“In the service of the palace”
because we are in the service of the palace and it is not fitting for us to allow the king to be dishonored, we have sent to inform the king (Ezra 4:14 BSB)
What it sounds like today
A bureaucratic note that the writers happen to work for the government.
The cultural key
The flat phrase 'in the service of the palace' translates a vivid Aramaic idiom: literally, 'we are salted with the salt of the palace.' In the ancient Near East, to eat someone's salt, to be fed and provisioned at their table, created a binding obligation of loyalty; sharing salt sealed allegiance, the same logic behind the 'covenant of salt.' So these officials, writing to denounce the Jews rebuilding Jerusalem, are not merely stating their employment; they are pledging their loyalty to the Persian king in the strongest cultural terms available: we eat your salt, so your honor is our business. The English quietly turns a loyalty oath into a job description.
Recovered meaning
Behind 'in the service of the palace' lies the idiom 'we eat the king's salt', a bond of sworn loyalty to the one who feeds you. The officials are pledging allegiance to Persia, not just describing their jobs.