Ezra 4-6 - The Dedication of the House of God

Adversaries Discourage the Work

The Letter to King Artaxerxes

A Decree Makes the Men Stop Rebuilding

Ezr 4:23-24 LSB - 

[23] Then as soon as the copy of King Artaxerxes' document was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their colleagues, they went in haste to Jerusalem to the Jews and stopped them by force and military. 

[24] Then the work on the house of God in Jerusalem stopped, and it was stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Rebuilding the House of God Begins Again

Ezr 5:1-2 LSB - [1] And the prophets, Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. [2] Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them supporting them.

Ezr 5:5 LSB - [5] But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them until a report could come to Darius, and then a document be returned concerning this.

Tattenai and Others Write to King Darius

The Scroll with Cyrus’ Decree is Found

Ezr 6:1 LSB - [1] Then King Darius issued a decree, and a search was made in the archives, where the treasures were deposited in Babylon.

Ezr 6:12 LSB - [12] "May the God who has caused His name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who stretches out his hand to change [it], so as to destroy that house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued [this] decree, let [it] be done with all diligence!"

The Dedication of the House of God

Ezr 6:14 LSB - [14] And the elders of the Jews were building and succeeding through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. So they built and completed [it] according to the decree of the God of Israel and the decree of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.

Ezr 6:15 LSB - [15] And this house was brought to completion on the third day of the month Adar; it was the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.

Passover Celebrated

Ezr 6:19 LSB - [19] And the exiles celebrated the Passover on the fourteenth of the first month.

Ezr 6:22 LSB - [22] And they celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with gladness, for Yahweh had caused them to be glad and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them to strengthen them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.