The enemies of Yehudah and Binyamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for יהוה, the Elohim of Yisra'el.

They came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers' houses and said to them, 'Let us build with you, for like you, we seek our Elohim, and we have been sacrificing to him since the days of Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, who brought us here.'

But Zerubbabel, Yeshua, and the rest of the heads of the fathers' houses of Yisra'el said to them, 'It is not for you and us to build a house for our Elohim, but we together will build for יהוה, the Elohim of Yisra'el, just as King Koresh, king of Paras, commanded us.'

Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Yehudah and frightened them from building.

And they hired counselors against them to frustrate their plan all the days of Koresh, king of Paras, and until the reign of Darius, king of Paras.

And in the reign of Ahasuerus, at the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Yehudah and Yerushalayim.

And in the days of Artakshashta, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their associates wrote to Artakshashta, king of Paras. And the text of the letter was written in Aramaic and translated in Aramaic.

Rehum, Ba'al-te'em, and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Yerushalayim to Artakshashta the king, as follows:

Then Rehum, Ba'al-te'em, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, the Dayites, the Apharsathites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Shushankites, the Dehavites, the Elamites,

and the rest of the nations whom the great and honored Osnappar deported and settled in the cities of Shomron and the rest beyond the River, and now.

This is the text of the letter that they sent to him: 'To Artakshashta the king, from your servants, the men beyond the River, and now.'

'Let it be known to the king that the Yehudim who came up from you have come to us in Yerushalayim. They are building the rebellious and wicked city, and they are completing the walls and strengthening the foundations.'

'Now let it be known to the king that if this city is built and its walls are completed, they will not pay tribute, impost, or toll, and thus the royal revenue will be harmed.'

'Now, because we eat the salt of the palace and it is not fitting for us to see the king's dishonor, we have sent and informed the king.'

'Let a search be made in the record of the archives of your fathers, and you will find in the record of the archives and know that this city is a rebellious city and has harmed kings and provinces, and that sedition has been practiced in it from ancient times. For this reason, this city was destroyed.'

'We inform the king that if this city is built and its walls are completed, then you will have no share beyond the River.'

'The king sent a response to Rehum, Ba'al-te'em, and Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their associates who live in Shomron, and to the rest beyond the River, saying: 'Peace, and now.'

'The letter that you sent to us has been clearly read before me.'

'And I have issued a decree, and a search has been made, and it has been found that this city has from ancient times been rebellious against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been practiced in it.'

'Mighty kings have been over Yerushalayim, and they ruled over all beyond the River, and tribute, impost, and toll were paid to them.'

'Now issue a decree to stop these men, and let this city not be built until I issue a decree.'

'And take care that you are not negligent in this matter. Why should harm increase to the detriment of the kings?'

'Then, as soon as the text of the letter from King Artakshashta was read before Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their associates, they went in haste to Yerushalayim to the Yehudim and stopped them by force and might.'

'Then the work of the house of Elohim in Yerushalayim stopped, and it was stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius, king of Paras.'