“ 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,

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、

“ 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,

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,

“ 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, however, sent Jehukal son of Shelemiah with the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah to Jeremiah the prophet with this message:“ Please pray to the Lord our God for us.”

Zephaniah the priest, however, read the letter to Jeremiah the prophet.

The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest next in rank and the three doorkeepers.

Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the king of Cush, was marching out to fight against him. So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word:

Moreover, they kept reporting to me his good deeds and then telling him what I said. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.

The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur son of Malkijah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah. They said:“ Inquire now of the Lord for us because Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is attacking us. Perhaps the Lord will perform wonders for us as in times past so that he will withdraw from us.”

Also, in those days the nobles of Judah were sending many letters to Tobiah, and replies from Tobiah kept coming to them.

The king also wrote letters ridiculing the Lord, the God of Israel, and saying this against him:“ Just as the gods of the peoples of the other lands did not rescue their people from my hand, so the god of Hezekiah will not rescue his people from my hand.”

Now there were in Samaria seventy sons of the house of Ahab. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria: to the officials of Jezreel, to the elders and to the guardians of Ahab’s children. He said,“ You have your master’s sons with you and you have chariots and horses, a fortified city and weapons. Now as soon as this letter reaches you,choose the best and most worthy of your master’s sons and set him on his father’s throne. Then fight for your master’s house.”But they were terrified and said,“ If two kings could not resist him, how can we?”So the palace administrator, the city governor, the elders and the guardians sent this message to Jehu:“ We are your servants and we will do anything you say. We will not appoint anyone as king; you do whatever you think best.”Then Jehu wrote them a second letter, saying,“ If you are on my side and will obey me, take the heads of your master’s sons and come to me in Jezreel by this time tomorrow.” Now the royal princes, seventy of them, were with the leading men of the city, who were rearing them.When the letter arrived, these men took the princes and slaughtered all seventy of them. They put their heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu in Jezreel.

The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest next in rank and the three doorkeepers.Of those still in the city, he took the officer in charge of the fighting men, and five royal advisers. He also took the secretary who was chief officer in charge of conscripting the people of the land and sixty of the conscripts who were found in the city.Nebuzaradan the commander took them all and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.There at Riblah, in the land of Hamath, the king had them executed. So Judah went into captivity, away from her land.

And in the days of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. The letter was written in Aramaic script and in the Aramaic language.Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows:Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary, together with the rest of their associates— the judges, officials and administrators over the people from Persia, Uruk and Babylon, the Elamites of Susa,and the other people whom the great and honorable Ashurbanipal deported and settled in the city of Samaria and elsewhere in Trans-Euphrates.( This is a copy of the letter they sent him.) To King Artaxerxes, From your servants in Trans- Euphrates:The king should know that the people who came up to us from you have gone to Jerusalem and are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are restoring the walls and repairing the foundations.Furthermore, the king should know that if this city is built and its walls are restored, no more taxes, tribute or duty will be paid, and eventually the royal revenues will suffer.Now since we are under obligation to the palace and it is not proper for us to see the king dishonored, we are sending this message to inform the king,so that a search may be made in the archives of your predecessors. In these records you will find that this city is a rebellious city, troublesome to kings and provinces, a place with a long history of sedition. That is why this city was destroyed.We inform the king that if this city is built and its walls are restored, you will be left with nothing in Trans-Euphrates.

So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, placed his seal on them, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth’s city with him.In those letters she wrote:“ Proclaim a day of fasting and seat Naboth in a prominent place among the people.But seat two scoundrels opposite him and have them bring charges that he has cursed both God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death.”So the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth’s city did as Jezebel directed in the letters she had written to them.They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth in a prominent place among the people.Then two scoundrels came and sat opposite him and brought charges against Naboth before the people, saying,“ Naboth has cursed both God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death.

and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord.

Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent his aide to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter