Ezra 4:7-16
The Accusation in the Letter
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7And in the days of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. It was written in Aramaic and then translated.
8Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote the letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows:
9From Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates—the judges and officials over Tripolis, Persia, Erech and Babylon, the Elamites of Susa,
10and the rest of the peoples whom the great and honorable Ashurbanipal deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and elsewhere west of the Euphrates.
11(This is the text of the letter they sent to him.) To King Artaxerxes, From your servants, the men west of the Euphrates:
12Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came from you to us have returned to Jerusalem and are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are restoring its walls and repairing its foundations.
13Let it now be known to the king that if that city is rebuilt and its walls are restored, they will not pay tribute, duty, or toll, and the royal treasury will suffer.
14Now because we are in the service of the palace and it is not fitting for us to allow the king to be dishonored, we have sent to inform the king
15that a search should be made of the record books of your fathers. In these books you will discover and verify that the city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces, inciting sedition from ancient times. That is why this city was destroyed.
16We advise the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are restored, you will have no dominion west of the Euphrates.
Berean Standard Bible
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Ezra now includes an example of opposition from the later reign of Artaxerxes. This letter concerns rebuilding Jerusalem and its walls, rather than the earlier work on the temple. The chapter is showing a pattern of opposition across several reigns.
Rehum, Shimshai, and their associates write in Aramaic to the king. They call Jerusalem rebellious and wicked and report that its walls and foundations are being repaired. They warn that the city will stop paying tribute, duty, and toll if the work continues.
The writers present themselves as loyal servants protecting the king's honor. They urge him to search the records for Jerusalem's history of rebellion and warn that he could lose control of the whole region west of the Euphrates.
A history of rebellion and a prediction of future rebellion are different claims. The letter uses the city's past to make its present rebuilding look dangerous. The king's answer comes in the next reading; here we hear the accusation he receives.
Questions
1 How was the accusation sent to Artaxerxes?
AnswerThe opposition took the form of an Aramaic letter to King Artaxerxes from Rehum, Shimshai, and their associates. This later complaint concerned the rebuilding of Jerusalem and its walls.
2 How did they describe Jerusalem?
AnswerThey called Jerusalem a rebellious and wicked city and said its rebuilding would threaten the king. Their description turned a restoration project into a political danger.
3 What financial concern did they raise?
AnswerThey claimed a rebuilt city would not pay tribute, duty, or toll, causing the royal treasury to suffer. Financial language gave the accusation a practical appearance.
4 What should we notice about the argument?
AnswerThe writers report rebuilding, appeal to Jerusalem's past, and predict rebellion and lost taxes. Their predictions go beyond simply describing the work.
What This Means for Us
When someone reports on your household or your church, separate what happened from the story being told about what happened. The letter to Artaxerxes uses true memories of Jerusalem's past to argue for a conclusion the evidence does not establish.
Do not answer every accusation with panic, but do be willing to examine the facts. Speak truthfully about your own actions, correct what needs correcting, and leave distorted framing in God's hands. A calm response can be both honest about history and careful about the motives being assigned to you.
Prayer
Father, guard us from lies that borrow the sound of truth. Give us calm hearts when we are misunderstood and honest hearts when we need correction. Help us describe others fairly and resist the temptation to win by distortion. Amen.