Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families and said, “Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.” New Living Translation So they approached Zerubbabel and the other leaders and said, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God just as you do. We have sacrificed to him ever since King Esarhaddon of Assyria brought us here.” English Standard Version they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ houses and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria who brought us here.” Berean Standard Bible they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the families, saying, “Let us build with you because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to Him since the time of King Esar-haddon of Assyria, who brought us here.” King James Bible Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither. New King James Version they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers’ houses, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.” New American Standard Bible they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ households, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for like you, we seek your God; and we have been sacrificing to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here.” NASB 1995 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ households, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we, like you, seek your God; and we have been sacrificing to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here.” NASB 1977 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ households, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we, like you, seek your God; and we have been sacrificing to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here.” Legacy Standard Bible so they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ households and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we, like you, seek your God; and we have been sacrificing to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here.” Amplified Bible they came to Zerubbabel [who was now governor] and to the heads of the fathers’ households and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we seek your God [and worship] just as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here.” Christian Standard Bible they approached Zerubbabel and the family heads and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we also worship your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time King Esar-haddon of Assyria brought us here.” Holman Christian Standard Bible they approached Zerubbabel and the leaders of the families and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we also worship your God and have been sacrificing to Him since the time King Esar-haddon of Assyria brought us here.” American Standard Version then they drew near to Zerubabbel, and to the heads of fathers' houses, and said unto them, Let us build with you; for we seek your God, as ye do; and we sacrifice unto him since the days of Esar-haddon king of Assyria, who brought us up hither. Contemporary English Version So they went to Zerubbabel and to the family leaders and said, "Let us help! Ever since King Esarhaddon of Assyria brought us here, we have worshiped your God and offered sacrifices to him." English Revised Version then they drew near to Zerubbabel, and to the heads of fathers' houses, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, which brought us up hither. GOD'S WORD® Translation they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the families. They told them, "We want to help you build because we worship the same God you worship. We have been sacrificing to him since the time of King Esarhaddon of Assyria, who brought us here." Good News Translation So they went to see Zerubbabel and the heads of the clans and said, "Let us join you in building the Temple. We worship the same God you worship, and we have been offering sacrifices to him ever since Emperor Esarhaddon of Assyria sent us here to live." International Standard Version they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the families with this message: "Let's build along with you, because, like you, we seek your God, as do you, and we've been making sacrifices to him since the reign of Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, who brought us here." Majority Standard Bible they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the families, saying, “Let us build with you because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to Him since the time of King Esar-haddon of Assyria, who brought us here.” NET Bible they came to Zerubbabel and the leaders and said to them, "Let us help you build, for like you we seek your God and we have been sacrificing to him from the time of King Esarhaddon of Assyria, who brought us here." New Heart English Bible then they drew near to Zerubbabel, and to the heads of ancestral houses, and said to them, "Let us build with you; for we seek your God, as you do; and we sacrifice to him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here." Webster's Bible Translation Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said to them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice to him since the days of Esar-haddon king of Assur, who brought us up hither. World English Bible they came near to Zerubbabel, and to the heads of fathers’ households, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have been sacrificing to him since the days of Esar Haddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here.” Literal Translations Literal Standard Versionand they draw near to Zerubbabel, and to heads of the fathers, and say to them, “Let us build with you; for, like you, we seek to your God, and we are not sacrificing since the days of Esar-Haddon king of Asshur, who brought us up here.” Young's Literal Translation and they draw nigh unto Zerubbabel, and unto heads of the fathers, and say to them, 'Let us build with you; for, like you, we seek to your God, and we are not sacrificing since the days of Esar-Haddon king of Asshur, who brought us up hither.' Smith's Literal Translation And they will come near to Zerubbabel, and to the heads of the fathers, and they will say to them, We will build with you: for like you we will seek for your God: for we sacrifice not from the days of Esa-Haddon king of Assur bringing us up hither. