Having found the scroll, King Darius writes a letter back to Tattenai. In this letter, he goes above and beyond the permission that Cyrus had given to the Jews. He makes sure that no one can oppose them in their work. He provides them funds from the treasury (probably in the form of a tax cut) to help with the building, and he gives them resources so that they can make the necessary sacrifices. Where the people in Ezra 4:1–3 probably hoped the Persian rulers would bring the building project to a halt, instead, because God was watching over the people of Israel (Ezra 5:5), the Persian rulers are used by God to provide abundantly for his people.
6 “Now therefore, Tattenai, governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and your associates the governors who are in the province Beyond the River, keep away.