3 And Zerubbabel, and Joshua, and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel, said unto them, Ye shall not build with us a house unto our God; we alone will build a house to the Lord, the God of Israel, as king Cyrus king of Persia commanded us.

4 And the people of the land began to weaken the hands of the people of Judah, and hinder them in the building;

5 and they bribed counsellors against them, to destroy their enterprise, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, and until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

6 And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

7 And in the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mifredat, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. The letter was written in Syriac letters and in Syriac.

8 Rehum the counsellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows:

9 Then. Rechum the counsellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions, the Dinaeans, and the Athassathei, and the Tarpelaeans, and the Aparsa, and the Arekhians, and the Babylonians, and the Shushans, and the Dags, and the Elamites,

10 and the rest of the nations which Asnaphar the great and glorious carried away, and settled in the cities of Samaria, and in other cities beyond the river, and so forth.

11 And this is a copy of the letter which was sent to him, To King Ahasuerus, thy servants, and the people who dwell beyond the river, and so forth.

12 Let it be known to the king that the Jews who have gone out from thee have come to us in Jerusalem, and are building this rebellious and worthless city, and are making walls, and making foundations, and have repaired worse.

13 And let it be known to the king, that if this city be built, and the walls rebuilt, neither tribute, nor tax, nor duty shall be given, and the king's treasury shall be damaged.

14 Since we eat salt from the king's palace, and we cannot see the damage to the king, therefore we send a report to the king:

15 Let them search in the book of remembrance of thy fathers, and thou shalt find it in the book of remembrance, and thou shalt know that this city is a rebellious city, and harmful to kings and provinces, and that there have been falling away in it for a long time, wherefore this city is desolate.

16 Wherefore we make unto the king, that if this city be completed, and the walls thereof finished, thou shalt have no dominion beyond the river.