7. They sent a letter unto him, wherein was written thus: Unto Daryavesh HaMelech, all Shalom.
8. Be it known unto the Melech, that we went into the province of Yehudah, to the Beis of the great Elohim, which is being built with great stones, and timber is laid in the walls, and this work goeth fast on, and prospereth in their hands.
9. Then asked we those leaders, and said unto them thus, Who commanded you to build this Beis [Hamikdash], and to restore this structure?
10. We asked their shmot also, to inform thee, that we might write down the shmot of the men that were their heads for thy information.
11. And thus they returned us answer, saying, We are the avadim of the Elohei Shomayim vAretz, and build the Beis that was built these many years ago, which a great Melech Yisroel built and set up.
12. But because Avoteinu had provoked the Elohei Shomayim unto them into the hand of Nevuchadnetzar Melech Bavel, the Kasdai (Chaldean), who destroyed this Beis, and carried the people away into the Golus of Bavel (Babylon).
13. But in the first year of Koresh (Cyrus) Melech Bavel the same Melech Koresh made a decree to build this Beis Elohim.
14. And the vessels also of zahav and kesef of the Beis Elohim, which Nevuchadnetzar took out of the Heikhal that was in Yerushalayim, and brought into the Heikhal of Babylon, those did Koresh the Melech take out of the Heikhal of Babylon, and they were delivered unto one, whose shem was Sheshbatzar, whom he had made governor;
15. And said unto him, Take these vessels, go, deposit them into the Heikhal that is in Yerushalayim, and let the Beis Elohim be built in its place.