Ezra 4:6-8

Good News Translation

Opposition to the Rebuilding of Jerusalem

⁶^[a]At the beginning of the reign of Emperor Xerxes, the enemies of the people living in Judah and Jerusalem brought written charges against them.

⁷Again in the reign of Emperor Artaxerxes of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and their associates wrote a letter to the emperor. The letter was written in Aramaic^[b] and was to be translated when read.^[c]

⁸Also Rehum, the governor, and Shimshai, the secretary of the province, wrote the following letter to Emperor Artaxerxes about Jerusalem:

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Footnotes

Ezra 4:6 AddEsth 1:1
Ezra 4:7 From 4.8 to 6.18 this book is not in Hebrew, but Aramaic, the official language of the Persian Empire.
Ezra 4:7 The letter … read; or It was in Aramaic and was written in the Aramaic script.