But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.
But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other leaders of Israel said to them, 'You have no part in helping us build a house for our God. We will build it ourselves for the LORD God of Israel, just as King Cyrus of Persia commanded us.'
The Jewish leaders firmly told foreign neighbors that they would rebuild God's temple by themselves, following only the Persian king's original instructions.
📚 Historical Context
This occurred around 536 BC when Jewish exiles had returned from Babylon to rebuild Jerusalem's temple. Local peoples who had settled in the land during the exile offered to help, but the Jewish leaders suspected these offers were attempts to interfere with or corrupt the sacred project. King Cyrus of Persia had specifically authorized the Jews to return and rebuild their temple.
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