that the LORD God of Israel who rules over all has a message for him. Tell him,‘ On your own initiative you sent a letter to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah and to all the other priests and to all the people in Jerusalem. In your letter you said to Zephaniah,

万军之耶和华以色列的神如此说：你曾用自己的名寄信给耶路撒冷的众民和祭司玛西雅的儿子西番雅，并众祭司，说：

万军之耶和华—以色列的上帝如此说：你曾用自己的名送信给耶路撒冷的众百姓和玛西雅的儿子西番雅祭司，并众祭司，说：

万军之耶和华—以色列的神如此说：你曾用自己的名送信给耶路撒冷的众百姓和玛西雅的儿子西番雅祭司，并众祭司，说：

“以色列的上帝——万军之耶和华说，你曾以自己的名义写信给住在耶路撒冷的众民、玛西雅的儿子西番雅祭司及其他祭司。你在信中对西番雅说，

‘万军之耶和华以色列的神这样说：你曾用自己的名寄信给在耶路撒冷的众民、玛西雅祭司的儿子西番雅，和众祭司，说：

萬軍之耶和華－以色列的神如此說：你曾用自己的名寄信給耶路撒冷的眾民和祭司瑪西雅的兒子西番雅，並眾祭司，說：

萬軍之耶和華－以色列的上帝如此說：你曾用自己的名送信給耶路撒冷的眾百姓和瑪西雅的兒子西番雅祭司，並眾祭司，說：

萬軍之耶和華－以色列的神如此說：你曾用自己的名送信給耶路撒冷的眾百姓和瑪西雅的兒子西番雅祭司，並眾祭司，說：

「以色列的上帝——萬軍之耶和華說，你曾以自己的名義寫信給住在耶路撒冷的眾民、瑪西雅的兒子西番雅祭司及其他祭司。你在信中對西番雅說，

‘萬軍之耶和華以色列的神這樣說：你曾用自己的名寄信給在耶路撒冷的眾民、瑪西雅祭司的兒子西番雅，和眾祭司，說：

『萬軍之永恆主以色列之上帝這麼說：你曾用自己的名寄信給在耶路撒冷的眾民，給祭司瑪西雅的兒子西番雅、和眾祭司說：

萬軍之耶和華、以色列之上帝云、爾以己名、致書於耶路撒冷民眾、及祭司瑪西雅子西番雅、與諸祭司曰、

萬有之主以色列族之上帝耶和華云、爾曾書達耶路撒冷居民、與馬西雅子祭司西番雅及眾祭司、書曰、

萬有之主以色列之天主如是云、爾曾恃己名、寄書達於耶路撒冷居民、與祭司瑪西雅子西番亞、及眾祭司曰、

“ This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You sent letters in your own name to all the people in Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, and to all the other priests. You said to Zephaniah,

“ The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says,‘ You sent letters in your own name to all the people in Jerusalem. You also sent them to Zephaniah the priest. He is the son of Maaseiah. And you sent them to all the other priests. You said to Zephaniah,

“ Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: You have sent letters in your name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying,

“ This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: You wrote a letter on your own authority to Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, the priest, and you sent copies to the other priests and people in Jerusalem. You wrote to Zephaniah,

“ This is what the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: You in your own name have sent out letters to all the people of Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, and to all the priests, saying,

“ This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says:‘ Because you have sent letters in your own name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to the priest Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, and to all the priests, saying,

Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: You have sent letters in your name to all the people who are at Jerusalem, to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying,

Thus speaketh Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Because thou hast sent letters in thine own name unto all the people that are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying,

“ This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: You in your own name have sent out letters to all the people of Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, and to all the priests, saying:

Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Because thou hast sent letters in thy name unto all the people that[ are] at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying,

“ Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, says,‘ Because you have sent letters in your own name to all the people who are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying,

King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah to the prophet Jeremiah. He told them to say,“ Please pray to the LORD our God on our behalf.”

Zephaniah the priest read that letter to the prophet Jeremiah.

The captain of the royal guard took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest who was second in rank, and the three doorkeepers.

