I sent messengers to say to them, "I am doing important work and can't go down there. I am not going to let the work stop just to go and see you."

They were trying to frighten us into stopping work. I prayed, "But now, God, make me strong!"

no wicked people have been happy for long.

We wanted to return to you. I myself tried to go back more than once, but Satan would not let us.

But God was watching over the Jewish leaders, and the Persian officials decided to take no action until they could write to Emperor Darius and receive a reply.

So Emperor Darius issued orders for a search to be made in the royal records that were kept in Babylon.

on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month of the second year that Darius was emperor.