Ezra-Hah! The Proof Backed Up The Jews Word

By Mary Vee
Ezra 6 

From Ezra's Journal

Photo Courtesy Bringing Cedars logs to rebuild the temple

My name is Ezra. I am a prophet sent by God to give His message to the Jews living in Jerusalem.

Spies came to the city of Jerusalem. Spies that didn't want to see the temple being built. They bullied us and threatened us to stop the work. 

At first we listened. We were afraid. But then God sent the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to encourage us to keep building. 

The spies saw us disobeying their orders and wrote to the king of Babylon. They paced, waiting to hear news from him.

King Darius received the letter from the spies. Scroll down to the last story to read their letter. 

Darius didn't know about the arrangements the former king, Cyrus had made years ago. He had taken the spies word and believed their first letter. "Now the Jews are saying they had permission from King Cyrus?"

Darius said, "I can't undo a decree made by Cyrus. If these Jews are right, they need to be able to build this temple of theirs." He called for his soldiers. "Go, search in the archives stored in the treasury at Babylon. Look for one written by King Cyrus giving the Jews permission to rebuild their temple."

The men left for the citadel of Ecbatana in the province of Media and were gone for a long time. They searched through all the scrolls, wanting to be sure they had the correct one. One of the men held up the parchment, "I found it."

They took the scroll to Darius. "Read me what it says," Darius ordered.

These words were read: 
In 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 ninety feet high and ninety feet wide with three courses of large stones and one of timbers. The costs are to be paid by the royal treasury. Also, 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.

Come back next time to see what Darius said to those spies.

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1.  Why did the spies try to get the Jews in trouble?
2.  What king did they ask for help?
3.  Where did the king search for the records?
4.  What did the scroll say?