American Standard Version - King James Version

 4:1 ¶ Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity were building a temple unto Jehovah, the God of Israel;

 4:1 ¶ Now when the adversariesº of Judahº and Benjaminº heardºº thatº the childrenº of the captivityº buildedºº the templeº unto the LORDº Godº of Israel;º

 4:2 then they drew near to Zerubbabel, and to the heads of fathers' [houses], and said unto them, Let us build with you; for we seek your God, as ye do; and we sacrifice unto him since the days of Esar-haddon king of Assyria, who brought us up hither.

 4:2 Then they cameºº toº Zerubbabel,º and toº the chiefº of the fathers,º and saidºº unto them, Let us buildºº withº you: forº we seekºº your God,º as ye [do]; and weº do sacrificeºº unto him since the daysºº of Esarhaddonº kingº of Assur,º which brought us upºº hither.ººº

 4:3 But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers' [houses] of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us in building a house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto Jehovah, the God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.

 4:3 But Zerubbabel,º and Jeshua,º and the restº of the chiefº of the fathersº of Israel,º saidºº unto them, Ye have nothingº to do with us to buildºº an houseº unto our God;º butº we ourselvesº togetherº will buildºº unto the LORDº Godº of Israel,º asº kingº Cyrusº the kingº of Persiaº hath commandedºº us.

 4:4 Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building,

 4:4 Then the peopleº of the landº weakenedºº the handsº of the peopleº of Judah,º and troubledºººº them in building,ºº

 4:5 and hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

 4:5 And hiredºº counsellorsºº againstº them, to frustrateºº their purpose,º allº the daysº of Cyrusº kingº of Persia,º even untilº the reignº of Dariusº kingº of Persia.º

 4:6 And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

 4:6 And in the reignº of Ahasuerus,º in the beginningº of his reign,º wroteºº they [unto him] an accusationº againstº the inhabitantsºº of Judahº and Jerusalem.º

 4:7 ¶ And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian [character], and set forth in the Syrian [tongue].

 4:7 ¶ And in the daysº of Artaxerxesº wroteºº Bishlam,º Mithredath,º Tabeel,º and the restº of their companions,º untoº Artaxerxesº kingº of Persia;º and the writingº of the letterº [was] writtenºº in the Syrian tongue,º and interpretedºº in the Syrian tongue.º

 4:8 Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort:

 4:8 Rehumº the chancellorºº and Shimshaiº the scribeº wroteºº aº letterº againstº Jerusalemº to Artaxerxesº the kingº in this sort:º

 4:9 then [wrote] Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions, the Dinaites, and the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Shushanchites, the Dehaites, the Elamites,

 4:9 Thenº [wrote] Rehumº the chancellor,ºº and Shimshaiº the scribe,º and the restº of their companions;º the Dinaites,º the Apharsathchites,º the Tarpelites,º the Apharsites,º the Archevites,º the Babylonians,º the Susanchites,º the Dehavites,º [and] the Elamites,º

 4:10 and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar brought over, and set in the city of Samaria, and in the rest [of the country] beyond the River, and so forth.

 4:10 And the restº of the nationsº whomº the greatº and nobleº Asnapparº brought over,ºº and setººº in the citiesº ofº Samaria,º and the restº [that are] on this sideº the river,º and at such a time.º

 4:11 ¶ This is the copy of the letter that they sent unto Artaxerxes the king: Thy servants the men beyond the River, and so forth.

 4:11 ¶ Thisº [is] the copyº of the letterº thatº they sentºº untoº him,º [even] untoº Artaxerxesº the king;º Thy servantsº the menº on this sideº the river,º and at such a time.º

 4:12 Be it known unto the king, that the Jews that came up from thee are come to us unto Jerusalem; they are building the rebellious and the bad city, and have finished the walls, and repaired the foundations.

 4:12 Beº itºº knownºº unto the king,º that the Jewsº whichº came upºº fromºº theeº toº usº are comeºº unto Jerusalem,º buildingºº the rebelliousº and the badº city,º and have set upºººº the wallsº [thereof], and joinedºº the foundations.º

 4:13 Be it known now unto the king, that, if this city be builded, and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and in the end it will be hurtful unto the kings.

