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Now when he was come to Babylon, and had taken with him many of his
countrymen, who voluntarily followed him, he came to Jerusalem in the twenty
and fifth year of the reign of Xerxes. And when he had shown the epistles
to God
1
he gave them to Adeus, and to the other governors. He also called together
all the people to Jerusalem, and stood in the midst of the temple, and
made the following speech to them: "You know, O Jews, that God hath
kept our fathers, Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in mind continually, and
for the sake of their righteousness hath not left off the care of you.
Indeed he hath assisted me in gaining this authority of the king to raise
up our wall, and finish what is wanting of the temple. I desire you, therefore
who well know the ill-will our neighboring nations bear to us, and that
when once they are made sensible that we are in earnest about building,
they will come upon us, and contrive many ways of obstructing our works,
that you will, in the first place, put your trust in God, as in him that
will assist us against their hatred, and to intermit building neither night
nor day, but to use all diligence, and to hasten on the work, now we have
this especial opportunity for it." When he had said this, he gave
order that the rulers should measure the wall, and part the work of it
among the people, according to their villages and cities, as every one's
ability should require. And when he had added this promise, that he himself,
with his servants, would assist them, he dissolved the assembly. So the
Jews prepared for the work: that is the name they are called by from the
day that they came up from Babylon, which is taken from the tribe of Judah,.
which came first to these places, and thence both they and the country
gained that appellation.