וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ צָרֵי יְהוּדָה וּבִנְיָמִן כִּי־בְנֵי הַגּוֹלָה בּוֹנִים הֵיכָל לַה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

The adversaries of Judah and Benjamin, from the nations that had been settled in Samaria by the king of Assyria, heard that the exiles were building a Sanctuary to the Lord, God of Israel.

וַיִּגְּשׁוּ אֶל־זְרֻבָּבֶל וְאֶל־רָאשֵׁי הָאָבוֹת וַיֹּאמְרוּ לָהֶם נִבְנֶה עִמָּכֶם כִּי כָכֶם נִדְרוֹשׁ לֵאלֹהֵיכֶם וְלוֹ אֲנַחְנוּ זֹבְחִים מִימֵי אֵסַר חַדֹּן מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר הַמַּעֲלֶה אֹתָנוּ פֹּה

They approached Zerubavel, the governor appointed over the Judeans by the king of Persia, and the heads of the patrilineal families, and said to them: Let us build together with you, for we seek your God like you, and to Him we have been sacrificing since the days of Esar Hadon king of Assyria, who brought us up to here. Since the king of Assyria brought us here to the Land of Israel, we have offered sacrifices to the God of Israel. Therefore, we can join you in your labor.

וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם זְרֻבָּבֶל וְיֵשׁוּעַ וּשְׁאָר רָאשֵׁי הָאָבוֹת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא־לָכֶם וָלָנוּ לִבְנוֹת בַּיִת לֵאלֹהֵינוּ כִּי אֲנַחְנוּ יַחַד נִבְנֶה לַה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּנוּ הַמֶּלֶךְ כּוֹרֶשׁ מֶלֶךְ־פָּרָס

Zerubavel, and Yeshua, the High Priest, and the rest of the heads of the patrilineal families of Israel said to them: It is not for you and us to build a House to our God; we absolutely object to any partnership of this kind. Rather, we ourselves together, alone, will build for the Lord, God of Israel, as King Cyrus king of Persia has commanded us.

וַיְהִי עַם־הָאָרֶץ מְרַפִּים יְדֵי עַם־יְהוּדָה וּמְבַהֲלִים אוֹתָם לִבְנוֹת

The response of the adversaries of Judah was predictable: The people of the land, the local residents, weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and intimidated them from building. Excluded from the project, they decided to disrupt it in whatever manner possible. They could not embark on an open military conflict, as there was an imperial governor appointed over Samaria, just as Zerubavel oversaw Judah. Granted, Persia was a less centralized empire than its predecessors Babylonia and Assyria, but, perhaps due to its size and nature, it was far more organized than its predecessors had been, at least in its early years.

וְסֹכְרִים עֲלֵיהֶם יוֹעֲצִים לְהָפֵר עֲצָתָם כָּל־יְמֵי כּוֹרֶשׁ מֶלֶךְ פָּרַס וְעַד מַלְכוּת דָּרְיָוֶשׁ מֶלֶךְ־פָּרָס

And the adversaries from among the local populations hired counselors, advisors, against them to thwart their plans, throughout all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, and into the reign of Darius king of Persia. They continuously sought to frustrate the work, create problems, and thereby prevent the construction of the Temple. Even without these disturbances, the construction process by a small group of immigrants would have advanced at a slow pace. The persistent harassment, alongside the poor economic situation resulting from the difficulties of farming uncultivated land that had been abandoned for more than fifty years, eventually led to the complete cessation of work.

וּבְמַלְכוּת אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ בִּתְחִלַּת מַלְכוּתוֹ כָּתְבוּ שִׂטְנָה עַל־יֹשְׁבֵי יְהוּדָה וִירוּשָׁלִָם

In the reign of King Ahashveroshof Persia, at the beginning of his reign, they, these plotters, wrote a libel, a libelous document, to him against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

וּבִימֵי אַרְתַּחְשַׁשְׂתָּא כָּתַב בִּשְׁלָם מִתְרְדָת טָבְאֵל וּשְׁאָר כְּנָוֹתָו עַל אַרְתַּחְשַׁשְׂתְּא מֶלֶךְ פָּרָס וּכְתָב הַנִּשְׁתְּוָן כָּתוּב אֲרָמִית וּמְתֻרְגָּם אֲרָמִית

And in the days of King Artahshastaof Persia, Bishlam, the name of one of the adversaries of Judah, and also Mitredat, Tave’el, and the rest of his companions wrote a letter to Artahshasta king of Persia; the document was written in Aramaic script and translated into Aramaic. Both the script and the language of the letter were Aramaic. Since the text cites the letter from the original Aramaic, the narrative likewise switches to Aramaic.

רְחוּם בְּעֵל־טְעֵם וְשִׁמְשַׁי סָפְרָא כְּתַבוּ אִגְּרָה חֲדָה עַל־יְרוּשְׁלֶם לְאַרְתַּחְשַׁשְׂתְּא מַלְכָּא כְּנֵמָא

Rehum, which was the name of the commander, or advisor, and Shimshai the scribe, wrote one letter against Jerusalem to King Artahshasta, as stated below.

