In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.

But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, that they could not cause them to cease, till the matter came to Darius: and then they returned answer by letter concerning this {matter}.

That the triumphing of the wicked {is} short, and the joy of the hypocrite {but} for a moment? {short: Heb. from near}

For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done. Now therefore, {O God}, strengthen my hands.

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. {rolls: Chaldee, books} {laid up: Chaldee, made to descend}

And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I {am} doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?

Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us.

Know therefore and understand, {that} from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince {shall be} seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. {be built...: Heb. return and be built} {wall: or, breach, or, ditch} {troublous: Heb. strait of}

And now, I pray you, consider from this day and upward, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the LORD:

And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, 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. {commandment: Chaldee, decree}

In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,

But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. {chief: or, first}

And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying, {by: Heb. by the hand of} {governor: or, captain}