It is claimed that Allah Most High brought those who had been slain back to life, and they rejoined them. Then, when they entered Syria, they did so with no covenant from Allah Most High, and the Torah had been burned. Ezra was among the captives who had been in Babylon. He returned to Syria and wept for it night and day. Having withdrawn from the people, he remained thus until a man approached him and said, “Ezra, what makes you weep?”

He replied, “I weep for the Book of Allah and His covenant which was among us, and without which neither our worldly life nor our Hereafter can be set aright.” The man said, “Would you like it to be restored to you? Go back, fast, purify yourself, and cleanse your clothes. Then meet me here tomorrow.”

Ezra returned, fasted, purified himself, and cleansed his clothes. He then went to the place appointed for him and sat there. That man came to him with a vessel containing water. He was an angel whom Allah had sent to him. He gave Ezra water to drink from the vessel, and the Torah was impressed upon his heart. Ezra returned to the Children of Israel and restored the Torah for them. They loved him as they had never loved anything before. Then Allah took him.

After that, the Children of Israel began introducing corrupt innovations. Allah would again show them favor and send messengers among them; some they would deny, and others they would kill. The last of the Prophets whom Allah sent among them were Zachariah, John, and Jesus, all of whom were of the House of David. Zachariah died—or, according to another report, was killed.

Then, after Allah raised Jesus from their midst and they killed John, Allah sent against them a king from among the kings of Babylon, called Khardush. He marched against them with the people of Babylon until he invaded Syria. When he overcame them, he commanded one of the leading men of his army, named Biyurzadhan, his executioner, saying, “I had sworn by my god that, if I gained victory over the people of Jerusalem, I would kill them until their blood flowed amidst my army. Yet I find no one to kill.” So he ordered him to kill them.

Biyurzadhan carried out this order against them and entered Jerusalem. He stood in the place where they used to offer their sacrifices and found blood there boiling. He asked them, “Children of Israel, what is the matter with this boiling blood? Tell me its story.”

They said, “This is the blood of a sacrifice that we offered, but it was not accepted from us, and that is why it is boiling. For eight hundred years we have offered sacrifices and they have been accepted from us—except this one.”

He said, “You are not telling me the truth.”

They said, “Had our state been as it was in former times, it would have been accepted from us. But kingship, prophethood, and revelation have ceased among us; that is why it was not accepted.”

Thereupon Biyurzadhan slaughtered over that blood seven hundred and seventy pairs of their leading people, but it did not grow calm. He then ordered that seven hundred of their young men be brought, and he slaughtered them over the blood, but it did not grow calm. He then ordered seven thousand of their elders and their spouses, and slaughtered them over the blood, but it did not cool.

When Biyurzadhan saw that the blood would not grow calm, he said to them, “Children of Israel, woe to you! Tell me the truth, and patiently submit to the decree of your Lord. You have held dominion in the land for a long time, doing whatever you wished in it. Before I leave among you no one at all—neither male nor female, not even one who blows upon a fire—whom I have not killed, tell me the truth.”

When they saw the hardship and severity of the killing, they gave him the true account. They said, “This is the blood of a Prophet who used to forbid us from many things that incurred Allah’s wrath. Had we obeyed him in those matters, it would have been better guidance for us. He used to tell us of your coming, but we did not believe him and killed him. This is his blood.”

Biyurzadhan asked them, “What was his name?” They replied, “John, son of Zachariah.”

He said, “Now you have told me the truth. It was for something like this that your Lord took vengeance upon you.” When Biyurzadhan saw that they had spoken truthfully, he fell down in prostration and said to those around him, “Close the gates of the city, remove whoever is here from Khardush’s army, and leave me alone with the Children of Israel.” Then he said, “O John, son of—”