[Verse 1] Judah's adversaries hear that the returned exiles are rebuilding the temple. The claim is based on sacrifices offered since Esar-haddon's resettlement. They appeal to Cyrus's specific command for Israel to build. The builders are troubled and frightened away from progress. [Pre-Chorus] The warning stood where no one wished to see, And every hidden root became a tree. [Chorus] The Work Ceased by Force, let the warning remain, Hidden sin still flowers into pain. The word of the LORD exposed what men concealed, And judgment stood where every heart was revealed. [Verse 2] Another letter is prepared in Aramaic during Artaxerxes' reign. Rehum and Shimshai lead the formal complaint. Officials and transplanted peoples join the accusation. The accusers warn that rebuilt walls will end tribute and revenue. [Bridge] Artaxerxes answers after records reveal earlier Jerusalem kings and rebellions. The king commands the men to make the builders cease. Rehum and his companions go quickly to Jerusalem with force and power. Temple work stops until the second year of Darius king of Persia. [Final Chorus] The Work Ceased by Force, let the warning remain, Hidden sin still flowers into pain. The word of the LORD exposed what men concealed, And judgment stood where every heart stood revealed. [Outro] The warning did not vanish with the dust. The final line remembered judgment, fear, and trust.