The king heard that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia was marching out to fight him. He again sent messengers to Hezekiah, ordering them:

They were telling me about his good deeds and then taking back to him the things I said. Tobiah, on the other hand, sent letters in order to scare me.

The LORD spoke to Jeremiah when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur son of Malkijah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah. Zedekiah sent them to Jeremiah to ask,“ Please ask the LORD to come and help us, because King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon is attacking us. Maybe the LORD will perform one of his miracles as in times past and make him stop attacking us and leave.”

In those days the aristocrats of Judah repeatedly sent letters to Tobiah, and responses from Tobiah were repeatedly coming to them.

He wrote letters mocking the LORD God of Israel and insulting him with these words:“ The gods of the surrounding nations could not rescue their people from my power. Neither can Hezekiah’s god rescue his people from my power.”

Ahab had seventy sons living in Samaria. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria to the leading officials of Jezreel and to the guardians of Ahab’s dynasty. This is what the letters said,“ You have with you the sons of your master, chariots and horses, a fortified city, and weapons. So when this letter arrives,pick the best and most capable of your master’s sons, place him on his father’s throne, and defend your master’s dynasty.”They were absolutely terrified and said,“ Look, two kings could not stop him! How can we?”So the palace supervisor, the city commissioner, the leaders, and the guardians sent this message to Jehu,“ We are your subjects! Whatever you say, we will do. We will not make anyone king. Do what you consider proper.”He wrote them a second letter, saying,“ If you are really on my side and are willing to obey me, then take the heads of your master’s sons and come to me in Jezreel at this time tomorrow.” Now the king had seventy sons, and the prominent men of the city were raising them.When they received the letter, they seized the king’s sons and executed all seventy of them. They put their heads in baskets and sent them to him in Jezreel.

The captain of the royal guard took Seraiah the chief priest and Zephaniah, the priest who was second in rank, and the three doorkeepers.From the city he took a eunuch who was in charge of the soldiers, five of the king’s advisers who were discovered in the city, an official army secretary who drafted citizens for military service, and sixty citizens from the people of the land who were discovered in the city.Nebuzaradan, captain of the royal guard, took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.The king of Babylon ordered them to be executed at Riblah in the territory of Hamath. So Judah was deported from its land.

And during the reign of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their colleagues wrote to King Artaxerxes of Persia. This letter was first written in Aramaic but then translated.[ Aramaic:]Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter concerning Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows:From Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues– the judges, the rulers, the officials, the secretaries, the Erechites, the Babylonians, the people of Susa( that is, the Elamites),and the rest of nations whom the great and noble Ashurbanipal deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and other places in Trans-Euphrates.( This is a copy of the letter they sent to him:)“ To King Artaxerxes, from your servants in Trans-Euphrates:Now let the king be aware that the Jews who came up to us from you have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and odious city. They are completing its walls and repairing its foundations.Let the king also be aware that if this city is built and its walls are completed, no more tax, custom, or toll will be paid, and the royal treasury will suffer loss.In light of the fact that we are loyal to the king, and since it does not seem appropriate to us that the king should sustain damage, we are sending the king this informationso that he may initiate a search of the records of his predecessors and discover in those records that this city is rebellious and injurious to both kings and provinces, producing internal revolts from long ago. It is for this very reason that this city was destroyed.We therefore are informing the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, you will not retain control of this portion of Trans-Euphrates.”

She wrote out orders, signed Ahab’s name to them, and sealed them with his seal. She then sent the orders to the leaders and to the nobles who lived in Naboth’s city.This is what she wrote:“ Observe a time of fasting and seat Naboth in front of the people.Also seat two villains opposite him and have them testify,‘ You cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.”The men of the city, the leaders and the nobles who lived there, followed the written orders Jezebel had sent them.They observed a time of fasting and put Naboth in front of the people.The two villains arrived and sat opposite him. Then the villains testified against Naboth right before the people, saying,“ Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they dragged him outside the city and stoned him to death.

and requested letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, either men or women, he could bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

Hezekiah took the letter from the messengers and read it. Then Hezekiah went up to the LORD’s temple and spread it out before the LORD.

The fifth time that Sanballat sent his assistant to me in this way, he had an open letter in his hand.