1 Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in the house of the rolls, where the treasures were laid up in Babylon.
2 And there was found at Achmetha, in the palace that is in the province of the Medes, a roll, and therein was a record thus written:
Darius checked it all out.
3 “In the first year of Cyrus the king the same Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, ‘Let the house be built, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid; the height thereof threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof threescore cubits;
4 “’With three rows of great stones, and a row of new timber: and let the expenses be given out of the king's house:
Cyrus gave very explicit instructions, including the dimensions. A cubit is the distance from the tip of a man’s finger to his elbow, about eighteen inches (Out of curiosity, I once measured my husband’s “cubit.” He is 6’ 3” tall and has a cubit of 19”. So 18” for the average cubit is probably about right.)
That makes this Temple be 90 feet tall and 90 feet wide, or (what I think more likely) 90 feet long and 90 wide. It makes more sense for Cyrus to leave out the height than the length.
5 “’And also let the golden and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the temple which is at Jerusalem, and brought unto Babylon, be restored, and brought again unto the temple which is at Jerusalem, everyone to his place, and place them in the house of God.’
6 “Now therefore, Tatnai, governor beyond the river, Shetharboznai, and your companions the Apharsachites, which are beyond the river, be ye far from thence:
Darius did discover the directions for the rebuilding of the temple. Now he tells the neighbors to bug off.
7 “Let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God in his place.
8 “Moreover I make a decree what ye shall do to the elders of these Jews for the building of this house of God: that of the king's goods, even of the tribute beyond the river, forthwith expenses be given unto these men, that they be not hindered.”
Not only did Darius tell the neighbors to leave the Jews alone, he told them to send their tax money to them to help with the building!
9 “And that which they have need of, both young bullocks, and rams, and lambs, for the burnt offerings of the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the appointment of the priests which are at Jerusalem, let it be given them day by day without fail:
And he required them to give gifts to God!
10 “That they may offer sacrifices of sweet savors unto the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king, and of his sons.
And of course the neighbors can’t refuse now because to do so would be to refuse to pray for the king, what could have been interpreted as a capital offense.
11 “Also I have made a decree, that whosoever shall alter this word, let timber be pulled down from his house, and being set up, let him be hanged thereon; and let his house be made a dunghill for this.
Yep, a capital offense all right.
12 “And the God that hath caused His name to dwell there destroy all kings and people, that shall put to their hand to alter and to destroy this house of God which is at Jerusalem. I Darius have made a decree; let it be done with speed.”
Darius himself calls on God to punish anyone who interferes with this work.
13 Then Tatnai, governor on this side the river, Shetharboznai, and their companions, according to that which Darius the king had sent, so they did speedily.
The neighbors obeyed the king.
14 And the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.
Artaxerxes means “worthy to be king and is a title, not a name. Ahasuerus and Darius the Persian are both often referred to as “Artaxerxes” in Persian history. So this should probably read “according to the commandment of Cyrus the Great, Ahasuerus the Worthy King of Persia, and Darius the Worthy King of Persia.”
15 And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.
This would have been mid-March, 515 or 516BC.
16 And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house of God with joy.
They had a party to celebrate.
17 And offered at the dedication of this house of God an hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and for a sin offering for all Israel, twelve he goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.
Since there were representatives from each tribe there, it was appropriate to have a sin sacrifice for each.
18 And they set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God, which is at Jerusalem; as it is written in the book of Moses.
19 And the children of the captivity kept the Passover upon the fourteenth day of the first month.
20 For the priests and the Levites were purified together, all of them were pure, and killed the Passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.
21 And the children of Israel, which were come again out of captivity, and all such as had separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the Lord God of Israel, did eat,
If they were ceremonially unclean they were not allowed to keep the feast. But it appears most of them made sure they were clean.
22 And kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy: for the Lord had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.