1And Haggai the prophet prophesied, and Zechariah son of Iddo the prophet prophesied, concerning the Judahites who were in Judah and in Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel upon them.2Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak arose and began to build the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and with them were the prophets of God who were helping them.3At that time Tattenai, governor of Beyond the River, and Shethar-Bozenai and their companions came upon them and spoke to them in this manner: Who issued you a decree to build this house and to complete this structure?4Then we answered them in this manner: Who are the names of the men who are building this building?5And the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Judahites, and they did not stop them until the decree reached Darius; then they returned the letter concerning this matter.6This is the copy of the letter that Tattenai, governor of Beyond the River, and Shethar-Bozenai and their companions the Apharsachites who were in Beyond the River sent to Darius the king.7They sent the word to him, and it was written in its midst as follows: To Darius the king, all peace.8Let it be known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God, and it is being built with large stones and timber is being placed in the walls; moreover, that work is being done speedily and is prospering in their hands.9Then we asked those elders; we spoke to them in this manner: Who issued you a decree to build this house and to complete this structure?10We also asked them their names in order to make them known to you, so that we might write the names of the men who are at their head.11And this is the answer we returned, saying to them: We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are building the house that was built many years before this; a great king of Israel built it and completed it.12But because our fathers provoked the God of heaven, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon the Chaldean; he destroyed this house and carried the people away to Babylon.13However, in the first year of Cyrus the king of Babylon, Cyrus the king issued a decree to build this house of God.14And also the vessels of gold and silver of the house of God that Nebuchadnezzar had brought out from the temple that was in Jerusalem and carried to the temple that was in Babylon, Cyrus the king brought them out from the temple that was in Babylon and gave them to Sheshbazzar, whose name he had set as governor.15And he said to him, Take these vessels, go, deposit them in the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its site.16Then that Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God that is in Jerusalem; and from that time until now it has been under construction and has not been finished.17Now therefore, if it seems good to the king, let a search be made in the house of archives of the king that is there in Babylon, whether there is a decree from Cyrus the king to build the house of God that is in Jerusalem; and let the will of the king concerning this matter be sent to us.