1 Bad neighbors heard that people from Judah and Benjamin were building God’s house. ️⛪ 2 They went to Zerubbabel and the leaders. They said, “Let us help.” They said they pray too. They said a king long ago moved them here. ️ 3 Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and leaders said, “No. We will build God’s house by the word of King Cyrus of Persia.” ✋⛪ 4 The neighbors tried to make the people of Judah weak and sad. They bothered them. 5 They paid people to make trouble, from the time of King Cyrus to King Darius. 6 In King Ahasuerus’s time, they wrote a bad note about the people in Judah and in Jerusalem. ✍️ 7 In King Artaxerxes’s days, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and others wrote a note in their own talk. ✍️ 8 Rehum the boss and Shimshai the writer sent a note against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes. ️ 9 Many groups and leaders signed the note with Rehum and Shimshai. ️ 10 These people lived in Samaria and in the land by the big river. ️ 11 They wrote, “To King Artaxerxes, from your servants by the big river.” 12 They said, “The Jews came back to Jerusalem. They build the city again. They fix the walls and the base.” ️ 13 They said, “If they finish the city, they will not pay money to the king. It will hurt the king’s money.” 14 They said, “We work for the king. We do not want the king to be hurt. So we tell you this.” ️⚠️ 15 They said, “Please look in the old books. You will see this city made trouble long ago.” 16 They said, “If they build the city and the walls, the king will lose this land.” ️❌ 17 The king sent a note back to Rehum, Shimshai, and the others. 18 The king said, “I read your note.” 19 The king said, “We looked in the books. Long ago this city did fight kings and made trouble.” ⚔️ 20 The king said, “Strong kings once ruled in Jerusalem. People paid them money.” 21 The king said, “Stop the work now. Do not build the city until I say so.” ✋ 22 The king said, “Do this fast. Do not let the harm grow.” ⏱️❗ 23 When they read the king’s note, Rehum, Shimshai, and others hurried to Jerusalem. They stopped the Jews by force. ♂️ 24 So the work on God’s house in Jerusalem stopped. It stayed stopped until the second year of King Darius. ⛪⏸️