Now therefore, if {it seem} good to the king, let there be search made in the king's treasure house, which {is} there at Babylon, whether it be {so}, that a decree was made of Cyrus the king to build this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send his pleasure to us concerning this matter.

That search may be made in the book of the records of thy fathers: so shalt thou find in the book of the records, and know that this city {is} a rebellious city, and hurtful unto kings and provinces, and that they have moved sedition within the same of old time: for which cause was this city destroyed. {moved: Chaldee, made} {within...: Chaldee, in the midst thereof}

{It is} the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings {is} to search out a matter.

I {was} a father to the poor: and the cause {which} I knew not I searched out.

And they went in to the king into the court, but they laid up the roll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, and told all the words in the ears of the king.

And I commanded, and search hath been made, and it is found that this city of old time hath made insurrection against kings, and {that} rebellion and sedition have been made therein. {I commanded: Chaldee, by me a decree is set} {made insurrection: Chaldee, lifted up itself}

And thou shalt say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, Thus saith the LORD; Thou hast burned this roll, saying, Why hast thou written therein, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from thence man and beast?

And when I looked, behold, an hand {was} sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book {was} therein;

And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.

Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day.

Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book {it is} written of me,

Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah; who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire: and there were added besides unto them many like words. {like: Heb. as they}

Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel.

I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and {of} his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee.

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}

Then ceased the work of the house of God which {is} at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Now therefore, if {it seem} good to the king, let there be search made in the king's treasure house, which {is} there at Babylon, whether it be {so}, that a decree was made of Cyrus the king to build this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send his pleasure to us concerning this matter.

For we {were} bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem. {to repair: Heb. to set up}

I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, {even} them that rejoice in my highness.