Ezra - Ferrar Fenton Bible Translation page 917

3-12

a. great cheer to praise the EVER- LIVING at the laying of the founda- tion of the House of the LORD. But many of the old Priests and Levites and heads of Houses, who had seen the former House, andthe founda- tion of this House before their eyes, wept with a loud voice, but many cheered for joy at the top of their voice; so none of the people could distinguish the sound of the cheering from the sound of the weeping of the peop1e,—·for the people cheered with a great cheering,—·-and the sound was heard afar. minis ®uzmizz Quail the §zi¤s. When the enemies of judah and

Benjamin heard that the sons of the Transports were building a Temple to the EvsR·Lxv1NG Gon of Israel, they approached Zerubabel, and the Heads of Houses, and said to We will build with you; for we follow your Gov like your- selves; but we have not sacrificed from the days of Ezerhadou, king of Ashur, who brought us up here.’ But Zerubabel, and jeshua, and the

rest of the Heads of the Houses of You shall not! But we will build the House of our GOD; for we alone can build for the Evaiz-Livmo Gon of Israel, as king Koresh, king of the Persians, com- (529 ac.) 4 The People of the countries there- fore impeded the plans of the People of judah, and interfered with them in

5 building, and hired persons against them, and conspired to break their intention, all the time of Kuresh king of the Persians and up to the period of Dariush the king of the Persians. (446 B.c.) [[Afterwards, in the reign of Akha··

shorush, they wrote to accuse the inhabitants of judea and jerusalem. And again in the times of Arthak-

shasta, in a time of peace, Mithera- dath, Tabal, and the rest of their companions wrote to Arthakshasta King of Persia, and the wording of their letter was in Aramith,-—and I copy it from the Aramith; Rehum, Master of the Rolls, and

Shemshai the Secretary wrote a letter in conjunction against jerusalem to the king Arthakshasta in this form; mic Samaritan Qztitiuu against tbz §rius. ‘ Rehum the Master of the Rolls

and Shemshai the Secretary, and their associates, of the Dinia, and Afrasthakia, Tarflia, Afrasia, Arkair, Babalia, Shushankia, Dahira, Almia, and the rest ofthe Peoples whom the Great and beloved Asnaper brought over to his City of Shameron, with others over the Riverf (This is copied from the letter they sent to King Arthakshasta.) ‘ Your servants of the men over the river, and others, inform the king himself of the jews who ascended from you to us at ]erusalem, who are building the rebellious and bad City, and have finished the walls, and they are joining them. Howevexgit should be made known to the king, that if this City is rebuilt, and its walls are completed, they will not pay tribute, tax, or toll, and then the king will suffer. Consequently because we eat of the salt of the Palace we have advised the king; for it is not right for us to look at such dishonour, and we have sent to inform the king, so that the books of records of your fathers may be searched, when you will find in the book of records that this City, is a rebellious town, and dangerous to kings and governors, and exerted itself to excite disturbance in former times ;···—and for that reason this City was burnt down. We wish therefore to advise the king, that if this City should be rebuilt, and its walls com- pleted, you wi-ll have no province over the river in consequence! dbz iiixrgw ltzplg.

The King replied by a letter: ‘ To Rehum, the Master of the

Rolls, and Shemshai, the Secretary, and the rest of their Associates, who reside in Shameron and the district beyond the river, health and the rest ;»-· ‘ The letter you sent to us has been

openly read before us, so I signed an order, and they searched, and have found that this City from former times, has risen against the kings, and re- belled, and excited sedition in itself. And that powerful kings have existed in jerusalem, and governed all beyond 9T7 I0 I! I2 16 18 20