Work on the temple is finished

¹In the second year of Darius’ rule, the prophets Haggai and Zechariah (Iddo’s son) prophesied to the Judeans who were in Judea and in Jerusalem in the name of the Lord God of Israel, who is ruler over them.

²Then Zerubbabel, Shealtiel’s son, and Jeshua, Jozadak’s son, went up and began to build the Lord’s house in Jerusalem, assisted by the Lord’s prophets.

³At the same time, Sisinnes, the commander of Syria and Phoenicia, and Sathrabuzanes and their associates came to them and said,

⁴“By whose order are you building this house and this roof and finishing all the other things? Who are the builders who are doing all of these things?”

⁵Yet the elders of the Judeans enjoyed the gracious protection of the Lord on the exiles,

⁶and they weren’t prevented from building until Darius could be informed about them and return an answer.

⁷Here is a copy of the letter that Sisinnes, the commander of Syria and Phoenicia, Sathrabuzanes, and their associates, the local officials in Syria and Phoenicia, wrote to Darius:

²²Then King Darius commanded a search of the royal archives that were kept in Babylon. In Ecbatana, within the palace of Medea, a scroll was found that recorded the following words:

²⁶So he commanded Sisinnes the governor of Syria and Phoenicia, and Sathrabuzanes, and their associates, and those who were appointed as local officials in Syria and Phoenicia to stay away from the place and to let Zerubbabel, the Lord’s servant and Judea’s governor, and the elders of the Jews rebuild the Lord’s house on its site.

³¹He further commanded that if anyone should disobey any of the things previously mentioned or previously written, or attempt to cancel them, a beam should be taken out of the house of the guilty, who then should be hung on it, and all their possessions forfeited to the king.