Ezra 5:9
Verse 9 of 17. The 5th of 10 chapters in Ezra, in History.
5But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they didn’t make them cease until the matter should come to Darius, and an answer should be returned by letter concerning it.
6The copy of the letter that Tattenai, the governor beyond the River, and Shetharbozenai, and his companions the Apharsachites who were beyond the River, sent to Darius the king follows.
7They sent a letter to him, in which was written: To Darius the king, all peace.
8Be it known to the king that we went into the province of Judah, to the house of the great God, which is being built with great stones and timber is laid in the walls. This work goes on with diligence and prospers in their hands.
9Then we asked those elders, and said to them thus, “Who gave you a decree to build this house, and to finish this wall?”
10We asked them their names also, to inform you that we might write the names of the men who were at their head.
11Thus they returned us answer, saying, “We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth and are building the house that was built these many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished.
12But after our fathers had provoked the God of heaven to wrath, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and carried the people away into Babylon.
13But in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree to build this house of God.
World English Bible. Public domain. Set as prose throughout, including the poetry, because the text is published to us without its lines.