7. which said:King Darius, we wish you the best!
8. We went to Judah, where the temple of the great God is being built with huge stones and wooden beams set in the walls. Everyone is working hard, and the building is going up fast.
9. We asked those in charge to tell us who gave them permission to rebuild the temple.
10. We also asked for the names of their leaders, so that we could write them down for you.
11. They claimed to be servants of the God who rules heaven and earth. And they said they were rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago by one of Israel's greatest kings.
12. We were told that their people had made God angry, and he let them be captured by Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king who took them away as captives to Babylonia. Nebuchadnezzar tore down their temple,
16. Sheshbazzar then went to Jerusalem and laid the foundation for the temple, and the work is still going on.
17. Your Majesty, please order someone to look up the old records in Babylonia and find out if King Cyrus really did give orders to rebuild God's temple in Jerusalem. We will do whatever you think we should.