11 “Thus they returned us an answer, saying,“ ‘We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth and are rebuilding the temple that was built these many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and completed.
12 Afterwards, our fathers provoked the God of heaven to wrath, so He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and carried the people away into Babylon.
13 “ ‘However, in the first year of Cyrus the king of Babylon, King Cyrus made a decree to rebuild this house of God.
14 The vessels also of gold and silver of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and placed them into the temple of Babylon, those Cyrus the king withdrew from the temple of Babylon and had them delivered to the one named Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor.
15 King Cyrus said to him, “Take these vessels, go, carry them to the temple in Jerusalem and let the house of God be built its site.”
16 “ ‘So that same Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of the house of God in Jerusalem. Since that time even until now it has been under construction, yet it is not finished.’
17 “Now therefore, if it seems good to the king, let there be search made in the king’s treasure house there in Babylon to ascertain if it is so that a decree was made of Cyrus the king to build this house of God at Jerusalem. May the king send his pleasure to us concerning this matter.”