Ezra 6
1 To naah Darius siangpahrang lokpaekhaih baktih toengah, Babylon ih hmuenmae pakumehaih im ah suek ih cabu pongah pakrong o.
[Later] Darius [became the ruler of the Persian Empire. When the enemies of the Israelis forced them to stop rebuilding the temple, the Persian officials sent a message to King Darius. They asked him to] search the records in the (archives/government records), in the building where the king stored the important documents, [to find out whether King Cyrus had authorized that the temple should be rebuilt].
2 Media prae Akmetha vangpui ih, siangpahrang ohhaih ahmuen ah cabu to a hnuk o, to cabu thungah tarik ih lok loe,
[The king commanded someone to search there, but those documents were not there in Babylon]. They found a scroll at the fort in Ecbatana, in Media province, [that contained the information that they wanted to know]. This is what was written on that scroll:
3 Sairas siangpahrang, siangpahrang ah ohhaih saningto haih naah, siangpahrang mah Jerusalem ih Sithaw im kawng pongah lokpaekhaih to a sak; angbawnhaih sak hanah im to sah o let nasoe, im hmuen to kacakah sah o nasoe; im loe dong quitarukto sang ueloe, dong quitarukto kawk tih;
“During the first year that Cyrus [ruled the empire], he sent out a decree concerning the temple of God which is at Jerusalem. In the decree it was stated that a new temple must be built at the same place that [the Israeli people previously] had offered sacrifices, where the [original] foundation [of the first temple] was. The temple must be 90 feet high and 90 feet wide.
4 Kalen parai thlung hoiah sak ih asom thumto, thing kangtha hoiah sak ih asom maeto sah o nasoe loe, im sakhaih atho loe siangpahrang ih phoisa hoiah paek o nasoe.
The building must be made from large stones. After putting down three layers of stones, a layer of timber must be put on top of them. This work will be paid for by money from my treasury.
5 Nebukhadnezzar mah Jerusalem im thung hoiah lak moe, Babylon ah sinh ih, Sithaw imthung ih sui hoi sumkanglungnawk to paek let nasoe loe, Jerusalem im ah suem o let nasoe; to hmuennawk boih loe, angmah ohhaih ahmuen ah, Sithaw im ah suem o let nasoe.
Also, the gold and silver utensils that King Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple of God in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon must be taken back to Jerusalem. They must be put in God’s temple just as they were in the previous temple.”
6 To pongah vaihi vapui yaeh ukkung, Tatnai, Shethar-Boznai hoi nam pui ah kaom, vapui yaeh ih Aphasa kaminawk, to ahmuen hoiah tacawt oh;
After reading this, King Darius sent this message [to the leaders of the Israeli people’s enemies in Jerusalem]: “This is a message for Tattenai, the governor of the province west of the [Euphrates] River, and for [his assistant] Shethar-Bozenai, and for all your colleagues: Stay away from that area!
7 Sithaw im toksakhaih to pakaa o hmah; Judah prae ukkung hoi Judah kacoetanawk mah Sithaw im to angmah ohhaih ahmuen ah sah o nasoe.
Do not (interfere with/hinder) the work of building the temple of God! The temple must be rebuilt at the same place where the former temple was. And do not hinder the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews [while they are doing this work].
8 To pacoengah, hae Sithaw im sakhaih pongah Judah kacoehtanawk to raihaih paek o hmah, nihcae to na bomh o moe, nihcae im sakhaih atho to vapui yaeh ah cong ih tamut hoiah paek hanah, lok takroekhaih ka sak.
“Furthermore, I declare that you must help these leaders of the Jews as they rebuild this temple of God [by giving them funds for the building work].
9 Nihcae mah van Sithaw khaeah hmai angbawnhaih sak hanah, maitaw taenawk, tuu taenawk, tuu caanawk, cang, paloi, misurtui hoi situinawk to, Jerusalem ih qaimanawk mah sak o ih baktih toengah, kangaih hmuennawk boih to aek ai ah ni thokkruek nihcae hanah paek oh;
“The Jewish priests in Jerusalem need young bulls and rams and lambs to sacrifice as they make burned offerings to the God of heaven. You must give them the animals that they need. Also, you must be certain to give them the wheat, salt, wine, and [olive] oil that they need each day [for those sacrifices].
10 to tiah nihcae mah van Sithaw khaeah hmuihoih angbawnhaih to paek o ueloe, siangpahrang hoi a capanawk hanah lawkthui pae o tih.
If you do that, the Jewish priests will be able to offer sacrifices that please the God who is in heaven, and they will pray that God will bless me and my sons.
11 To pacoengah ka paek ih hae lok hae pakhraih kami loe, anih ih im tung to aphong pae oh, thing to thling o nasoe loe, anih to thing nuiah bang o nasoe; anih ih im to aek patunghaih ahmuen ah om nasoe, tiah lok ka takroek.
