Ezra 4

1 Vangsawn ca rhoek loh Israel Pathen BOEIPA ham bawkim a sak te Judah neh Benjamin kah rhal rhoek loh a yaak uh.

Now news came to the haters of Judah and Benjamin that the people who had come back were building a Temple to the Lord, the God of Israel;

2 Te phoeiah Zerubbabel taeng neh a napa boeilu rhoek taengla mop uh tih a taengah, “Nangmih neh ka sa uh mai eh. Nangmih bangla nangmih kah Pathen te ka toem uh. Te pawt akhaw kaimih loh anih taengah te hela kaimih aka khuen Assyria manghai Esarhaddon tue lamlong ni ka nawn uh coeng.

Then they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of families, and said to them, Let us take part in the building with you; for we are servants of your God, even as you are; and we have been making offerings to him from the days of Esar-haddon, king of Assyria, who put us here.

3 Tedae amih te Zerubbabel neh Jeshua long khaw, Israel kah a napa boeilu a coih rhoek long khaw, “Kaimih kah Pathen im sak ham he nangmih hut moenih kaimih hut ni. Tedae Persia manghai, manghai Cyrus loh kaimih n'uen bangla Israel Pathen BOEIPA ham te kamamih bueng loh ka sa uh eh,” a ti nah.

But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of families in Israel said to them, You have no part with us in the building of a house for our God; we ourselves will do the work together for the Lord, the God of Israel, as Cyrus, king of Persia, has given us orders.

4 Te vaengah khohmuen pilnam aka om loh Judah pilnam kut te a kha sak tih a sak ham vaengah amih te a hih khaw a hih uh.

Then the people of the land made the hands of the people of Judah feeble, troubling them with fear in their building;

5 Persia manghai Cyrus tue khui neh Persia manghai Darius kah ram duela Judah kah cilsuep te phae pah ham amih te olrhoep a paang thiluh.

And they gave payment to men who made designs against them and kept them from effecting their purpose, all through the time of Cyrus, king of Persia, till Darius became king.

6 Ahasuerus ram ah khaw a ram a moecuek vaengah Judah neh Jerusalem khosa taengah toenah ca a daek uh.

And in the time of Ahasuerus, when he first became king, they put on record a statement against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.

7 Artaxerxes tue vaengah khaw Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel neh a pueipo a coih loh a daek bal. Anih kah a pueipo loh Persia manghai Artaxerxes taengla capat te Aramaih ca la a daek dongah Aramaih te koep a kong pah.

And in the time of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his friends, sent a letter to Artaxerxes, king of Persia, writing it in the Aramaean writing and language.

8 Hlangcal boei Rehum neh cadaek Shimshai loh Jerusalem kawng te manghai Artaxerxes taengah ca a daek pah bal.

Rehum, the chief ruler, and Shimshai the scribe, sent a letter against Jerusalem, to Artaxerxes the king;

9 Hlangcal boei Rehum, cadaek Shimshai neh Dinay hui a ngen rhoek, Tarplay boei rhoek, Persia rhoek, Babylon Erek, amih Almiy Susa,

The letter was sent by Rehum, the chief ruler, and Shimshai the scribe and their friends; the Dinaites and the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Shushanchites, the Dehaites, the Elamites,

10 a tloe namtu te khaw boeilen tongmang Osnapper loh a khuen coeng. Amih te Samaria khopuei neh sok paem ah a khueh coeng.

And the rest of the nations which the great and noble Osnappar took over and put in Samaria and the rest of the country over the river:

11 Manghai Artaxerxes amah taengla a pat ca kah a toeng he na tueihyoeih sok paem kah hlang taengla ha pawk coeng.

This is a copy of the letter which they sent to Artaxerxes the king: Your servants living across the river send these words:

12 Nang taeng lamloh kaimih taengla aka luei Yahudi rhoek te manghai taengah khaw mingpha la om saeh. Jerusalem khopuei la boekoek neh halang ni a khuen uh. Vongtung aka thung long khaw vongtung te a coeng, a coeng uh vaengah khoengim te a tlaeng uh.

