Ezra 4:15
“that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. You will see in the book of the records, and know that this city is a rebellious city, and hurtful to kings and provinces, and that they have started rebellions within it in the past. That is why this city was destroyed.”
What does Ezra 4:15 mean?
The officials writing to the Persian king are asking him to check the official records, where he'll find that Jerusalem has a history of rebelling against its rulers. They're making a political argument: don't let these Jews rebuild their city, because it's been troublesome before and will be again. It's worth knowing that this letter comes from people who opposed the Jewish restoration project, so they're selectively presenting history in the worst light possible. The irony is that yes, Jerusalem had experienced destruction, but not because the people were inherently rebellious so much as because of the consequences of their own spiritual unfaithfulness. Sometimes opposition to God's work comes with arguments that sound official and reasonable on the surface, yet miss the deeper truth about what's actually happening.