JERUSALEM
839
JERUSALEM
Ancient Assyrian delineation of a hostile city resembling Jerusalem in situation.
"the people shouted for joy, but many of the Levitts who had seen the tirst Tem- ple wept with a loud voice" (Ezra iii,2, 12). ■\^■hcn the Samaritans expressed a wish to sliare in the jiious labor, Zerubbabel declined t he offer, and in re ventre, the Samaritans sent a de]nita- li tion to kinf; Artaxerxes of I'ersia, carrying a i)rcsent- ment in which Jerusalem Mas described as a rebel- lious city of old time,which, if rebuilt, and its walls set up again, would not pay toll, tribute, and custom, antl would thus endamage
mandmcnts of the Lord, but broke his covenant (Lev. | the public revenue. The deputation succeeded, and xxvi, 14 ; Deut. xxviii). The finishing stroke to this Artaxerxes ordered that the building of the Temple desolation was put by the retreat of the principal Jews, | should cease. The interruption thus caused lasted to on the massacre of Gedaliah, into Egypt, B.C. 587, where the second j'ear of the reign of Darius (Ezra iv, 24), they were eventually involved in tlie conquest of that [ when Zerubbabel and Jeshua, supported by tl\e proph- country by the Babylonians (Jer. xl-xliv). Meanwhile ets Haggai and Zechariah, again resumed the work, and the feeble remnant of the lower classes, who had clung j would not cease though cautioned by the Persian gov- to their native soil arai»l all these reverses, were swept ernor of Judrea, B.C. 520. On the matter coming be- away by a final deportation to Babylon, which left the fore Darius Hystaspis, and the Jews reminding him land literally without an inhabitant (Jer.lii, 30). B.C. of the permission given by Cjtus, he decided in their 582. See Nebuchadnezzar. \ favor, and also ordered that the expenses of the work
Jloses had long before predicted that if, in the land of should be defrayed out of the public revenue (Ezra vi, their captivity, his afflicted countrj-men repented of their 8). In the sixth year of the reign of Darius the Tem- evil, they should be brought back again to the land out pic was finished, >vlicn they kept the dedicatory festi- of which they had been cast (Deut. xxx, 1-5; comp. 1 i val with great joy, and next celebrated the Passover Kings viii, 4(3-53 ; Neh. i, 8, 9). The Lord also, through ' (Ezra vi, 15, 16, 19), B.C. 516. Afterwards, in the sev- Isaiah, condescended to point out the agencj"- through enth j-ear of the second Artaxerxes (Longimanus),Ezra, which the restoration of the holy city was to be aecom- ■ a descendant of Aaron, came up to Jerusalem,, accompa- plished, and even named, long before his birth, the very '] nied by a large number of Jews who had remained in person, Cyrus, under whose orders this was to be effect- I Babylon, B.C. 459. He was highly patronized by the ed (Isa. xliv, 28 ; comp. Jer. iii, 2, 7, 8 ; xxiii, 3 ; xxxi, j king, who not only made him a large present in gold 10 ; xxxii, 36, 37). Among the remarkably precise in- | and silver, but published a decree enjoining all treas- dications should be mentioned that in which Jeremiah i urers of Juda.»a speedily to do whatever Ezra should re- (xxv, 9-12) limits the duration of Judah's captivity to quire of them ; allowing him to collect money through- seventy years. See Captivity. These encourage- j out the whole province of Babylon for the wants of the raents were continued through the prophets, who them- ; Temple at Jerusalem, and also giving him full power selves shared the captivity. Of this number was Daniel, ' to appoint magistrates in his country to judge the peo- to whom it was revealed, while yet praying for the res- | pie (Ezra vii, viii). At a later period, in the twentieth toration of his people (Dan. ix, 16, 19), that the streets year of king Artaxerxes, Nchemiah, who was liis cup- and the walls of Jerusalem should be built again, even : bearer, obtained permission to proceed to Jerusakn), and in troublous times (ver. 25). See Seventy Weeks. I to complete the rebuilding of the city and its wall, which
4. Daniel lived to see the reign of Cyrus, king of Per- he happily accomplished, in spite of all the opposition
sia (Dan. x, 1), and the fulfilment of his prayer. It was in the year B.C. 536, " in the first year of Cyrus," that, in accomplishment of the prophecy of Jeremiah, the Lord stirred up the spirit of this jirince, who made a procla- mation throughout all his kingdom, expressed in these remarkable words : " The Lord ( iod of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and /ic has ckaty/ed me to build Iiiin a house at Jerusahm, vhich is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel" (Ezra i, 2, 3). This important call was answered by a consiilerable number of persons, particularly priests and Levites; and the many who declined to quit their houses and possessions in Babylonia committed valuable gifts to the hands of their more zealous brethren. Cjtus also caused the sa- cred vessels of gold and silver which Xeiiuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple to be restored to Sheshbaz- zar. the prince of Judah, ;vho took them to Jerusalem, followed by 42,360 people, besides their servants, of whom there were 7337 (Ezra i, 5-11).