1Now the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, speaking to them in the name of the God of Israel.
2Then Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, stood up and began to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them, helping them.
3At that same time, Tattenai, the governor of the region beyond the Euphrates River, along with Shethar-Bozenai and their associates, came to them and asked, “Who gave you permission to build this temple and to finish these walls?”
4They also asked for the names of the men who were doing this building.
5But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they were not made to stop until the matter could be brought to Darius and a written answer could be sent back concerning it.
6Here is a copy of the letter that Tattenai, the governor of the region beyond the Euphrates River, along with Shethar-Bozenai and his colleagues, the Apharsachites who were beyond the River, sent to King Darius.
7They sent him a letter which said: To King Darius, complete peace.
8Be it known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the temple of the great God, which is being built with large stones, and timber is being laid in the walls. This work is being carried out diligently and is progressing well in their hands.
9Then we questioned those elders and asked them, “Who gave you permission to build this temple and to finish these walls?”
10We also asked them for their names so that we could inform you by writing down the names of the men who were leading them.
11They sent back this answer: 'We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth. We are rebuilding the temple that was constructed many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and completed.'
12But because our ancestors made the God of heaven angry, he handed them over to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, a Chaldean. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed this temple and took the people as prisoners to Babylon.
13However, in the first year that Cyrus was king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued an order to rebuild this house of God.
14Nebuchadnezzar had taken the gold and silver items from God’s temple in Jerusalem and put them in the temple in Babylon. King Cyrus also took these items out of the temple in Babylon and gave them to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he had appointed as governor.
15Cyrus told him, 'Take these items, go, put them in the temple in Jerusalem, and let God’s temple be rebuilt in its original location.'
16Then Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations for God’s temple in Jerusalem. It has been under construction ever since, up to the present day, but it is still not finished.
17So now, if the king agrees, please have a search made in the king’s treasury in Babylon to see if King Cyrus really did issue a decree to build this house of God in Jerusalem. Then, let the king send us his decision on this matter.”