerses the kynge.

We Rehum the chaunceler, and Simsai the scribe, and other of the councell of Dina, off Arphasath, off Tarplat, off Persia, off Arach, of Babilon, of Susan, of Deha, and of Elam, and other of the people * 1.3 whom the greate and noble Asnaphar broughte ouer, and set in the cities of Samaria, and other on this syde the water, and in Canaan. And this is y^e summe of the letter that they sent vnto kynge Artaxerses:

Thy seruauntes the men on this syde the [ C] water and in Canaan. Be it knowne vnto y^e kynge, that the Iewes which are come vp from the to vs vnto Ierusalē in to that sedi¦cious & wicked cite, buylde the same, and ma¦ke vp y^e walles of it, & brynge it out of y^e foun¦dacion. Be it knowne now therfore vnto y^e kynge, y^t yf this cite be buylded & the walies

made vp agayne, thē shal not they geue tri∣bute, toll, and yearly custome, and their de∣uyce shal do y^e kynge harme. But now that we all are therby which destroyed the tem∣ple, we wolde no longer se the kynges disho¦noure. Therfore sent we out, and caused the kynge to be certified therof: That it maye be soughte in y^e Cronicles of thy progenitours, and so shalt thou fynde in the same Croni∣cles, and perceaue, that this cite is sedicious and noysome vnto kynges and londes, and that they cause other also to rebell of ol∣de, and for the same cause was this cite des∣troyed. Therfore do we certifie the kynge, that yf this cite be buylded, and the walles therof made vp, thou shalt kepe nothinge on this syde the water by the reason of it.

[ D] Then sent y^e kynge an answere vnto Re∣hum the chaunceler, and Simsai the Scry∣be, and to the other of their councell that dwelt in Samaria, and vnto the other be∣yonde y^e water. Peace and salutacion. The letter which ye sent vnto vs, hath bene opē∣ly red before me, and I haue commaunded to make search: and it is founde, that this ci∣te of olde hath made insurreccion agaynst, kynges, & how y^t vpro^r and rebellion hath bene commytted therin. There haue bene mightie kynges also at Ierusalē, which ha∣ue reigned ouer all that is beyonde the wa∣ter, and toll, tribute and yearly custome was geuen vnto them. Do ye now after this com¦maundemēt, forbyd the same men, that the cite be not builded, tyll I haue geuē cōmaun¦demēt. Take hede now that ye be not necli∣gent here in, lest the kynge haue harme there thorow.

Now whā kynge Artaxerses letter was red before Rehum the chaunceler and Sim¦sai the Scrybe and their councell, they wen∣te vp in all the haist to Ierusalem vnto the Iewes, and forbad them with the arme and auctorite. Then ceassed the worke of the house of God at Ierusalem, and continued so vnto the seconde yeare of Darius kynge of Persia.

Notes

• * 1.1

  4. Re. 17. c
• * 1.2

  1. Esd. 1. a
• * 1.3

  4. Re. 17. c