The Letter to King Artaxerxes
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In the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam and 1Mithredath and Tabeel and the rest of their associates wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. The letter was written 2in Aramaic and translated.a
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Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows:
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Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, the 3judges, the 4governors, the officials, the Persians, the men of Erech, the Babylonians, the men of Susa, that is, the 5Elamites,
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and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble 6Osnappar deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River.
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(This is a copy of the letter that they sent.) "To Artaxerxes the king: Your servants, the men of the province Beyond the River, send greeting. And now
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be it known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are 7finishing the walls and repairing the foundations.
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Now be it known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and the walls finished, they will not pay 8tribute, custom, or toll, and the royal revenue will be impaired.
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Now because we eat the salt of the palace and it is not fitting for us to witness the king's dishonor, therefore we send and inform the king,
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in order that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. You will find in the book of the records and learn that this city is a rebellious city, hurtful to kings and provinces, and that sedition was stirred up in it from of old. That was why this city was laid waste.
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We make known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls finished, you will then have no possession in the province Beyond the River."
Almeida Atualizada (Portuguese) AA
Esdras 4:7
Também nos dias de Artaxerxes escreveram Bislão, Mitredate, Tabeel, e os companheiros destes, a Artaxerxes, rei da Pérsia; e a carta foi escrita em caracteres aramaicos, e traduzida na língua aramaica.
King James Version KJV
Ezra 4:7
And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam,b Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian tongue, and interpreted in the Syrian tongue.
New King James Version NKJV
Ezra 4:7
In the days of Artaxerxes also, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabel, and the rest of their companions wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the letter was written in Aramaic script, and translated into the Aramaic language.
Nova Versão Internacional NVIP
Esdras 4:7
E nos dias de Artaxerxes, rei da Pérsia, Bislão, Mitredate, Tabeel e o restante dos seus companheiros escreveram uma carta a Artaxerxes. A carta foi escrita em aramaico, com caracteres aramaicos.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)