²⁴ So the work of the house of God at Jerusalem came to an end; so it was stopped, till the second year of the rule of Darius, king of Persia.

¹⁵ On the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.

⁵ But the eye of their God was on the chiefs of the Jews, and they did not make them give up working till the question had been put before Darius and an answer had come by letter about it.

¹ Then Darius the king gave an order and a search was made in the house of the records, where the things of value were stored up in Babylon.

³ And I sent men to them saying, I am doing a great work, so that it is not possible for me to come down: is the work to be stopped while I go away from it and come down to you?

⁹ For they were hoping to put fear in us, saying, Their hands will become feeble and give up the work so that it may not get done. But now, O God, make my hands strong.

⁵ That the pride of the sinner is short, and the joy of the evil-doer but for a minute?

¹⁸ For which reason we made attempts to come to you, even I, Paul, once and again; but Satan kept us from coming.