We give news to the king that the Jews who came from you have come to us at Jerusalem; they are building up again that uncontrolled and evil town; the walls are complete and they are joining up the bases.

13 Khopuei he a thung tih vongtung a coeng atah mangmu khaw, hlang mangmu khaw, cawn khaw thoo uh mahpawh. Manghai kah mangmu khaw a vaitah ni tila manghai taengah mingpha la om pawn saeh.

The king may be certain that when the building of this town and its walls is complete, they will give no tax or payment in goods or forced payments, and in the end it will be a cause of loss to the kings.

14 Manghai im kah lungkaehtael te ka laeh uh van lamlong tah kaimih kongah manghai kah mingthae a hmuh ham khaw rhoeprhui moenih. Te dongah ni kam pat uh tih manghai taengah kam mingpha sakuh.

Now because we are responsible to the king, and it is not right for us to see the king's honour damaged, we have sent to give the king word of these things,

15 Na pa rhoek kah cathut cabu nen khaw thoelh saeh lamtah cathut cabu khuiah na hmuh bitni. Khopuei he khaw boekoek khopuei, manghai neh paeng aka vaitah sak, khosuen khohnin lamloh a khui ah caemrhal aka saii, te dongah ni khopuei he a phae tila na mingpha bitni.

So that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers: and you will see in the book of the records that this town has been uncontrolled, and a cause of trouble to kings and countries, and that there were outbursts against authority there in the past: for which reason the town was made waste.

16 Khopuei he tung tih vongtung he coeng koinih sok paem kah khoyo hmatoeng he nang hamla om pawh tila kaimih loh manghai taengah kam ming sak.

We give you word, that if the building of this town and its walls is made complete, there will be an end of your power in the country across the river.

17 Manghai loh hlangcal boei Rehum, cadaek Shimshai neh Samaria kah aka om a hui a ngen taengah ol a mael tih, “Sok paem boeih te ngaimongnah om pawn saeh.

Then the king sent an answer to Rehum, the chief ruler, and Shimshai the scribe, and their friends living in Samaria, and to the rest of those across the river, saying, Peace to you:

18 Kaimih taengla ca nan pat uh te kai taengah a tae tih a kong.

And now the sense of the letter which you sent to us has been made clear to me,

19 Kai lamloh hlangcal ka khueh tih a thoelh uh vaengah khopuei he khosuen khohnin lamloh manghai taengah lai a loh uh. A khuiah tloelhnah neh caemrhal a puek te a hmuh uh.

And I gave orders for a search to be made, and it is certain that in the past this town has made trouble for kings, and that outbursts against authority have taken place there.

20 Manghai tlungluen rhoek khaw Jerusalem ah om uh tih sok paem boeih te a hung uh. Mangmu, hlang mangmu neh cawn khaw amih taengah ana paek uh coeng.

Further, there have been great kings in Jerusalem, ruling over all the country across the river, to whom they gave taxes and payments in goods and forced payments.

21 Hlang rhoek he paa sak ham hlangcal ka khueh coeng. Kai lamloh hlangcal a om hlan ah khopuei te thung uh boel saeh.

Give an order now, that these men are to do nothing more, and that the building of the town is to be stopped, till I give an order.

22 He dongah a saii ham te dalrhanah a om khaw ngaithuen uh. Balae tih manghai vaitah sak ham pocinah a pungtai mai eh.

Be certain to do this with all care: do not let trouble be increased to the king's damage.

23 Manghai Artaxerxes kah ca a toeng te Rehum, cadaek Shimshai neh a hui rhoek taengah a tae van neh tokrhat la Jerusalem kah Yahudi taengla cet uh tih amih te thadueng neh kutrham neh a paa sakuh.

Then, after reading the king's letter, Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their friends went quickly to Jerusalem, to the Jews, and had them stopped by force.

24 Jerusalem Pathen im kah imsak te paa tangloeng tih Persia manghai Dairus ram kah kum bae hil paa van.

So the work of the house of God at Jerusalem came to an end; so it was stopped, till the second year of the rule of Darius, king of Persia.