Chapter 2

Cyrvs king of the Persians reigning for the accomplishment of the word of our Lord by the mouth of Ieremie,

our Lord raysed vp the spirit of Cyrus king of the Persians, and he proclaymed in al his kingdomes, and that by writing,

saying: Thus sayth Cyrus king of the Persians: The Lord of Israel, the high Lord, hath made me king ouer the whole earth.

and hath signified to me to build him a house in Ierusalem, which is in Iurie.

If there be any of your kinred, his Lord goe vp with him into Ierusalem.

Whosoeuer therefore dwel about the places, let them helpe them that are in the same place, in gold and siluer,

in giftes, with horses, and beastes, and with other thinges which by vowes are added into the temple of our Lord, which is in Ierusalem.

And the princes of the tribes, of the villages and of Iurie, of the tribe of Beniamin, & the Priestes, and the Leuites standing vp, whom our Lord moued to goe vp, and to build the house of our Lord which is in Ierusalem, and they that were round about them,

did helpe them with al their gold and siluer, and beastes, and manie whose minde was stirred vp, with many vowes.

And Cyrus the king brought forth the sacred vessel of our Lord, which Nabuchodonosor the king of Babylon transported out of Ierusalem, and consecrated them to his Idol.

And Cyrus the king of Persians bringing them forth, deliuered them to Mithridatus, who was ouer his treasures.

And by him they were deliuered to Salmanasar president of Iurie.

And of these this was the number: Cuppes for libamentes of siluer two thousand foure hundred, basens of siluer thirtie: phials of gold thirtie, also of siluer two thousand foure hundred: and other vessels a thousand.

and al the vessels of gold and siluer, were fiue thousand eight hundred sixtie.

And they were numbered to Salmanasar together with them, that came out of the captiuite of Babylon into Ierusalem.

But in the times of Artaxerxes king of the Persians, there wrote to him of them that dwelt in Iurie and Ierusalem, Balsamus, and Mithridatus, and Sabellius, and Rathimus, Balthemus, Sabellius scribe, and the rest dweling in Samaria, and other places the epistle folowing to king Artaxerxes.

Sir, thy seruantes Rathimus ouer occurrentes, and Sabellius the scribe, and the other iudges of thy court in Caelesyria, and Phenice.

And now be it knowen to our Lord the king, that Iewes came vp from you to vs, coming into Ierusalem a rebellious, & very naughty citie, do build the fornaces thereof, and set vp the walles, and rayse the temple.

And if this citie, and the walles shal be finished, they wil not onlie not abyde to pay tributes, but also wil resist the kinges.

And because that is in doing about the temple, we thought it should doe wel not to neglect this same thing:

but to make it knowen to our Lord the king, that if it shal seme good, o king it may be sought in the bookes of thy fathers,

and thou shalt find in the recordes, thinges writen of these, and thou shalt know that this citie hath bene rebellious, and trubling kinges, and cities,

and the Iewes rebelles, & making battels in it from time out of mind, for the which cause this citie was made desolate.

Now therfore we doe thee to vnderstand, Lord king, that if this citie shal be built, and the walles therof shal be erected, there wil be no comming downe for thee into Caelesyria, & Phenice.

Then wrote the king to Rathimus, the writer of the occurrentes, and to Balthemus, and to Sabellius the scribe, and to the rest ioyned with them, and to the dwellers in Syria, and Phenice, as foloweth:

I haue read the epistle that you sent me. I commanded therfore search to be made, & it was found that the same citie is from the beginning rebellious to kinges,

and the men rebelles, and making battels in it, & there were most valient kinges ruling in Ierusalem, and exacting tributes in Caelesyria, & Phenice.

Now therfore I haue geuen commandment to forbid those men to build the citie, and to stay them that nothing be done more then is:

and that they proceeded not farder, wherof are euils, so that there may be truble brougt vpon the kinges.

Then these things being read which were writen of king Artaxerxes, Rathimus, and Sabellius the scribe, and they that were apointed with them ioyning together in hast came to Ierusalem with a troupe of horsemen, and multitude, & companie:

and they begane to forbid the builders, and they ceased from building of the temple in Ierusalem, til in the second yeare of the reigne of Darius king of the Persians.