The king’s reply
King Darius then issued an order, and they searched in the archives stored in the treasury at Babylon. 2 A scroll was found in the citadel of Ecbatana in the province of Media, and this was written on it:
Memorandum:
` 3 In the first year of King Cyrus, the king issued a decree concerning the temple of God in Jerusalem:
Let the temple be rebuilt as a place to present sacrifices, and let its foundations be laid. It is to be ninety feet high and ninety feet wide, 4with three courses of large stones and one of timbers. The costs are to be paid by the royal treasury. 5 Also, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, are to be returned to their places in the temple in Jerusalem; they are to be deposited in the house of God.
6 Now then, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and you, their fellow officials of that province, stay away from there. 7 Do not interfere with the work on this temple of God. Let the governor of the Jews and the Jewish elders rebuild this house of God on its site.
If Tattenai’s investigation was instigated by Judah’s enemies, it certainly backfired on them! Not only did the king authorize the continuation of the building project, but he increased its funding and threatened anyone who interfered. Ezra saw this verdict as an indication of God’s providence, as God directs world history for the good of his people.
The way in which the scroll was found in the archives is another example of the providence of God. Apparently, no record of the decree could be found in Babylon, but a detailed version of the decree turned up among records that had been transferred to Ecbatana, the summer residence of the king of Persia (present-day Iran). According to the Old Testament, the Persian government placed a very strong emphasis on precedent, so the discovery of the previous decree virtually assured a favorable verdict for the Jews. Such a verdict was also in keeping with the character of Darius. At this time he was especially eager to promote peace in the empire after the recent civil war in which he had deposed Pseudo-Smerdis.