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Take a breath, find your place, and read deeply. Discover the joy of reading God’s word with the Immerse New Living Translation (NLT) Bible.
This daily Bible podcast will take you through the Bible in a year following the Immerse Bible Reading Experience. So grab your family and small group and go through the Bible in a year together with Immerse. Each of the 6 volumes is available online or at your favorite Christian bookstore.
Emily: welcome to immerse: the
daily bible reading experience.
Day 300 and 49
The enemies of Judah and Benjamin
heard that the exiles were rebuilding a
temple to the Lord, the God of Israel.
So they approached Abel and the other
leaders and said, let us build with you,
for we worship your God just as you do.
We have sacrificed to him ever since.
King Isar, Hadden of
Assia brought us here.
But Sable, JE and the other
leaders of Israel replied, you
may have no part in this work.
We alone will build the temple
for the Lord, the God of Israel.
Just as King Cyrus of Persia commanded
us, then the local residents tried to
discourage and frighten the people of
Judah to keep them from their work.
They bribed agents to work against
them and to frustrate their plans.
This went on during the entire reign of
King Cyrus of Persia, and lasted until
King Arias of Persia took the throne.
Years later, wind Xerxes began his reign.
The enemies of Judah wrote a
letter of accusation against the
people of Judah and Jerusalem.
Even later, during the reign of King Artis
Xerxes of Persia, the enemies of Judah
led by Bili myth, RDA and Tabul sent a
letter to Artis Xerxes in the Aramaic
language, and it was translated for the
King Reim, the governor, and Shishi,
the court secretary wrote the letter.
Telling King Art Es about
the situation in Jerusalem.
They greeted the king for all their
colleagues, the judges and local
leaders, the people of Taral, the
Persians, the Babylonians, and
the people of I, Iraq and Suse.
That is Elam.
They also sent greetings from the rest of
the people whom the great and Noble Asher
Bpol had deported and relocated in Samaria
and throughout the neighboring lands of
the province, west of the Euphrates River.
This is a copy of their letter.
To King Artis Xes from your loyal
subjects in the province west of
the Euphrates River, the king should
know that the Jews who came here to
Jerusalem from Babylon are rebuilding
this rebellious and evil city.
They have already laid the foundation
and will soon finish its walls, and the
king should know that if this city is
rebuilt and its walls are completed,
it will be much to your disadvantage.
For the Jews will then refuse to pay
their tribute customs and tolls to you.
Since we are your loyal subjects
and do not want to see the king
dishonored in this way, we have
sent the king this information.
We suggest that a search be made
in your ancestors' records, where
you will discover what a rebellious
city this has been in the past.
In fact, it was destroyed because
of its long and troublesome history
of revolt against the kings and
countries who controlled it.
We declare to the king that if this
city is rebuilt and its walls are
completed, the province west of the
Euphrates River will be lost to you.
Then King Artis iis sent this reply
to re him the Governor Shishi, the
court secretary and their colleagues
living in Samaria and throughout the
province, west of the Euphrates River.
Greetings, the letter you sent has
been translated and read to me.
I ordered a search of the records and have
found that Jerusalem has indeed been a
hotbed of insurrection against many kings.
In fact, rebellion and
revolt are normal there.
Powerful kings have ruled over
Jerusalem and the entire province
west of the Euphrates River,
receiving tribute, customs and tolls.
Therefore, issue orders to have these
men stop their work, that city must not
be rebuilt, accepted my express command.
Be diligent and don't neglect this
matter for we must not permit the
situation to harm the king's interests.
When this letter from King Arteris
was read to Reim Shishi and their
colleagues, they hurried to Jerusalem.
Then with a show of strength, they
forced the Jews to stop building.
So the work on the Temple of God in
Jerusalem had stopped, and it remained
at a standstill until the second year
of the reign of King Dar a Persia.
At that time, the prophets, Haggai
and Zechariah, son of Ito, prophesied
to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem.
They prophesied in the name of the
God of Israel, who was over them.
Sable son of Alial and Je son of
Jeh Dak responded by starting again
to rebuild the temple of God in
Jerusalem and the prophets of God
were with them and helped them.
But tatai governor of the province,
west of the Euphrates River.
And shear Bazani and their colleague
soon arrived in Jerusalem and asked,
who gave you permission to rebuild
this temple and restore this structure?
They also asked for the names of all the
men working on the temple, but because
their God was watching over them, the
leaders of the Jews were not prevented
from building until a report was sent
to Darris and he returned his decision.
This is a copy of the letter that Tatai
the Governor, Shehar Bai, and the other
officials of the province, west of the
Euphrates River, sent to King Darras.
To King Darras.
Greetings, the king should know
that we went to the construction
site of the temple of the Great
God in the province of Judah.
It is being rebuilt with specially
prepared stones and timber
is being laid in its walls.
The work is going forward
with great energy and success.
