“And this is the answer they returned: “We are servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and completed.”
Ezra 5:11 (BSB)
Context Reading
9So we questioned the elders and asked, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and restore this structure?” 10We also asked for their names, so that we could write down the names of their leaders for your information. 11And this is the answer they returned: “We are servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and completed. 12But since our fathers angered the God of heaven, He delivered them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean who destroyed this temple and carried away the people to Babylon. 13In the first year of his reign, however, Cyrus king of Babylon issued a decree to rebuild this house of God.