Officials report the construction and their inquiry

6This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai, the governor of Beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai and his associates, the officials who were in Beyond the River, sent to King Darius.

7They sent a report to him, and this was what was written in it: “To Darius the king: all peace.”

8Let it be known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being built with great stones, and timber is being laid in the walls. This work is being done diligently and is prospering in their hands.

9Then we asked those elders and said to them as follows: “Who gave you a decree to build this house and to complete this structure?”

10We also asked them their names, to make them known to you, that we might write down the names of the men who were at their head.