אֱדַיִן רְחוּם בְּעֵל־טְעֵם וְשִׁמְשַׁי סָפְרָא וּשְׁאָר כְּנָוָתְהוֹן דִּינָיֵא וַאֲפַרְסַתְכָיֵא טַרְפְּלָיֵא אֲפָרְסָיֵא אַרְכְּוָיֵ בַבְלָיֵא שׁוּשַׁנְכָיֵא דֶּהָיֵא עֵלְמָיֵא

Then Rehum the commander, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions: the Dinites, and the Afaresatekhites, the Tarpelites, names of ethnic groups living in the Land of Israel that were subsumed under the Persians, the Afaresites, or Persians, the Arkevites, from the city of Uruk, the Babylonians, the Shushankhites, the Dehites, the Elamites, names of various groups which had united but still preserved their own identity, in accordance with their place of origin,

וּשְׁאָר אֻמַּיָּא דִּי הַגְלִי אָסְנַפַּר רַבָּא וְיַקִּירָא וְהוֹתֵב הִמּוֹ בְּקִרְיָה דִּי שָׁמְרָיִן וּשְׁאָר עֲבַר־נַהֲרָה וּכְעֶנֶת

and the rest of the nations whom the great and honored Asenapar, apparently a name for the king of Assyria, had exiled and settled in the city of Samaria, and in the rest of Avar Nahara, on the western side of the Euphrates River [nahar]: Now, a term signaling that the letter is reaching its main point, and perhaps also a way of indicating that some of the original has been omitted from the citation, similar to the term, “etc.”;

דְּנָה פַּרְשֶׁגֶן אִגַּרְתָּא דִּי שְׁלַחוּ עֲלוֹהִי עַל־אַרְתַּחְשַׁשְׂתְּא מַלְכָּא עַבְדָּךְ אֱנָשׁ עֲבַר־נַהֲרָה וּכְעֶנֶת

this is a copy of the letter that they sent to him, to King Artahshasta, your servants, the men of Avar Nahara. Such letters would typically begin by specifying the addressee and the senders. Presumably, at this juncture they would insert titles of honor and praise for the king, which are omitted by the author of the book of Ezra. Now,

יְדִיעַ לֶהֱוֵא לְמַלְכָּא דִּי יְהוּדָיֵא דִּי סְלִקוּ מִן־לְוָתָךְ עֲלֶינָא אֲתוֹ לִירוּשְׁלֶם קִרְיְתָא מָרָדְתָּא וּבִאישְׁתָּא בָּנַיִן וְשׁוּרַיָּ שַׁכְלִלוּ וְאֻשַּׁיָּא יַחִיטוּ

let it be known to the king that the Judeans who went up from among you to us have come to Jerusalem. They are building the rebellious and wicked city, and they are completing the walls, and are connecting or digging out, the foundations.

כְּעַן יְדִיעַ לֶהֱוֵא לְמַלְכָּא דִּי הֵן קִרְיְתָא דָךְ תִּתְבְּנֵא וְשׁוּרַיָּא יִשְׁתַּכְלְלוּן מִנְדָּה בְלוֹ וַהֲלָךְ לָא יִנְתְּנוּן וְאַפְּתֹם מַלְכִים תְּהַנְזִק

Now, let it be known to the king, that if this city is built, and its walls finished, they will not pay property tax, which is imposed in accordance with the size of the specific plot of land, or the poll tax, or the road toll, which is given for the soldiers who are constantly on the move. These payments included border crossing tolls, customs duties, or payment for postal services, and certainly, or eventually, the royal revenue of the kings will be harmed. When the Judeans will rebuild the city and receive an official status, even if they will not actively rebel against you, they will certainly stop paying taxes.

כְּעַן כָּל־קֳבֵל דִּי־מְלַח הֵיכְלָא מְלַחְנָא וְעַרְוַת מַלְכָּא לָא־אֲרִיךְ לָנָא לְמֶחֱזֵא עַל־דְּנָה שְׁלַחְנָא וְהוֹדַעְנָא לְמַלְכָּא

Now, for the reason that the salt of the royal palace is our salt, meaning we derive benefit from the king’s table and are obligated toward it, as salt is a symbol of a covenant, and we do not desire, or it is not fitting for us, to see the king’s dishonor, therefore we have sent this letter and informed the king. Although we are not required to do so, we wish to inform the king because of our loyalty to him,

דִּי יְבַקַּר בִּסְפַר דָּכְרָנַיָּא דִּי אֲבָהָתָךְ וּתְהַשְׁכַּח בִּסְפַר דָּכְרָנַיָּא וְתִנְדַּע דִּי קִרְיְתָא דָךְ קִרְיָא מָרָדָא וּמְהַנְזְקַת מַלְכִין וּמְדִנָן וְאֶשְׁתַּדּוּר עָבְדִין בְּגַוַּהּ מִן־יוֹמָת עָלְמָא עַל־דְּנָה קִרְיְתָא דָךְ הָחָרְבַת

that he should examine in the book of the records of your fathers, in the official historical accounts, and you will find in the book of the records and know that this city is a rebellious city, and harmful to kings and provinces, and within it they have engaged in insurrection since ancient times; for that, this city was destroyed.

