Ezra 4

1-5 Resistance to Building the Temple

1-3 Adversaries of Judah and Benjamin come to Zerubbabel and offer to help build, saying they also worship God, but Zerubbabel and other leaders refuse their help.

4-5 So the people of the land discourage and intimidate the people of Judah, while also bribing officials in Persia during the reigns of Cyrus and Darius.

6-24 Rebuilding of Jerusalem Opposed

6-11 During the reign of Ahasuerus, a coalition of opponents had written a letter to him, penned by Rehum the royal deputy and Shimshai the scribe, against Jerusalem.

12-16 The letter claimed that all those who had been released from captivity had gone to Jerusalem to rebuild the city, and if they did, they would rebel against authority and refuse to pay taxes, reducing royal revenue. An astute political move: While their real motivation may have been fear that Judah would overpower them, they appeal to the king as if they care about his coffers.

17-22 The king, after searching the records as requested, ordered all building to stop.

23-24 The building was stopped and would not resume until the second year of King Darius’s reign.