“If anyone disobeys this decree, [my soldiers] will pull a beam from his house. Then [after they sharpen one end of the beam, ] they will lift that man up and impale him on that beam. Then they will [completely destroy that man’s house until only] a pile of rubble is left.
12 Jerusalem ih Sithaw im amro han sah siangpahrang hoi kaminawk boih loe to ahmuen ah angmah ih ahmin caksak Sithaw mah amrosak nasoe; Kai, Darius mah lokpaekhaih ka sak boeh; ka paek ih lok baktih toengah karangah sah o nasoe, tiah tarik.
God has chosen [that city of] Jerusalem as the place where people will honor him [MTY]. What I desire is that he will get rid of any king or any nation that tries to change this decree or tries to destroy that temple in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have made this decree. It must be obeyed quickly and thoroughly.”
13 To naah Darius siangpahrang mah pat ih ca baktih toengah, vapui yaeh prae ukkung Tatnai, Shethar-Boznai hoi to ah kaom ampuinawk loe karangah tok to sak o.
Tattenai, the governor of the province, and [his assistant] Shethar-Bozenai and their colleagues [read the message and] immediately obeyed the decree of King Darius.
14 Judah kacoehtanawk loe im to sak patomh o poe, tahmaa Haggai hoi Iddo ih caa Zekariah mah thuih ih lok rang hoiah paroeai toksak hmacawn o; im to Israel Sithaw lokpaekhaih, Persia siangpahrang Sairas, Darius hoi Artaxerxes lok takroekhaih baktih toengah a sak pacoeng o.
So the Jewish leaders continued their work [of rebuilding the temple]. They were greatly encouraged by the messages that the prophets Haggai and Zechariah preached. The Israelis continued building the temple, just like God had commanded them to do and like King Cyrus had decreed.
15 Darius siangpahrang angraenghaih saning tarukto haih, Adar khrah ni thumto naah im to pacoeng o.
They finished building it on March 12, during the sixth year that King Darius [ruled].
16 To naah Israel kaminawk, qaimanawk, Levinawk hoi misong ah kaom kaminawk boih mah, Sithaw ih im to anghoehaih hoiah tathlang o.
Then the priests and the Levites and all the other Israeli people who had returned from Babylon very joyfully dedicated the temple.
17 Hae Sithaw im tathlang hanah maitaw tae cumvaito, tuu tae cumvai hnetto, tuucaa cumvai palito hoi Israel kaminawk boih mah zae angbawn haih hanah, maeh tae hatlai hnetto, Israel acaeng kami zetto kangbae ah a paek o.
During [the ceremony to] dedicate the temple, they sacrificed 100 young bulls, 200 rams, and 400 lambs. They also sacrificed twelve male goats as an offering in order that [God would forgive] the sins of the people of the twelve tribes of Israel.
18 Mosi ih cabu thungah tarik ih baktih toengah, Jerusalem ah Sithaw toksak hanah, qaima hoi Levi acaengnawk to angmacae ih ahmuen boih ah suek o.
Then the priests and Levites were divided into groups that would [take turns to] serve at the temple. They did this according to what Moses had written [many years previously] in the laws [that he wrote].
19 Misong ah kalaem kaminawk loe, khrah amtonghaih ni hatlai palito naah misong loihaih poih to sak o.
On April 21, the Jews who had returned from Babylon celebrated the Passover Festival.
20 Qaima hoi Levi acaengnawk loe nawnto ciimcai o, kaminawk doeh ciimcai o sak pacoengah, Levi acaengnawk mah misong ah kalaem kaminawk, angmacae nawkamya qaimanawk hoi angmacae hanah misong loihaih poihkung ah tuuca to a boh o.
[To qualify themselves for offering the sacrifices], the priests and Levites had already purified themselves by performing certain rituals. Then they slaughtered the lambs for the benefit of all the people who had returned from Babylon, for the other priests, and for themselves.
21 Israel Angraeng Sithaw to bok hanah, misong hoiah kamlaem Israel caanawk loe nihcae taeng ih prae thungah kaom panuet thok Sithaw panoek ai kaminawk mah sak ih hmuen thungah kathum ai kaminawk hoi nawnto buhcaak o.
Those who had returned from Babylon and the other people in that land who had turned away from their immoral practices in order to worship Yahweh, the God of the Israeli people, ate the Passover meal.
22 Ni sarihto thung taeh thuh ai ih takaw poih to anghoehaih hoiah uum o; Sithaw mah Assyria siangpahrang ih palungthin to amkhraisak moe, Israel Angraeng Sithaw ih im sak hanah abomsak pongah, Angraeng mah kaminawk boih ih palungthin to anghoehaih hoiah koisak.
They celebrated the Unleavened Bread Festival of [Eating] Unleavened Bread for seven days. The Israeli people throughout the land were joyful because Yahweh had changed the attitude of the king of Assyria toward them, and as a result, the king had helped them to rebuild the temple of God, the one whom they [worshiped].
