¹Audierunt autem hostes Judæ et Benjamin,Now the enemies of Judah and of Benjamin heard that the sons of the captivity were building a temple to the Lord,quia filii captivitatis ædificarent templum Domino Deo Israël:the God of Israel.

¹Audierunt autem hostes Judæ et Benjamin,Now the enemies of Judah and of Benjamin heard that the sons of the captivity were building a temple to the Lord,quia filii captivitatis ædificarent templum Domino Deo Israël:the God of Israel.

²et accedentes ad Zorobabel, et ad principes patrum,And so, drawing near to Zerubbabel and to the leaders of the fathers,dixerunt eis:they said to them:Ædificemus vobiscum,“Let us build with you,quia ita ut vos, quærimus Deum vestrum:for we seek your God just as you do. Behold,ecce nos immolavimus victimas a diebus Asor Haddan regis Assur,we have immolated victims to him from the days of Esarhaddon, king of Assyria,qui adduxit nos huc.who brought us here.”

²et accedentes ad Zorobabel, et ad principes patrum,And so, drawing near to Zerubbabel and to the leaders of the fathers,dixerunt eis:they said to them:Ædificemus vobiscum,“Let us build with you,quia ita ut vos, quærimus Deum vestrum:for we seek your God just as you do. Behold,ecce nos immolavimus victimas a diebus Asor Haddan regis Assur,we have immolated victims to him from the days of Esarhaddon, king of Assyria,qui adduxit nos huc.who brought us here.”

³Et dixit eis Zorobabel,And Zerubbabel, and Jeshua,et Josue, et reliqui principes patrum Israël:and the rest of the leaders of the fathers of Israel said to them:Non est vobis et nobis ut ædificemus domum Deo nostro,“It is not for you to build the house of our God with us. Instead,sed nos ipsi soli ædificabimus Domino Deo nostro,we alone shall build to the Lord our God, just as Cyrus,sicut præcepit nobis Cyrus rex Persarum.the king of the Persians, has commanded us.”

³Et dixit eis Zorobabel,And Zerubbabel, and Jeshua,et Josue, et reliqui principes patrum Israël:and the rest of the leaders of the fathers of Israel said to them:Non est vobis et nobis ut ædificemus domum Deo nostro,“It is not for you to build the house of our God with us. Instead,sed nos ipsi soli ædificabimus Domino Deo nostro,we alone shall build to the Lord our God, just as Cyrus,sicut præcepit nobis Cyrus rex Persarum.the king of the Persians, has commanded us.”

⁴Factum est igitur ut populus terræ impediret manus populi Judæ,Therefore, it happened that the people of the land impeded the hands of the people of Judah,et turbaret eos in ædificando.and they troubled them in building.

⁴Factum est igitur ut populus terræ impediret manus populi Judæ,Therefore, it happened that the people of the land impeded the hands of the people of Judah,et turbaret eos in ædificando.and they troubled them in building.

⁵Conduxerunt autem adversus eos consiliatores,Then they hired counselors against them,ut destruerent consilium eorum omnibus diebus Cyri regis Persarum,so that they might argue against their plan during all the days of Cyrus, king of Persia,et usque ad regnum Darii regis Persarum.even until the reign of Darius, king of the Persians.

⁵Conduxerunt autem adversus eos consiliatores,Then they hired counselors against them,ut destruerent consilium eorum omnibus diebus Cyri regis Persarum,so that they might argue against their plan during all the days of Cyrus, king of Persia,et usque ad regnum Darii regis Persarum.even until the reign of Darius, king of the Persians.

⁶In regno autem Assueri,And so,in principio regni ejus,during the reign of Ahasuerus,scripserunt accusationem adversus habitatores Judæat the beginning of his reign,et Jerusalem.they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and of Jerusalem.

⁶In regno autem Assueri,And so,in principio regni ejus,during the reign of Ahasuerus,scripserunt accusationem adversus habitatores Judæat the beginning of his reign,et Jerusalem.they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and of Jerusalem.

