Hello, and welcome
to His Words are Life.
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I'm Kelly Mowrer, and thank
you for joining with me today
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to read the bible together.
Lets pray before we start.
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Dear Lord, thank you so much
for your word that is a light
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to our path, that
strengthens our faith,
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and that is a weapon of warfare
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against the enemy. Please guide
us now as we read these words,
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to hear the lesson you have
for each of us. We love you and
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thank you for loving us. Amen.
When we were last together,
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We were reading in the book
of Ezra how Cyrus king of Persia
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has decreed that some of those
who had come into captivity
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could now return to Jerusalem
to rebuild the house of God.
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And we are picking up in
Ezra, chapter 2. We left off,
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We would have begun with verse
2 but what happened from verse 2
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up through verse 61 is
a listing of genealogy.
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And we're going to skip that
and so pick up after this long
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list of names, in
Ezra 2 and verse 62.
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This is the King James Version.
These sought their register
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among those that were reckoned
by genealogy. But they were not
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found. Therefore were they, as
polluted put from the priesthood
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And the Tirshatha said unto
them that they should not eat
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of the most holy things, till
there stood up a priest with
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Urim and Thummim. The whole
congregation together was 42,360
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beside their servants and their
maids, of whom there were 7,337:
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and there were among them 200
singing men and singing women.
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Their horses were 736; their
mules, 245; their camels 435,
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their asses 6,720. And some
of the chief of the fathers,
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when they came to the house of
the Lord which is at Jerusalem,
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offered freely for the house of
God to set it up in his place:
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They gave after their ability
unto the treasure of the work
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threescore and one
thousand drams of gold,
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and five thousand pounds
of silver, and one hundred
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priests' garments. So
the priests, and the Levites,
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and some of the people, and
the singers, and the porters,
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and the Nethinims,
dwelt in their cities,
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and all Israel in their cities.
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Continuing now
with Ezra chapter 3.
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This is the King James Version.
And when the 7th month was come,
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and the children of Israel
were in the cities, the people
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gathered themselves together
as one man to Jerusalem.
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Then stood up Jeshua the
son of Jozadak, and his brethren
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the priests, and
Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel,
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and his brethren, and builded
the altar of the God of Israel,
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to offer burnt offerings thereon
as it is written in the law of
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Moses the man of God. And they
set the altar upon his bases;
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for fear was upon them because
of the people of those countries
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and they offered burnt offerings
theron unto the Lord, even burnt
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offerings morning and evening.
They kept also the feast of
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tabernacles, as it is written,
and offered the daily burnt
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offering, by number, according
to the custom, as the duty
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of every day required; and
afterward offered the continual
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burnt offering, both of the new
moons and of all the set feasts
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of the Lord that were
consecrated and of every one
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that willingly offered a
freewill offering unto the Lord.
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>From the first day of the 7th
month began they to offer burnt
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offerings unto the Lord.
But the foundation of the temple
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of the Lord was not yet laid.
They gave money also unto the
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masons, and to the carpenters;
and meat and drink, and oil,
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unto them of Zidon, and to them
of Tyre, to bring cedar trees
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from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa
according to the grant that they
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had of Cyrus king of Persia.
Now in the 2nd year of their
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coming unto the house of God
at Jerusalem, in the 2nd month,
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began Zerubbabel the son of
Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of
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Jozadak, and the remnant
of their brethren the priests
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and the Levites, and all
they that were come out of the
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captivity unto Jerusalem;
and appointed the Levites,
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from 20 years old and upward,
to set forward the work of the
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house of the Lord. Then stood
Jeshua with his sons and his
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brethren, Kadmiel and his sons,
the sons of Judah, together,
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to set forward the
workmen in the house of God:
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the sons of Henadad, with
their sons and their brethren
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the Levites. And when the
builders laid the foundation
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of the temple of the Lord, they
set the priests in their apparel
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with trumpets, and the Levites
the sons of Asaph with cymbals,
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to praise the Lord, after
the ordinance of David King of
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Israel. And they sang together
by course in praising and giving
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thanks unto the Lord; because
he is good, for his mercy
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endureth forever toward Israel.
And all the people shouted with
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a great shout when they praised
the Lord; because the foundation
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of the house of the Lord was
laid. But many of the priests
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and Levites and the chief of the
fathers, who were ancient men,
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that had seen the first house,
when the foundation of this
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house was laid before their
eyes, wept with a loud voice;
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and many shouted aloud for Joy:
So that the people could not
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discern the noise of the shout
of joy from the noise of the
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weeping of the people: for
the people shouted with a loud
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shout, and the
noise was heard afar off.
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Continuing now in the
book of Ezra, chapter 4, and
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this is the King James Version.
Now when the adversaries of
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Judah and Benjamin heard that
the children of the captivity
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builded the temple
unto the Lord God of Israel;
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Then they came to Zerubbabel,
and to the chief of the fathers,
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and said unto them, Let us build
with you: for we seek your God,
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as ye do; and we do sacrifice
unto him since the days
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of Esarhaddon king of Assur,
which brought us up hither.
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But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua,
and the rest of the chief of the
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fathers of Israel, said
unto them, Ye have nothing to do
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with us to build an house
unto our God; but we ourselves
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together will build
unto the Lord God of Israel,
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as king Cyrus the king
of Persia hath commanded us.
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Then the people of the land
weakened the hands of the people
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of Judah, and troubled them in
building, and hired counselors
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against them to frustrate
their purpose, all the days of
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Cyrus king of Persia
even until the reign of Darius
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king of Persia. And in the reign
of Ahasuerus, in the beginning
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of his reign, wrote they unto
him an accusation against the
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inhabitants of
Judah and Jerusalem.
