Ezra 4:13-15

International Children’s Bible

¹³ Now, King Artaxerxes, you should know what could happen. If Jerusalem is built and its walls are fixed, Jerusalem will pay no taxes of any kind. Then the amount of money your government collects will be less. ¹⁴ Since we must be loyal to the government, we don’t want to see the king dishonored. So we are writing to let the king know. ¹⁵ We suggest you search the records of the kings who ruled before you. You will find out that the city of Jerusalem refuses to obey. It makes trouble for kings and areas controlled by Persia. Since long ago it has been a place where disobedience started. That is why it was destroyed.