⁷Et in diebus Artaxerxis scripsit Beselam,And so, in the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam,Mithridates,Mithredath,et Thabeel,and Tabeel,et reliqui qui erant in consilio eorum, ad Artaxerxem regem Persarum:and the others who were in their council wrote to Artaxerxes, king of the Persians.epistola autem accusationis scripta erat syriace, et legebatur sermone syro.Now the letter of accusation was written in Syriac, and was being read in the Syrian language.

⁷Et in diebus Artaxerxis scripsit Beselam,And so, in the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam,Mithridates,Mithredath,et Thabeel,and Tabeel,et reliqui qui erant in consilio eorum, ad Artaxerxem regem Persarum:and the others who were in their council wrote to Artaxerxes, king of the Persians.epistola autem accusationis scripta erat syriace, et legebatur sermone syro.Now the letter of accusation was written in Syriac, and was being read in the Syrian language.

⁸Reum Beelteem,Rehum, the commander,et Samsai scriba,and Shimshai,scripserunt epistolam unam de Jerusalem Artaxerxi regi,the scribe, wrote one letter from Jerusalem to king Artaxerxes,hujuscemodi:in this manner:

⁸Reum Beelteem,Rehum, the commander,et Samsai scriba,and Shimshai,scripserunt epistolam unam de Jerusalem Artaxerxi regi,the scribe, wrote one letter from Jerusalem to king Artaxerxes,hujuscemodi:in this manner:

⁹Reum Beelteem,“Rehum, the commander,et Samsai scriba,and Shimshai, the scribe,et reliqui consiliatores eorum, Dinæi,and the rest of their counselors, the judges,et Apharsathachæi,and rulers, the officials,Terphalæi, Apharsæi,those from Persia,Erchuæi,from Erech,Babylonii,from Babylonia,Susanechæi, Dievi,from Susa, the Dehavites,et Ælamitæ,and the Elamites,

⁹Reum Beelteem,“Rehum, the commander,et Samsai scriba,and Shimshai, the scribe,et reliqui consiliatores eorum, Dinæi,and the rest of their counselors, the judges,et Apharsathachæi,and rulers, the officials,Terphalæi, Apharsæi,those from Persia,Erchuæi,from Erech,Babylonii,from Babylonia,Susanechæi, Dievi,from Susa, the Dehavites,et Ælamitæ,and the Elamites,

¹⁰et ceteri de gentibus,and the rest of the nations,quas transtulit Asenaphar magnus et gloriosus, et habitare eas fecit in civitatibus Samariæ, et in reliquis regionibus trans flumen in pacewhom the great and glorious Osnappar transferred and caused to live in the cities of Samaria and in the rest of the regions across the river in peace:

¹⁰et ceteri de gentibus,and the rest of the nations,quas transtulit Asenaphar magnus et gloriosus, et habitare eas fecit in civitatibus Samariæ, et in reliquis regionibus trans flumen in pacewhom the great and glorious Osnappar transferred and caused to live in the cities of Samaria and in the rest of the regions across the river in peace:

¹¹(hoc est exemplar epistolæ,to king Artaxerxes.quam miserunt ad eum),(This is a copy of the letter,Artaxerxi regi,which they sent to him.)servi tui,Your servants,viri qui sunt trans fluvium,the men who are across the river,salutem dicunt.send a greeting.

¹¹(hoc est exemplar epistolæ,to king Artaxerxes.quam miserunt ad eum),(This is a copy of the letter,Artaxerxi regi,which they sent to him.)servi tui,Your servants,viri qui sunt trans fluvium,the men who are across the river,salutem dicunt.send a greeting.

¹²Notum sit regi quia Judæi,Let it be known to the king,qui ascenderunt a te ad nos,that the Jews, who ascended from you to us,venerunt in Jerusalem civitatem rebellem et pessimam,have arrived in Jerusalem, a rebellious and most wicked city,quam ædificant exstruentes muros ejus, et parietes componentes.which they are building, constructing its ramparts and repairing the walls.

