Ezra 5:7-9

New International Reader's Version

⁷ The report they sent to the king said,

We are sending this letter to you, King Darius.

We give you our most friendly greetings.

⁸ We want you to know that we went to the land of Judah. We went to the temple of the great God. The people are building it with large stones. They are putting wooden beams in the walls. The people are working hard. The work is moving ahead very quickly under the direction of the people.

⁹ We asked the elders some questions. We said to them, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple? Who told you that you could finish it?”