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And in the days of Artaxerxes
wrote Tishlam, Mithredath,
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Tabeel, and the rest of their
companions, unto Artaxerxes
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king of Persia; and the writing
of the letter was written in the
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Syrian tongue, and interpreted
in the Syrian tongue.
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Rehum the chancellor and
Shimshai the scribe wrote a
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letter against Jerusalem to
Artaxerxes the king in this sort
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Then wrote Rehum the chancellor,
and Shimshai the scribe,
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and the rest of their
companions the Dinaites,
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the Apharsathchites, the
Tarpelites, the Apharsites,
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the Archevites, the Babylonians,
the Susanchites, the Dehavites,
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and the Elamites, and the rest
of the nations whom the great
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and Noble Asnapper brought over
and set in the cities of Samaria
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and the rest that are on this
side of the river, and at such a
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time. This is the copy of the
letter that they sent unto him,
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even unto Artaxerxes the king;
Thy servants the men on this
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side the river, and at such a
time. Be it known unto the king,
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that the Jews which came up
from thee to us are come unto
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Jerusalem, building the
rebellious and the bad city,
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and have set up the
walls thereof, and joined
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the foundations. Be it known now
unto the king, that if this city
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be builded, and the walls set
up again, then will they not pay
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toll, tribute, and custom,
and so thou shalt endamage
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the revenue of the kings.
Now because we have maintenance
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from the king's palace, and
it was not meet for us to see
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the king's dishonor, therefore
have we sent and certified
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the king; that search may be
made in the book of the records
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of thy fathers: so shalt thou
find in the book of the records
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and know that this city is
a rebellious city, and hurtful
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unto kings and provinces, and
that they have moved sedition
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within the same of old time:
for which cause was this city
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destroyed. We certify the king
that, if this city be builded
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again, and the walls thereof
set up, by this means thou shalt
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have no portion on this side
the river. Then sent the king
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an answer unto Rehum the
chancellor, and to Shimshai
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the scribe, and to the rest
of their companions that dwell
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in Samaria, and unto the
rest beyond the river, Peace
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and at such a time. The letter
which ye sent unto us hath been
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plainly read before me. And I
commanded, and search hath been
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made, and it is found that
this city of old time hath made
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insurrection against kings, and
that rebellion and sedition have
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been made therein. There
have been mighty kings also over
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Jerusalem, which have ruled over
all countries beyond the river;
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and toll, tribute, and
custom was paid unto them.
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Give ye now commandment
to cause these men to cease,
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and that this city be
not builded, until another
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commandment shall be given
from me. Take heed now that ye
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fail not to do this: why should
damage grow to the hurt of the
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kings? Now when the copy of
king Artaxerxes' letter was read
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before Rehum, and Shimshai
the scribe, and their companions
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they went up in haste
to Jerusalem unto the Jews,
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and made them to cease by force
and power. Then ceased the work
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of the house of God which is
at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto
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the 2nd year of the
reign of Darius king of Persia.
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Continuing now in the
book of Ezra, chapter 5,
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and this is the
King James Version.
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Then the prophets, Haggai the
prophet, and Zechariah the son
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of Iddo, prophesied unto
the Jews that were in Judah
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and Jerusalem in the name of the
God of Israel, even unto them.
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Then rose up Zerubbabel the son
of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son
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of Jozadak, and began to build
the house of God which is at
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Jerusalem: and with them
were the prophets of God helping
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them. At the same time came
to them Tatnai, governor on this
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side the river and Shetharboznai
and their companions,
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and thus said unto them,
Who hath commanded you to build
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this house, and to make up this
wall? Then said we unto them
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after this manner, What are the
names of the men that make this
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building? But the eye of their
God was upon the elders of the
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Jews, that they could not cause
them to cease, till the matter
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came to Darius: and then
they returned answer by letter
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concerning this matter. The
copy of the letter that Tatnai,
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governor on this side the river,
and Shetharboznai, and his
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companions the Apharsachites,
which were on this side
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the river, sent unto Darius the
king: They sent a letter unto
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him, wherein was written thus;
Unto Darius the king, all peace.
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Be it known unto the king, that
we went into the province of
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Judea, to the house of the
great God, which is builded
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with great stones, and timber is
laid in the walls, and this work
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goeth fast on, and prospereth
in their hands. Then asked we
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those elders, and said unto them
thus, Who commanded you to build
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this house, and to make up
these walls? We asked their
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names also, to certify thee,
that we might write the names
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of the men that were the chief
of them. And thus they returned
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us answer, saying, We are the
servants of the God of Heaven
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and earth, and build the house
that was builded these many
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years ago, which a great king
of Israel builded and set up.
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But after that our fathers had
provoked the God of heaven unto
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wrath, he gave them into the
hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king
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of Babylon, the Chaldean,
who destroyed this house,
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and carried the people away into
Babylon. But in the 1st year of
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Cyrus the king of Babylon the
same king Cyrus made a decree
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to build his house of God.
And the vessels also of gold and
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silver of the house of God,
which Nebuchadnezzar took out
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of the temple that was in
Jerusalem, and brought them
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into the temple of Babylon,
those did Cyrus the king take
00:14:04.09\00:14:08.09
out of the temple of Babylon,
and they were delivered unto one
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whose name was Sheshbazzar,
whom he had made governor;
00:14:11.12\00:14:14.90
And said unto him, Take these
vessels, go, carry them into the
00:14:14.93\00:14:19.82
temple that is in Jerusalem,
and let the house of God be
00:14:19.85\00:14:24.25
builded in his place. Then
came the same Sheshbazzar, and
00:14:24.28\00:14:28.64
laid the foundation of the house
of God which is in Jerusalem:
00:14:28.68\00:14:31.77
and since that time even until
now hath it been in building,
00:14:31.80\00:14:36.42
and yet it is not finished.
00:14:36.45\00:14:40.07