¹²Notum sit regi quia Judæi,Let it be known to the king,qui ascenderunt a te ad nos,that the Jews, who ascended from you to us,venerunt in Jerusalem civitatem rebellem et pessimam,have arrived in Jerusalem, a rebellious and most wicked city,quam ædificant exstruentes muros ejus, et parietes componentes.which they are building, constructing its ramparts and repairing the walls.

¹³Nunc igitur notum sit regi,And now let be it known to the king,quia si civitas illa ædificata fuerit,that if this city will have been built up,et muri ejus instaurati,and its walls repaired,tributum,they will not pay tribute,et vectigal,nor tax,et annuos reditus non dabunt,nor yearly revenues,et usque ad reges hæc noxa perveniet.and this loss will affect even the kings.

¹³Nunc igitur notum sit regi,And now let be it known to the king,quia si civitas illa ædificata fuerit,that if this city will have been built up,et muri ejus instaurati,and its walls repaired,tributum,they will not pay tribute,et vectigal,nor tax,et annuos reditus non dabunt,nor yearly revenues,et usque ad reges hæc noxa perveniet.and this loss will affect even the kings.

¹⁴Nos autem memores salis,But,quod in palatio comedimus,remembering the salt that we have eaten in the palace,et quia læsiones regis videre nefas ducimus,and because we are led to believe that it is a crime to see the king harmed,idcirco misimus et nuntiavimus regi,we have therefore sent and reported to the king,

¹⁴Nos autem memores salis,But,quod in palatio comedimus,remembering the salt that we have eaten in the palace,et quia læsiones regis videre nefas ducimus,and because we are led to believe that it is a crime to see the king harmed,idcirco misimus et nuntiavimus regi,we have therefore sent and reported to the king,

¹⁵ut recenseas in libris historiarum patrum tuorum,so that you may search in the books of the histories of your fathers,et invenies scriptum in commentariis:and you may find written in the records,et scies quoniam urbs illa,and you may know that this city is a rebellious city,urbs rebellis est,and that it is harmful to the kings and the provinces,et nocens regibus et provinciis,and that wars were incited within it from the days of antiquity.et bella concitantur in ea ex diebus antiquis:For which reason also,quam ob rem et civitas ipsa destructa est.the city itself was destroyed.

¹⁵ut recenseas in libris historiarum patrum tuorum,so that you may search in the books of the histories of your fathers,et invenies scriptum in commentariis:and you may find written in the records,et scies quoniam urbs illa,and you may know that this city is a rebellious city,urbs rebellis est,and that it is harmful to the kings and the provinces,et nocens regibus et provinciis,and that wars were incited within it from the days of antiquity.et bella concitantur in ea ex diebus antiquis:For which reason also,quam ob rem et civitas ipsa destructa est.the city itself was destroyed.

¹⁶Nuntiamus nos regi, quoniam si civitas illa ædificata fuerit,We report to the king that if this city will have been built,et muri ipsius instaurati,and its walls repaired,possessionem trans fluvium non habebis.you will have no possession across the river.”

¹⁶Nuntiamus nos regi, quoniam si civitas illa ædificata fuerit,We report to the king that if this city will have been built,et muri ipsius instaurati,and its walls repaired,possessionem trans fluvium non habebis.you will have no possession across the river.”

¹⁷Verbum misit rex ad Reum Beelteem,The king sent word to Rehum, the commander,et Samsai scribam,and to Shimshai, the scribe,et ad reliquos, qui erant in consilio eorum habitatores Samariæ,and to the rest who were in their council, to the inhabitants of Samaria,et ceteris trans fluvium,and to the others across the river,salutem dicens et pacem.offering a greeting and peace.

¹⁷Verbum misit rex ad Reum Beelteem,The king sent word to Rehum, the commander,et Samsai scribam,and to Shimshai, the scribe,et ad reliquos, qui erant in consilio eorum habitatores Samariæ,and to the rest who were in their council, to the inhabitants of Samaria,et ceteris trans fluvium,and to the others across the river,salutem dicens et pacem.offering a greeting and peace.

