World English Bible
"Then we asked those elders, and said to them thus, "Who gave you a decree to build this house, and to finish this wall?""
— Ezra 5:9, World English Bible
“Then asked we those elders, and said unto them thus, Who commanded you to build this house, and to make up these walls?”
“Then asked we those elders, and said unto them thus, Who gave you a decree to build this house, and to finish this wall? ”
“We inquired of those elders, asking them,‘Who gave you the authority to rebuild this temple and to complete this structure?’”
“And we asked those ancients, and said to them thus: Who hath given you authority to build this house, and to repair these walls?”
“Then we said to the men responsible, who gave you authority for the building of this house and these walls?”
“Then asked we those elders, and said unto them thus, Who commanded you to build this house, and to make up these walls?”
The copy of the letter that Tattenai, the governor beyond the River, and Shetharbozenai, and his companions the Apharsachites, who were beyond the River, sent to Darius the king;
they sent a letter to him, in which was written thus: To Darius the king, all peace.
Be it known to the king, that we went into the province of Judah, to the house of the great God, which is built with great stones, and timber is laid in the walls; and this work goes on with diligence and prospers in their hands.
Then we asked those elders, and said to them thus, "Who gave you a decree to build this house, and to finish this wall?"
We asked them their names also, to inform you that we might write the names of the men who were at the head of them.
Thus they returned us answer, saying, "We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and are building the house that was built these many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished.
But after that our fathers had provoked the God of heaven to wrath, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house, and carried the people away into Babylon.