Ezra 4:1-24

(1)  Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the LORD, the God of Israel,

(2)  they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers' houses and said to them, "Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria who brought us here."

(3)  But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers' houses in Israel said to them, "You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us."

(4)  Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build

(5)  and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

(6)  And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

(7)  In the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam and Mithredath and Tabeel and the rest of their associates wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated.

(8)  Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows:

(9)  Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, the judges, the governors, the officials, the Persians, the men of Erech, the Babylonians, the men of Susa, that is, the Elamites,

(10)  and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River.

(11)  (This is a copy of the letter that they sent.) "To Artaxerxes the king: Your servants, the men of the province Beyond the River, send greeting. And now

(12)  be it known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are finishing the walls and repairing the foundations.

(13)  Now be it known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and the royal revenue will be impaired.

(14)  Now because we eat the salt of the palace and it is not fitting for us to witness the king's dishonor, therefore we send and inform the king,

(15)  in order that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. You will find in the book of the records and learn that this city is a rebellious city, hurtful to kings and provinces, and that sedition was stirred up in it from of old. That was why this city was laid waste.

(16)  We make known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls finished, you will then have no possession in the province Beyond the River."

(17)  The king sent an answer: "To Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe and the rest of their associates who live in Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River, greeting. And now

(18)  the letter that you sent to us has been plainly read before me.

(19)  And I made a decree, and search has been made, and it has been found that this city from of old has risen against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made in it.

(20)  And mighty kings have been over Jerusalem, who ruled over the whole province Beyond the River, to whom tribute, custom, and toll were paid.

(21)  Therefore make a decree that these men be made to cease, and that this city be not rebuilt, until a decree is made by me.

(22)  And take care not to be slack in this matter. Why should damage grow to the hurt of the king?"

(23)  Then, when the copy of King Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their associates, they went in haste to the Jews at Jerusalem and by force and power made them cease.

(24)  Then the work on the house of God that is in Jerusalem stopped, and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

John 1:1-51

(1)  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

(2)  He was in the beginning with God.

(3)  All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

(4)  In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

(5)  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

(6)  There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

(7)  He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.

(8)  He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

(9)  The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

(10)  He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.

(11)  He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

(12)  But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

(13)  who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

(14)  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

(15)  (John bore witness about him, and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.'")

(16)  And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

(17)  For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

(18)  No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.

(19)  And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"

(20)  He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."

(21)  And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No."

(22)  So they said to him, "Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"

(23)  He said, "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,' as the prophet Isaiah said."

(24)  (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.)

(25)  They asked him, "Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"

(26)  John answered them, "I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know,

(27)  even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie."

(28)  These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

(29)  The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

(30)  This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.'

(31)  I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel."

(32)  And John bore witness: "I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.

(33)  I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'

(34)  And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God."

(35)  The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples,

(36)  and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!"

(37)  The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.

(38)  Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, "What are you seeking?" And they said to him, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?"

(39)  He said to them, "Come and you will see." So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.

(40)  One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.

(41)  He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which means Christ).

(42)  He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas" (which means Peter).

(43)  The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me."

(44)  Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

(45)  Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."

(46)  Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."

(47)  Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!"

(48)  Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."

(49)  Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"

(50)  Jesus answered him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things than these."

(51)  And he said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

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