Ezra 4
Locals frustrate temple’s reconstruction
Now when Judah and Benjamin’s enemies heard that the returned exiles were building a temple for Israel’s God the Existing One, they approached Zerubbabel and the patriarchs saying, “Let us help you build, because we worship your God and have been sacrificing to him ever since the reign of Assyria’s King Esarhaddon who brought us here.” But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of Israel’s patriarchs told them, “When we build our God a house, that doesn’t concern you. We’ll build it by ourselves just like Persia’s King Cyrus has ordered.”
Then the locals discouraged Judah’s people and scared them about building by bribing counselors to purposely frustrate them. This went on throughout the entire reign of Persia’s King Cyrus and even through King Darius’s reign.
Then when Ahasuerus first started to reign, they filed an accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
Artaxerxes orders Judah to stop building
When Artaxerxes was Persia’s king, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their associates drafted a letter in Aramaic that was translated for Artaxerxes. Rehum (the commander) and Shimshai (the scribe) filed the complaint against Jerusalem on behalf of themselves, the rest of their associates, the judges, the governors, the officials, the Persians, the men from Erech, the Babylonians, the men from Susa (that is the Elamites), and the rest of the countries that were deported by Osnappar and settled in Samaria and the rest of the province west of the river. The letter read:
“Dear Artaxerxes,
Your servants from the province west of the river send greeting. We want you to know that the Jews who left you have made it to Jerusalem, and they are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are finishing the walls and repairing the foundations. We also want you to know that if this city is rebuilt and the walls are finished, they won’t pay tribute, taxes, or tolls, and your revenue will be impaired. We’re telling you this because we don’t want you to be dishonored in this way. If you search your records, you’ll see how rebellious this city is, constantly defying kings and provinces since the olden days. That’s why this city was destroyed in the first place. We want you to know that if this rebuilding of this city reaches completion, you won’t own anything in the province west of the river.”
The king replied:
“Dear Commander Rehum & Shimshai the scribe, and all your associates who live in Samaria and west of the river,
Greetings. I read your letter, searched my records, and found that this city has rebelled against kings ever since the olden days. Jerusalem had some mighty kings who reigned over the entire province west of the river and collected tribute, taxes, and tolls. Now, order these men to stop rebuilding this city until I make an official decree. And do it quickly. Why should the damages grow to the king’s detriment?”
Then when King Artaxerxes’s letter was read to Rehum, Shimshai, and their associates, they quickly went to the Jews at Jerusalem and stopped them by force. Then the construction of God’s house in Jerusalem came to a halt until the second year of King Darius’s reign over Persia.