We asked the leaders who gave you
permission to rebuild this temple
and restore this structure, and
we demanded their names so that we
could tell you who the leaders were.
This was their answer.
We are the servants of the God of heaven
and earth, and we are rebuilding the
temple that was built here many years ago
by a great king of Israel, but because our
ancestors angered the God of heaven, he
abandoned them to King ne ezr of Babylon.
Who destroyed this temple and
exiled the people to Babylonia.
However, king Cyrus of Babylon during the
first year of his reign issued a decree
that the temple of God should be rebuilt.
King Cyrus returned the gold and silver
cups that Nebat Kidnapper had taken
from the temple of God and Jerusalem
and had placed in the temple of Babylon.
These cups were taken from that temple and
presented to a man named Shesh Baar, whom
King Cyrus appointed as governor of Judah.
The king instructed him to return
the cops to their place in Jerusalem
and to rebuild the temple of
God there on its original site.
So this Shesh Bazzar came and
laid the foundations of the
Temple of God in Jerusalem.
The people have been
working on it ever since.
No, it has not yet completed.
Therefore, it pleases the king.
We request that a search be made
in the Royal archives of Babylon.
To discover whether King Cyrus ever
issued a decree to rebuild God's temple
in Jerusalem, and then let the king
send us his decision in this matter.
So King Darius issued orders that a
search be made in the Babylonian archives,
which restored in the Treasury, but it
was at the fortress of Ec, batna and the
province of media that a scroll was found.
This is what it said, memorandum.
In the first year of King Cyrus's
reign, a decree was sent out concerning
the temple of God at Jerusalem.
Let the temple be rebuilt on the site
where Jews used to offer their sacrifices
using the original foundations.
Its height will be 90 feet
and its width will be 90 feet.
Every three layers of specially
prepared stones will be
topped by a layer of timber.
All expenses will be paid
by the Royal Treasury.
Furthermore, the gold and silver
cups, which were taken to Babylon by
ne Nesser from the temple of God in
Jerusalem, must be returned to Jerusalem
and put back where they belong.
Let them be taken back
to the temple of God.
So King Doris sent this message Now,
therefore, tatai Governor of the province,
west of the Euphrates River and Shehar
Bozana, and your colleagues and other
officials west of the Euphrates River.
Stay away from there.
Do not disturb the construction
of the temple of God.
Let it be rebuilt on its original site
and do not hinder the governor of Judah
and the elders of the Jews in their work.
Moreover, I hereby decree that you
are to help these elders of the Jews
as they rebuild this temple of God.
You must pay the full construction costs
without delay from my taxes collected in
the province, west of the Euphrates River,
so that the work will not be interrupted.
Give the priests in Jerusalem,
whatever is needed in the way of
young bulls, rams, and male lambs
for the burnt offerings presented to
the God of heaven and without fail.
Provide them with as much wheat, salt,
wine, and olive oil as they need each day.
Then they will be able to offer acceptable
sacrifices to the God of heaven and pray
for the welfare of the king and his sons.
Those who violate this decree in any way
will have a beam pulled from their house.
Then they will be lifted up and
impaled on it, and their house will
be reduced to a pile of rubble.
May the God who has chosen the city of
Jerusalem as the place to honor his name
destroy any king or nation that violates
this command and destroys this temple.
I dars have issued this decree.
Let it be obeyed with all diligence.
Patai governor of the province, west
of the Euphrates River and shear
Boai, and their colleagues complied at
once with the command of King Arias.
So the Jewish elders continued their
work and they were greatly encouraged
by the preaching of the prophets.
Haggai and Zaria, son of Ito.
The temple was finally finished as
had been commanded by the God of
Israel and decreed by Cyrus Dars and
Artis Xerxes, the kings of Persia.
The temple was completed on
March 12th during the sixth
year of King Darion's reign.
The temple of God was then dedicated
with great joy by the people of Israel,
the priests, the Levites, and the rest
of the people who had returned from
exile during the dedication ceremony for
the Temple of God, 100 young Bulls, 200
rams, and 400 male lambs were sacrificed.
And 12 male goats were presented as a
sin offering for the 12 tribes of Israel.
Then the priests and Levites were divided
into their various divisions to serve
at the temple of God in Jerusalem.
As prescribed in the Book of Moses.
On April 21st, the returned
exile celebrated Passover.
The priests and Levites had purified
themselves and were ceremonially clean.
They slaughtered the Passover lamb
for all the returned exiles for their
fellow priests and for themselves.
The Passover meal was eaten by the people
of Israel who had returned from exile
and by the others in the land who had
turned from their corrupt practices to
worship the Lord, the God of Israel.
Then they celebrated the festival
of unleavened bread for seven days.
There was great joy throughout the
land because the Lord had caused the
King of Assyria to be favorable to
them so that he helped them to rebuild
the Temple of God, the God of Israel.