 4:13 Beº it knownºººº nowº unto the king,º that,º ifº thisº cityº be builded,ºº and the wallsº set upºº [again, then] will they notº payºº toll,º tribute,º and custom,º and [so] thou shalt endamageºº the revenueº of the kings.º

 4:14 Now because we eat the salt of the palace, and it is not meet for us to see the king's dishonor, therefore have we sent and certified the king;

 4:14 Nowº becauseººº we haveº maintenanceººº from [the king's] palace,º and it was notº meetºº for us to seeºº the king'sº dishonour,º thereforeºº have we sentºº and certifiedºº the king;º

 4:15 that search may be made in the book of the records of thy fathers: so shalt thou find in the book of the records, and know that this city is a rebellious city, and hurtful unto kings and provinces, and that they have moved sedition within the same of old time; for which cause was this city laid waste.

 4:15 Thatº searchºº may be madeº in the bookº of the recordsº ofº thy fathers:º so shalt thou findºº in the bookº of the records,º and knowºº thatº thisº cityº [is] a rebelliousº city,º and hurtfulºº unto kingsº and provinces,º and that they have movedºº seditionº within the sameº ofº oldº time:º forº whichº causeº was thisº cityº destroyed.ºº

 4:16 We certify the king that, if this city be builded, and the walls finished, by this means thou shalt have no portion beyond the River.

 4:16 Weº certifyºº the kingº that,º ifº thisº cityº be buildedºº [again], and the wallsº thereof set up,ºº by thisº meansº thou shalt haveº noº portionº on this sideº the river.º

 4:17 ¶ [Then] sent the king an answer unto Rehum the chancellor, and to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their companions that dwell in Samaria, and in the rest [of the country] beyond the River: Peace, and so forth.

 4:17 ¶ [Then] sentºº the kingº an answerº untoº Rehumº the chancellor,ºº and [to] Shimshaiº the scribe,º and [to] the restº of their companionsº thatº dwellºº in Samaria,º and [unto] the restº beyondº the river,º Peace,º and at such a time.º

 4:18 The letter which ye sent unto us hath been plainly read before me.

 4:18 The letterº whichº ye sentºº untoº usº hath been plainlyºº readºº beforeº me.

 4:19 And I decreed, and search hath been made, and it is found that this city of old time hath made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made therein.

 4:19 And Iº commanded,ººº and searchºº hath been made,º and it is foundºº thatº thisº cityº ofº oldº timeº hath made insurrectionºº againstº kings,º and [that] rebellionº and seditionº have been madeºº therein.

 4:20 There have been mighty kings also over Jerusalem, who have ruled over all [the country] beyond the River; and tribute, custom, and toll, was paid unto them.

 4:20 There have beenºº mightyº kingsº also overº Jerusalem,º which have ruledº over allº [countries] beyondº the river;º and toll,º tribute,º and custom,º was paidºº unto them.

 4:21 Make ye now a decree to cause these men to cease, and that this city be not builded, until a decree shall be made by me.

 4:21 Giveºº ye nowº commandmentº to causeºº theseº menº to cease,ºº and that thisº cityº be notº builded,ºº untilº [another] commandmentº shall be givenºº fromº me.º

 4:22 And take heed that ye be not slack herein: why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings?

 4:22 Take heedºººº now that ye failº notº to doººº this:ºº whyº should damageº growºº to the hurtºº of the kings?º

 4:23 ¶ Then when the copy of king Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power.

 4:23 ¶ Nowº whenºº the copyº of kingº Artaxerxes'º letterº [was] readºº beforeº Rehum,º and Shimshaiº the scribe,º and their companions,º they went upºº in hasteº to Jerusalemº untoº the Jews,º and made themº to ceaseºº by forceº and power.º

 4:24 Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem; and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

 4:24 Thenº ceasedºº the workº of the houseº of Godº whichº [is] at Jerusalem.º Soº it ceasedºººº untoº the secondº yearº of the reignº of Dariusº kingº of Persia.º