מְהוֹדְעִין אֲנַחְנָה לְמַלְכָּא דִּי הֵן קִרְיְתָא דָךְ תִּתְבְּנֵא וְשׁוּרַיָּה יִשְׁתַּכְלְלוּן לָקֳבֵל דְּנָה חֲלָק בַּעֲבַר נַהֲרָא לָא אִיתַי לָךְ

We inform the king that if this city is built and the walls finished, for that reason a portion of land under your command of Avar Nahara will not be subject to you. If they are allowed to complete the reconstruction of their city, the Judeans will grow ever stronger, and not only will you lose control over this small area, they will eventually push you out of the entire area west of the Euphrates. From the start, the Persian Empire was massive, and the land of Judah was not one of its larger provinces. However, these adversaries warn the king that if its inhabitants are allowed to become more powerful, they will ignite the entire region, as they did to earlier kingdoms.

פִּתְגָמָא שְׁלַח מַלְכָּא עַל רְחוּם בְּעֵל־טְעֵם וְשִׁמְשַׁי סָפְרָא וּשְׁאָר כְּנָוָתְהוֹן דִּי יָתְבִין בְּשָׁמְרָיִן וּשְׁאָר עֲבַר־נַהֲרָה שְׁלָם וּכְעֶת

After receiving the letter and examining the case, the king sent an official dispatch to Rehum the commander, and to Shimshai the scribe, who were the leaders, and to the rest of their companions who live in Samaria, and in the rest of Avar Nahara, saying: Peace to you. Now,

נִשְׁתְּוָנָא דִּי שְׁלַחְתּוּן עֲלֶינָא מְפָרַשׁ קֱרִי קָדָמָי

the document that you sent to us has been explicitly read, explained, or translated, before me. It is possible that the king of Persia had not learned Aramaic, as he was surrounded by experts in many languages who could read and translate such dispatches for him.

וּמִנִּי שִׂים טְעֵם וּבַקַּרוּ וְהַשְׁכַּחוּ דִּי קִרְיְתָא דָךְ מִן־יוֹמָת עָלְמָא עַל־מַלְכִין מִתְנַשְּׂאָה וּמְרַד וְאֶשְׁתַּדּוּר מִתְעֲבֶד־בַּהּ

From me a decree was issued to my officials to look into the matter, and they investigated in the book of records and found that this city from ancient times has risen against kings, and rebellion and insurrection have been undertaken in it.

וּמַלְכִין תַּקִּיפִין הֲווֹ עַל־יְרוּשְׁלֶם וְשַׁלִּיטִין בְּכֹל עֲבַר נַהֲרָה וּמִדָּה בְלוֹ וַהֲלָךְ מִתְיְהֵב לְהוֹן

Mighty kings have been over Jerusalem, who ruled over the entire Avar Nahara, and property tax, poll tax, and toll were given to them. Apparently, the king had consulted old historical accounts which did not depict a small province of Judah, but the kingdom of David and Solomon, whose rule extended to the provinces near the Euphrates, from the northern border of Syria all the way to Egypt.

כְּעַן שִׂימוּ טְעֵם לְבַטָּלָא גֻּבְרַיָּא אִלֵּךְ וְקִרְיְתָא דָךְ לָא תִתְבְּנֵא עַד־מִנִּי טַעְמָא יִתְּשָׂם

Now, issue a decree to stop these men from their labor. This city shall not be built until a different decree from me will be issued. This is a temporary injunction, until further orders are issued.

וּזְהִירִין הֱווֹ שָׁלוּ לְמֶעְבַּד עַל־דְּנָה; לְמָה יִשְׂגֵּא חֲבָלָא לְהַנְזָקַת מַלְכִין

Be wary of performing an error in this regard; why should misconduct increase to the harm of kings? You sent me the original letter, and you are hereby receiving my instructions to pass on the message and ensure that the city is not rebuilt. Take care of the matter; do not be tempted to be negligent.

אֱדַיִן מִן־דִּי פַּרְשֶׁגֶן נִשְׁתְּוָנָא דִּי אַרְתַּחְשַׁשְׂתְּא מַלְכָּא קֱרִי קֳדָם רְחוּם וְשִׁמְשַׁי סָפְרָא וּכְנָוָתְהוֹן אֲזַלוּ בִבְהִילוּ לִירוּשְׁלֶם עַל־יְהוּדָיֵא וּבַטִּלוּ הִמּוֹ בְּאֶדְרָע וְחָיִל

Then, once the copy of King Artahshasta’s letter was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went hastily to Jerusalem to the Judeans, and stopped them from working with violence and force. An order from the king of Persia carried exceptional weight. The official letter in their possession indeed led to the cessation of the work.

בֵּאדַיִן בְּטֵלַת עֲבִידַת בֵּית־אֱלָהָא דִּי בִּירוּשְׁלֶם וַהֲוָת בָּטְלָא עַד שְׁנַת תַּרְתֵּין לְמַלְכוּת דָּרְיָוֶשׁ מֶלֶךְ־פָּרָס

Then the work of constructing the House of God that is in Jerusalem stopped; and it was stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.