¹⁸Accusatio,“The accusation,quam misistis ad nos,which you have sent to us,manifeste lecta est coram me,has been read aloud before me.

¹⁸Accusatio,“The accusation,quam misistis ad nos,which you have sent to us,manifeste lecta est coram me,has been read aloud before me.

¹⁹et a me præceptum est:And it was commanded by me,et recensuerunt,and they searched and found that this city,inveneruntque quoniam civitas illa a diebus antiquis adversum reges rebellat,from the days of antiquity,et seditiones,has rebelled against the kings,et prælia concitantur in ea:and that seditions and battles have been incited within it.

¹⁹et a me præceptum est:And it was commanded by me,et recensuerunt,and they searched and found that this city,inveneruntque quoniam civitas illa a diebus antiquis adversum reges rebellat,from the days of antiquity,et seditiones,has rebelled against the kings,et prælia concitantur in ea:and that seditions and battles have been incited within it.

²⁰nam et reges fortissimi fuerunt in Jerusalem,Then too, there have been very strong kings in Jerusalem,qui et dominati sunt omni regioni quæ trans fluvium est:who also ruled over the entire region which is across the river.tributum quoque et vectigal,They have also taken tribute,et reditus accipiebant.and tax, and revenues.

²⁰nam et reges fortissimi fuerunt in Jerusalem,Then too, there have been very strong kings in Jerusalem,qui et dominati sunt omni regioni quæ trans fluvium est:who also ruled over the entire region which is across the river.tributum quoque et vectigal,They have also taken tribute,et reditus accipiebant.and tax, and revenues.

²¹Nunc ergo audite sententiam:Now therefore, hear the sentence:prohibeatis viros illos,Prohibit those men,ut urbs illa non ædificetur donec si forte a me jussum fuerit.so that this city may be not built, until perhaps there may be further orders from me.

²¹Nunc ergo audite sententiam:Now therefore, hear the sentence:prohibeatis viros illos,Prohibit those men,ut urbs illa non ædificetur donec si forte a me jussum fuerit.so that this city may be not built, until perhaps there may be further orders from me.

²²Videte ne negligenter hoc impleatis,See to it that you are not negligent in fulfilling this,et paulatim crescat malum contra reges.otherwise, little by little, the evil may increase against the kings.”

²²Videte ne negligenter hoc impleatis,See to it that you are not negligent in fulfilling this,et paulatim crescat malum contra reges.otherwise, little by little, the evil may increase against the kings.”

²³Itaque exemplum edicti Artaxerxis regis lectum est coram Reum Beelteem,And so a copy of the edict of king Artaxerxes was read before Rehum, the commander,et Samsai scriba,and Shimshai, the scribe,et consiliariis eorum:and their counselors.et abierunt festini in Jerusalem ad Judæos,And they went away hurriedly to Jerusalem, to the Jews.et prohibuerunt eos in brachio et robore.And they prohibited them by force and by strength.

²³Itaque exemplum edicti Artaxerxis regis lectum est coram Reum Beelteem,And so a copy of the edict of king Artaxerxes was read before Rehum, the commander,et Samsai scriba,and Shimshai, the scribe,et consiliariis eorum:and their counselors.et abierunt festini in Jerusalem ad Judæos,And they went away hurriedly to Jerusalem, to the Jews.et prohibuerunt eos in brachio et robore.And they prohibited them by force and by strength.

²⁴Tunc intermissum est opus domus Domini in Jerusalem,Then the work of the house of the Lord in Jerusalem was interrupted,et non fiebat usque ad annum secundum regni Darii regis Persarum.and it did not resume until the second year of the reign of Darius, the king of the Persians.

²⁴Tunc intermissum est opus domus Domini in Jerusalem,Then the work of the house of the Lord in Jerusalem was interrupted,et non fiebat usque ad annum secundum regni Darii regis Persarum.and it did not resume until the second year of the reign of Darius, the king of the Persians.