(This is a copy of the letter that they sent him) To King Artaxerxes from your servants, the men of the region beyond the River, and so forth:
Parallel translations
- WEB This is the copy of the letter that they sent: To King Artaxerxes, From your servants the men beyond the River.
- KJV This is the copy of the letter that they sent unto him, even unto Artaxerxes the king; Thy servants the men on this side the river, and at such a time.
- BSB (This is the text of the letter they sent to him.) To King Artaxerxes, From your servants, the men west of the Euphrates:
- NASB this is a copy of the letter which they sent to him: “To King Artaxerxes: Your servants, the men of the region beyond the Euphrates River; and now
- NLT This is a copy of their letter: “To King Artaxerxes, from your loyal subjects in the province west of the Euphrates River.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
This introduces the actual text of the letter sent to King Artaxerxes. The narrative now quotes the accusation directly.
Overview
By preserving the letter's wording, Ezra documents the opposition with precision. The polite address to the king frames a hostile message. The careful record lets readers see exactly how God's people were misrepresented before earthly authority.
Cross-references & the web
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Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The return from exile and the rebuilt altar keep alive the hope of a greater restoration — the true return from our deeper exile of sin accomplished by Christ.
How Ezra 4:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.