After Daniel walked out of the lions' den unharmed, the king returned with him to the palace and issued an extraordinary declaration. According to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12th-century Hebrew chronicle translated by Moses Gaster in 1899, Darius proclaimed throughout his kingdom: "In all the land there is no god like the God of Daniel who performs miracles and wonders." He pledged silver and gold from his own treasury to rebuild the Temple in Judah.
Orders went out by runners and horsemen to every city, permitting the Jews to go up to Jerusalem. In the first year of Cyrus's reign over the Chaldeans, royal letters commanded the governors beyond the river to supply everything the builders needed: wood, stones, wheat, oil, wine, and livestock for sacrifices.
About forty thousand Jews rose up to make the journey, led by Ezra the priest and scribe, along with Eliakim the priest, Jeshua, Mordecai, and the other chiefs of the families of Judah and Benjamin. They crossed the river, arrived in Jerusalem, and began laying the foundation of the house of God.
But the work attracted enemies. Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian sent a poisonous letter to the kings of Media and Persia, warning that a rebuilt Jerusalem would become a threat to royal power. They argued that the Jews had always been strong and dangerous, and that Nebuchadnezzar had exiled them precisely for this reason. The letter reached the King of Persia, and the construction was halted until the second year of the reign of Darius.
LXXI. (1) The king then returned to his palace with
Daniel, and the Lord showered upon Daniel honour and
greatness, and he found favour and kindness in the eyes of
the king. A command was then issued in the kingdom,
saying: ' In all the land there is no god like the God of
Daniel who performs miracles and wonders. May his God
be with all the people of His inheritance, and cause them
to prosper; and let the great temple of God be built in Judah,
and I shall give silver and gold of my treasures for the
building until it is completed.'
(2) He then issued orders to all the cities in the land of
his rule, by means of runners and horsemen, to permit the
Jews to go up to Jerusalem to build the temple of God.
This happened in the first year of Cyrus's reign over the
Chaldeans. Letters of the king were also sent to all the
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princes on the other side of the river and to the governors,
to be in readiness to assist the Jews by attending to all
their wants in the matter of the building, such as the
supply of wood, stones, wheat, oil, and wine, until the
building was completed, and rams and lambs for their
sacrifices.
(3) The Jews then rose, all whose hearts were willing, to
go up to the house of God. They numbered about four
myriads, with Ezra the priest and scribe at their head, as
well as Eliakim the priest, Jeshu'a, Mordecai, and the
rest of the chiefs of the fathers belonging to Judah and
Benjamin; and, journeying, they came to the other side
of the river, and arrived at Jerusalem, where they com-
menced to lay the foundation of the house of God.
When this was finished, the work prospered. There then
arose certain wicked men, enemies of the Jews, from
the remnant of the nations, e.g., Sanballat the Horonite,
Tobiya the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, all of
whom wrote evil against the Jews. They sent a letter
to the Kings of Media and Persia, saying, * Be it known to
you that if ye build the city of Jerusalem it will be to you
a snare, a great evil, and there will arise a great conspiracy
against you; for in days of yore the Jews who dealt therein
were strong and very hard, and destroyed the whole
country. It was for this reason that Nebuchadnezzar,
their enemy, exiled them to Babylon. Then the kings
had rest, and each dwelt peacefully in his own place.
Therefore we send to inform you of it, as we are faithful,
for we have eaten at the table of the king, and far be it
from us to allow the downfall of the kingdom.' As soon
as the letter reached the King of Persia, the work was dis-
continued until the second year of the reign of Darius.
