Bible Cross References
hired
Psalm 2:1
Why do the nations plan rebellion? Why do people make their useless plots?
Psalm 2:2
Their kings revolt, their rulers plot together against the LORD and against the king he chose.
Nahum 1:11
From you, Nineveh, there came someone full of wicked schemes, who plotted against the LORD.
Acts 24:1-27
1
Five days later the High Priest Ananias went to Caesarea with some elders and a lawyer named Tertullus. They appeared before Governor Felix and made their charges against Paul.
2
Then Paul was called in, and Tertullus began to make his accusation, as follows: "Your Excellency! Your wise leadership has brought us a long period of peace, and many necessary reforms are being made for the good of our country.
3
We welcome this everywhere and at all times, and we are deeply grateful to you.
4
I do not want to take up too much of your time, however, so I beg you to be kind and listen to our brief account.
5
We found this man to be a dangerous nuisance; he starts riots among Jews all over the world and is a leader of the party of the Nazarenes.
6
He also tried to defile the Temple, and we arrested him.
8
If you question this man, you yourself will be able to learn from him all the things that we are accusing him of."
9
The Jews joined in the accusation and said that all this was true.
10
The governor then motioned to Paul to speak, and Paul said, "I know that you have been a judge over this nation for many years, and so I am happy to defend myself before you.
11
As you can find out for yourself, it was no more than twelve days ago that I went to Jerusalem to worship.
12
The Jews did not find me arguing with anyone in the Temple, nor did they find me stirring up the people, either in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city.
13
Nor can they give you proof of the accusations they now bring against me.
14
I do admit this to you: I worship the God of our ancestors by following that Way which they say is false. But I also believe in everything written in the Law of Moses and the books of the prophets.
15
I have the same hope in God that these themselves have, namely, that all people, both the good and the bad, will rise from death.
16
And so I do my best always to have a clear conscience before God and people.
17
"After being away from Jerusalem for several years, I went there to take some money to my own people and to offer sacrifices.
18
It was while I was doing this that they found me in the Temple after I had completed the ceremony of purification. There was no crowd with me and no disorder.
19
But some Jews from the province of Asia were there; they themselves ought to come before you and make their accusations if they have anything against me.
20
Or let these who are here tell what crime they found me guilty of when I stood before the Council---
21
except for the one thing I called out when I stood before them: 'I am being tried by you today for believing that the dead will rise to life.' "
22
Then Felix, who was well informed about the Way, brought the hearing to a close. "When the commander Lysias arrives," he told them, "I will decide your case."
23
He ordered the officer in charge of Paul to keep him under guard, but to give him some freedom and allow his friends to provide for his needs.
24
After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he talked about faith in Christ Jesus.
25
But as Paul went on discussing about goodness, self-control, and the coming Day of Judgment, Felix was afraid and said, "You may leave now. I will call you again when I get the chance."
26
At the same time he was hoping that Paul would give him some money; and for this reason he would call for him often and talk with him.
27
After two years had passed, Porcius Festus succeeded Felix as governor. Felix wanted to gain favor with the Jews so he left Paul in prison.
Darius
Ezra 4:24
Work on the Temple had been stopped and had remained at a standstill until the second year of the reign of Emperor Darius of Persia.
Ezra 5:5-17
5
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.
6
This is the report that they sent to the emperor:
7
"To Emperor Darius, may you rule in peace.
8
"Your Majesty should know that we went to the province of Judah and found that the Temple of the great God is being rebuilt with large stone blocks and with wooden beams set in the wall. The work is being done with great care and is moving ahead steadily.
9
"We then asked the leaders of the people to tell us who had given them authority to rebuild the Temple and to equip it.
10
We also asked them their names so that we could inform you who the leaders of this work are.
11
"They answered, 'We are servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the Temple which was originally built and equipped many years ago by a powerful king of Israel.
12
But because our ancestors made the God of Heaven angry, he let them be conquered by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia, a king of the Chaldean dynasty. The Temple was destroyed, and the people were taken into exile in Babylonia.
13
Then in the first year of the reign of King Cyrus as emperor of Babylonia, Cyrus issued orders for the Temple to be rebuilt.
14
He restored the gold and silver Temple utensils which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem and had placed in the temple in Babylon. Emperor Cyrus turned these utensils over to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he appointed governor of Judah.
15
The emperor told him to take them and return them to the Temple in Jerusalem, and to rebuild the Temple where it had stood before.
16
So Sheshbazzar came and laid its foundation; construction has continued from then until the present, but it is still not finished.'
17
"Now, if it please Your Majesty, have a search made in the royal records in Babylon to find whether or not Emperor Cyrus gave orders for this Temple in Jerusalem to be rebuilt, and then inform us what your will is in this matter."
Ezra 6:1-18
1
So Emperor Darius issued orders for a search to be made in the royal records that were kept in Babylon.
2
But it was in the city of Ecbatana in the province of Media that a scroll was found, containing the following record:
3
"In the first year of his reign Emperor Cyrus commanded that the Temple in Jerusalem be rebuilt as a place where sacrifices are made and offerings are burned. The Temple is to be ninety feet high and ninety feet wide.
4
The walls are to be built with one layer of wood on top of each three layers of stone. All expenses are to be paid by the royal treasury.
5
Also the gold and silver utensils which King Nebuchadnezzar brought to Babylon from the Temple in Jerusalem are to be returned to their proper place in the Jerusalem Temple."
6
Then Emperor Darius sent the following reply: "To Tattenai, governor of West-of-Euphrates, Shethar Bozenai, and your fellow officials in West-of-Euphrates. "Stay away from the Temple
7
and do not interfere with its construction. Let the governor of Judah and the Jewish leaders rebuild the Temple of God where it stood before.
8
I hereby command you to help them rebuild it. Their expenses are to be paid promptly out of the royal funds received from taxes in West-of-Euphrates, so that the work is not interrupted.
9
Day by day, without fail, you are to give the priests in Jerusalem whatever they tell you they need: young bulls, sheep, or lambs to be burned as offerings to the God of Heaven, or wheat, salt, wine, or olive oil.
10
This is to be done so that they can offer sacrifices that are acceptable to the God of Heaven and pray for his blessing on me and my sons.
11
I further command that if any disobey this order, a wooden beam is to be torn out of their houses, sharpened on one end, and then driven through their bodies. And their houses are to be made a rubbish heap.
12
May the God who chose Jerusalem as the place where he is to be worshiped overthrow any king or nation that defies this command and tries to destroy the Temple there. I, Darius, have commanded. My command is to be fully obeyed."
13
Then Governor Tattenai, Shethar Bozenai, and their fellow officials did exactly as the emperor had commanded.
14
The Jewish leaders made good progress with the building of the Temple, encouraged by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. They completed the Temple as they had been commanded by the God of Israel and by Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, emperors of Persia.
15
They finished the Temple on the third day of the month Adar in the sixth year of the reign of Emperor Darius.
16
Then the people of Israel---the priests, the Levites, and all the others who had returned from exile---joyfully dedicated the Temple.
17
For the dedication they offered 100 bulls, 200 sheep, and 400 lambs as sacrifices, and 12 goats as offerings for sin, one for each tribe of Israel.
18
They also organized the priests and the Levites for the Temple services in Jerusalem, according to the instructions contained in the book of Moses.