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleAnd they came to Zorobabel, and the chief of the fathers, and said to them: Let us build with you, for we seek your God as ye do: behold we have sacrificed to him, since the days of Asor Haddan king of Assyria, who brought us hither. Catholic Public Domain Version And so, drawing near to Zerubbabel and to the leaders of the fathers, they said to them: “Let us build with you, for we seek your God just as you do. Behold, we have immolated victims to him from the days of Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, who brought us here.” New American Bible they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of ancestral houses and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we seek your God just as you do, and we have sacrificed to him since the days of Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, who brought us here.” New Revised Standard Version they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of families and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of King Esar-haddon of Assyria who brought us here.” Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleThen they came to Zerubbabel and to the chiefs of the fathers and said to them, Let us also build with you; for we seek your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him since the days of Esarhaddom king of Assyria, who brought us up here. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated And they came to Zurbabeil and to the Chiefs of the fathers, and they were saying to them: “We will also build with you, because like you we will build for your God, and it is to him we sacrifice here from the days of Serakhdum King of Assyria who brought us up here.” OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917then they drew near to Zerubbabel, and to the heads of fathers' houses, and said unto them: 'Let us build with you; for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up hither.' Brenton Septuagint Translation And they drew near to Zorobabel, and to the heads of families, and said to them, We will build with you; for as ye do, we seek to serve our God, and we do sacrifice to him from the days of Asaradan king of Assur, who brought us hither. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Adversaries Hinder the Work1When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the LORD, the God of Israel, 2they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the families, saying, “Let us build with you because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to Him since the time of King Esar-haddon of Assyria, who brought us here.” 3But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other heads of the families of Israel replied, “You have no part with us in building a house for our God, since we alone must build it for the LORD, the God of Israel, as Cyrus king of Persia has commanded us.”… Cross References 2 Kings 17:24-41 Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took possession of Samaria and lived in its towns. / Now when the settlers first lived there, they did not worship the LORD, so He sent lions among them, which killed some of them. / So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The peoples that you have removed and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the requirements of the God of the land. Because of this, He has sent lions among them, which are indeed killing them off.” ... 2 Kings 17:33 They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods according to the customs of the nations from which they had been carried away. 2 Kings 17:29 Nevertheless, the people of each nation continued to make their own gods in the cities where they had settled, and they set them up in the shrines that the people of Samaria had made on the high places. 2 Kings 17:32 So the new residents worshiped the LORD, but they also appointed for themselves priests of all sorts to serve in the shrines of the high places. 2 Kings 17:41 So these nations worshiped the LORD but also served their idols, and to this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did. Nehemiah 2:19-20 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard about this, they mocked us and ridiculed us, saying, “What is this you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” / So I answered them and said, “The God of heaven is the One who will grant us success. We, His servants, will start rebuilding, but you have no portion, right, or claim in Jerusalem.” Nehemiah 4:1-3 Now when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he was furious and filled with indignation. He ridiculed the Jews / before his associates and the army of Samaria, saying, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Can they restore the wall by themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Can they bring these burnt stones back to life from the mounds of rubble?” / Then Tobiah the Ammonite, who was beside him, said, “If even a fox were to climb up on what they are building, it would break down their wall of stones!” Nehemiah 6:1-2 When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left—though to that time I had not yet installed the doors in the gates— / Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” But they were planning to harm me. Nehemiah 6:6-7 that read: “It is reported among the nations—and Geshem agrees—that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and this is why you are building the wall. According to these reports, you are to become their king, / and you have even appointed prophets in Jerusalem to proclaim on your behalf: ‘There is a king in Judah.’ Soon these rumors will reach the ears of the king. So come, let us confer together.” 2 Corinthians 6:14-16 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? / What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? / What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. / And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. / It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their actions. Galatians 2:4 This issue arose because some false brothers had come in under false pretenses to spy on our freedom in Christ Jesus, in order to enslave us. Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be encumbered once more by a yoke of slavery. Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. Matthew 24:24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive even the elect, if that were possible. Treasury of Scripture Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said to them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as you do; and we do sacrifice to him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up here. Zerubbabel Ezra 1:5 Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem. Ezra 2:2 Which came with Zerubbabel: Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel: Ezra 3:2,12 Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God… Let us Proverbs 26:23-26 Burning lips and a wicked heart are like a potsherd covered with silver dross… 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ… Galatians 2:4 And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: we do 2 Kings 17:24,27-33,41 And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof… Esarhaddon Ezra 4:10 And the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Asnappar brought over, and set in the cities of Samaria, and the rest that are on this side the river, and at such a time. Asnappar 2 Kings 19:37 And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword: and they escaped into the land of Armenia. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead. Assur Genesis 10:11 Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah, Psalm 73:8 They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily. Isaiah 37:37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. Assyria Hosea 14:3 Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy. Jump to Previous Approached Assur Assyria Build Chief Drew Esar Esarhaddon Esar-Haddon Fathers Haddon Heads Hither Households Houses Sacrifice Sacrificing Seek ZerubbabelJump to Next Approached Assur Assyria Build Chief Drew Esar Esarhaddon Esar-Haddon Fathers Haddon Heads Hither Households Houses Sacrifice Sacrificing Seek ZerubbabelEzra 4 1. The adversaries, being not accepted in the building of the temple with the Jews, 4. endeavor to hinder it 7. Their letter to Artaxerxes 17. The answer and decree of Artaxerxes 23. The building is hindered they approached Zerubbabel The phrase "they approached Zerubbabel" indicates a direct action taken by the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin. Zerubbabel, a key leader in the Jewish community returning from Babylonian exile, is approached by those who are not part of the covenant community. The Hebrew root for "approached" (נָגַשׁ, nagash) often implies a sense of drawing near with a purpose, which in this context is to propose an alliance. Historically, Zerubbabel was a governor and a descendant of David, tasked with rebuilding the temple, making him a significant figure in the restoration of Jewish worship and identity. and the heads of the families and said to them Let us build with you for like you, we seek your God and we have been sacrificing to Him since the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here We do sacrifice unto Him since the days of Esar-haddon.--He ended his reign B.C. 668, and therefore the Samaritans speak from a tradition extending backwards a century and a half. Which brought us up hither.--Thus they entirely leave out of consideration what residue of Israel was yet to be found among them. Verse 2. - We seek your God, as ye do. "We seek your God" was true; "as ye do" was not true. The Samaritans worshipped Jehovah, but not, as the Jews did, exclusively. "They feared the Lord, and worshipped their own gods" (2 Kings 17:33). Such worship dishonours Jehovah almost more than total neglect of him. Since the days of Esar-haddon. There was more than one colonisation of Central Palestine by the Assyrians. Sargon relates that he placed Arabians in the country; the writer of Kings tells us that it was occupied by Babylonians, Cuthaeans, Avites, Hamathites, and Sepharrites (2 Kings 17:24); the Samaritans themselves said that they were "Dinaites, Apharsathchites, Tarpelites, Apharsites, Archevites, Babylonians, Susanchites, Debarites, and Elamites" (infra, ver. 9). They attributed this last colonization to Esar-haddon. We may suspect that the second colonisation was by Sennacherib, who appears to have taken Babylon, Hamath, Sepharvaim, and Ivah or Avah (2 Kings 18:34). The result was that the Samaritans were a very mixed race.Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew they approachedוַיִּגְּשׁ֨וּ (way·yig·gə·šū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 5066: To draw near, approach Zerubbabel זְרֻבָּבֶ֜ל (zə·rub·bā·ḇel) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 2216: Zerubbabel -- 'begotten in Babylon', a leader of returning Israelite exiles and the heads רָאשֵׁ֣י (rā·šê) Noun - masculine plural construct Strong's 7218: The head of the families, הָֽאָב֗וֹת (hā·’ā·ḇō·wṯ) Article | Noun - masculine plural Strong's 1: Father saying, וַיֹּאמְר֤וּ (way·yō·mə·rū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 559: To utter, say “Let us build נִבְנֶ֣ה (niḇ·neh) Verb - Qal - Imperfect Cohortative if contextual - first person common plural Strong's 1129: To build with you עִמָּכֶ֔ם (‘im·mā·ḵem) Preposition | second person masculine plural Strong's 5973: With, equally with because, כִּ֣י (kî) Conjunction Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction like you, כָכֶ֔ם (ḵā·ḵem) Preposition | second person masculine plural Strong's Hebrew we seek נִדְר֖וֹשׁ (niḏ·rō·wōš) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common plural Strong's 1875: To tread, frequent, to follow, to seek, ask, to worship your God לֵֽאלֹהֵיכֶ֑ם (lê·lō·hê·ḵem) Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative and have been sacrificing זֹבְחִ֗ים (zō·ḇə·ḥîm) Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural Strong's 2076: To slaughter for sacrifice to Him since וְל֣וֹ ׀ (wə·lōw) Conjunctive waw | Preposition | third person masculine singular Strong's 3808: Not, no the time מִימֵי֙ (mî·mê) Preposition-m | Noun - masculine plural construct Strong's 3117: A day of אֵסַ֤ר (’ê·sar) 0 Strong's Hebrew King מֶ֣לֶךְ (me·leḵ) Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 4428: A king Esar-haddon חַדֹּן֙ (ḥad·dōn) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 634: Esarhaddon -- 'Ashur has given a brother', an Assyrian king of Assyria, אַשּׁ֔וּר (’aš·šūr) Noun - proper - feminine singular Strong's 804: Ashshur who brought הַמַּעֲלֶ֥ה (ham·ma·‘ă·leh) Article | Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine singular Strong's 5927: To ascend, in, actively us אֹתָ֖נוּ (’ō·ṯā·nū) Direct object marker | first person common plural Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case here.” פֹּֽה׃ (pōh) Adverb Strong's 6311: This place, here Links Ezra 4:2 NIVEzra 4:2 NLT Ezra 4:2 ESV Ezra 4:2 NASB Ezra 4:2 KJV Ezra 4:2 BibleApps.com Ezra 4:2 Biblia Paralela Ezra 4:2 Chinese Bible Ezra 4:2 French Bible Ezra 4:2 Catholic Bible OT History: Ezra 4:2 Then they drew near to Zerubbabel (Ezr. 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