The Decree of Darius
1King Darius then issued an order, and they searched in the archives stored in the treasury at Babylon. 2A scroll was found in the citadel of Ecbatana in the province of Media, and this was written on it:
Memorandum:
3In the first year of King Cyrus, the king issued a decree concerning the temple of God in Jerusalem:
Let the temple be rebuilt as a place to present sacrifices, and let its foundations be laid. It is to be sixty cubits6:3 That is, about 90 feet or about 27 meters high and sixty cubits wide, 4with three courses of large stones and one of timbers. The costs are to be paid by the royal treasury. 5Also, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, are to be returned to their places in the temple in Jerusalem; they are to be deposited in the house of God.
6Now then, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and you other officials of that province, stay away from there. 7Do not interfere with the work on this temple of God. Let the governor of the Jews and the Jewish elders rebuild this house of God on its site.
8Moreover, I hereby decree what you are to do for these elders of the Jews in the construction of this house of God:
Their expenses are to be fully paid out of the royal treasury, from the revenues of Trans-Euphrates, so that the work will not stop. 9Whatever is needed—young bulls, rams, male lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine and olive oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem—must be given them daily without fail, 10so that they may offer sacrifices pleasing to the God of heaven and pray for the well-being of the king and his sons.
11Furthermore, I decree that if anyone defies this edict, a beam is to be pulled from their house and they are to be impaled on it. And for this crime their house is to be made a pile of rubble. 12May God, who has caused his Name to dwell there, overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to change this decree or to destroy this temple in Jerusalem.
I Darius have decreed it. Let it be carried out with diligence.
Completion and Dedication of the Temple
13Then, because of the decree King Darius had sent, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates carried it out with diligence. 14So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo. They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia. 15The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.
16Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles—celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy. 17For the dedication of this house of God they offered a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred male lambs and, as a sin offering6:17 Or purification offering for all Israel, twelve male goats, one for each of the tribes of Israel. 18And they installed the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their groups for the service of God at Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses.
The Passover
19On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles celebrated the Passover. 20The priests and Levites had purified themselves and were all ceremonially clean. The Levites slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their relatives the priests and for themselves. 21So the Israelites who had returned from the exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the unclean practices of their Gentile neighbors in order to seek the Lord, the God of Israel. 22For seven days they celebrated with joy the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because the Lord had filled them with joy by changing the attitude of the king of Assyria so that he assisted them in the work on the house of God, the God of Israel.
發現塞魯士王的諭旨
1於是，大流士王下令查閱保存在巴比倫庫房裡的典籍。 2在瑪代省亞馬他城的宮內找到一卷書，書中記載如下：
3「塞魯士王元年，塞魯士王就耶路撒冷的上帝之殿降下諭旨，要重建這殿作獻祭之處，要奠立殿的地基。殿要高二十七米、寬二十七米， 4每三層巨石加鋪一層木料，經費由國庫支付。 5尼布甲尼撒從耶路撒冷上帝的殿裡擄到巴比倫的金銀器皿，都要歸還到耶路撒冷上帝的殿裡，放回原處。」
6於是，大流士王降旨：
「河西總督達乃、示他·波斯乃，以及你們的同僚河西的官員，要遠離那殿！ 7不要干涉上帝殿的建造，要讓猶太人的省長和長老在原址上重建這座上帝的殿。 8另外，我降旨命你們幫助猶太人的長老建造上帝的殿，要立刻從河西的王室稅收中撥出款項作建殿之用，以免耽誤工程。 9他們向天上的上帝獻燔祭時所需的公牛犢、公綿羊、綿羊羔，以及小麥、鹽、酒和油，都要照耶路撒冷祭司的話天天供給他們，不得有誤， 10好讓他們向天上的上帝獻上蒙悅納的祭物，並為王和眾王子求壽。 11我再降旨，若有人更改這諭旨，必從他的房屋抽掉一根大梁，把他釘在梁上掛起來，他的房屋也要淪為糞堆。 12無論君王還是百姓，若有人擅自更改這命令或毀壞耶路撒冷的這殿，願揀選這殿作其居所的上帝毀滅他！我大流士降此諭旨，務要速速遵行。」
建殿工程竣工
13於是，河西總督達乃、示他·波斯乃及其同僚都認真執行大流士王的諭旨。 14在哈該先知和易多的子孫撒迦利亞的勸勉下，猶太人的長老建造這殿，進展順利。他們遵照以色列上帝的命令和波斯王塞魯士、大流士和亞達薛西的諭旨，完成了建殿工程。 15大流士王第六年亞達月6·15 「亞達月」即希伯來曆的十二月，陽曆是二月中旬到三月中旬。三日，建殿工程竣工。
舉行獻殿禮
16以色列人、祭司、利未人和其餘流亡歸來的人都滿心歡喜地為上帝的殿舉行奉獻禮。 17他們為此獻上一百頭公牛犢、二百隻公綿羊和四百隻綿羊羔，又照以色列十二支派的數目獻上十二隻公山羊，作全體以色列人的贖罪祭。 18他們依照摩西律法書的規定，派祭司和利未人按班次在耶路撒冷事奉上帝。
守逾越節
19一月十四日，流亡歸來的人守逾越節。 20祭司和利未人一起自潔，成為潔淨的人，並為所有流亡歸來的人、祭司同僚以及他們自己宰殺逾越節的羔羊。 21從流亡之地歸回的以色列人，連同所有棄絕當地民族的污穢行為、尋求以色列的上帝耶和華的人，一起吃這羔羊。 22他們歡歡喜喜地守除酵節七天，因為耶和華使他們充滿喜樂，並使亞述王對他們心存善意，幫助他們重建以色列上帝的殿。
