Ezra 7
1 He kah olka hnukah Persia manghai Artaxerxes kah ram ah Hilkiah koca Azariah kah a ca, Seraiah capa Ezra.
[Many/Fifty years] later, while Artaxerxes was the king of Persia, I, Ezra came from Babylon here to Jerusalem. I am the son of Seraiah and the grandson of Azariah, and the great-grandson of Hilkiah.
2 Shallum capa Hilkiah, Zadok capa Shallum, Ahitub capa Zadok.
Hilkiah was the son of Shallum, who was the son of Zadok, who was the son of Ahitub,
3 Amariah capa Ahitub, Azariah capa, Meraioth capa Azariah.
who was the son of Amariah, who was the son of Azariah, who was the son of Meraioth,
4 Zerahiah capa Meraioth, Uzzi capa Zerahiah, Bukki capa Uzzi.
who was the son of Zerahiah, who was the son of Uzzi, who was the son of Bukki,
5 Abishua capa Bukki, Phinekha capa Abishua, Eleazar capa Phinekha, khosoih boeilu Aaron capa Eleazar.
who was the son of Abishua, who was the son of Phinehas, who was the son of Eleazar, who was the son of Aaron, the [first] Supreme Priest.
6 Ezra he Babylon lamloh a mael vaengah Moses olkhueng dongkah a cadaek te amah loh a ming. Te te Israel Pathen BOEIPA loh a paek. A Pathen BOEIPA kut loh anih soah a om dongah a kueknah boeih te manghai loh a taengah a paek.
I am a man who knows very well the laws that Moses [wrote]. Those were the laws that Yahweh, the God whom we Israeli people ([worship/belong to]), had given to us Israeli people. When I arrived in Jerusalem, Yahweh my God was kind to me, and as a result the [people] gave me everything that I had requested the king to [tell them to] give to me.
7 Te vaengah Israel ca rhoek lamkah khaw, khosoih neh Levi lamkah khaw, laa sa neh thoh tawt khaw, tamtaeng rhoek khaw manghai Artaxerxes kah a kum rhih vaengah tah Jerusalem la cet uh.
Some of the priests, some [other] descendants of Levi, [some] singers, [some] (gatekeepers/men who guarded the gates of the temple), and [some] men who worked in the temple, and some other [Israeli] people came up with me here to Jerusalem. That was during the seventh year that Artaxerxes was the king [of Persia].
8 Manghai kah kum rhih nah hla nga vaengah tah Jerusalem pawk.
We left Babylon on April 8, which was the first day of the Jewish year. Because God was very kind to us, we arrived [safely] in Jerusalem on August 4 of that year.
9 Hla khat dongkah lamhmacuek hnin vaengah Babylon lamkah tangtlaeng a tongnah lamloh hla nga dongkah lamhmacuek hnin ah tah Jerusalem ah pawk. A Pathen kah kut tah anih soah then tangloeng.
10 Ezra he BOEIPA olkhueng thuep ham neh vai ham khaw, Israel khuiah oltlueh neh laitloeknah tukkil ham khaw a thinko cikngae.
During my entire life, I devoted myself to studying the laws of Yahweh, and how to obey those laws. I had also taught those laws and all their regulations to the Israeli people [for many years].
11 He kah capat catlaep he manghai Artaxerxes loh BOEIPA kah olpaek ol neh Israel ham a oltlueh dongkah cadaek saya, khosoih Ezra taengah a paek.
King Artaxerxes [knew that] I am a priest who knows the Jewish laws very well. [He knew that for many years] I had studied those laws and had taught all the rules and regulations of those laws to the Israeli people. [So before I left Babylon to come to Jerusalem, ] he wrote a letter, and gave a copy to me. [This is what he wrote]:
12 Manghai boeih kah manghai Artaxerxes loh vaan Pathen kah oltlueh cadaek khosoih Ezra tah a yoethen pai.
[“This letter is] from me, Artaxerxes, the greatest of the kings. [I am giving it] to Ezra the priest, who has studied very well all the rules and regulations that the God [who is/rules] in heaven [gave to the Israeli people].
13 Ka ram khui kah a puhlu boeih ham kai lamloh saithainah ka paek coeng. Israel pilnam neh a khosoih rhoek khaw, Levi khaw Jerusalem la caeh ham nang m'puei saeh.
“Ezra, I command that when you return to Jerusalem, any of the Israeli people in my kingdom who want to are allowed to go with you. That includes any priests and [other] descendants of Levi [who will work in the temple] who want to go.
14 He kong dongah Manghai neh anih kah olrhoep parhih taeng lamloh Judah taeng neh Jerusalem taengah na kut dongkah na Pathen oltlueh te thoelh hamla a pat coeng.
I, along with my seven counselors/advisors, am sending you to Jerusalem, in order that you can determine what is happening there and in [other towns in] Judah. You are taking with you [MTY] a copy of God’s laws; make sure that the people are doing everything that is written in those laws.
15 Amah kolhmuen Jerusalem kah Israel Pathen taengah manghai neh a olrhoep rhoek loh a puhlu cak neh sui khaw khuen ham om.
[We are also saying that] you should take with you the silver and gold that I and my advisors are wanting to give to you, in order that you will present it to be an offering to the God who [rules] the Israeli people and who lives in Jerusalem.
16 Cak neh sui boeih te Babylon paeng pum ah na hmuh bitni. Jerusalem kah a Pathen im ham tah pilnam long khaw a puhlu tih khosoih rhoek long khaw a puhlu.
You should also take any silver and gold that the people in the entire Babylonia province give to you, and the money that the priests and [other] Israeli people have happily said that they would give to you to be offerings for building the temple of their God in Jerusalem.
17 He kong ah tangka nen he vaito, tutal, tuca khaw, a khosaa neh a tuisi khaw tluem tluem lai. Te te Jerusalem ah na Pathen im kah hmueihtuk dongah nawn.
With this money, you should buy the bulls, rams, lambs, and the grain and wine that the priests will burn on the altar [outside] the temple of your God in Jerusalem.
18 Namah taengkah neh na manuca taengkah boeih te tah cak khaw, sui khaw a coih nen te a then la saii lamtah na Pathen kah ngaihnah bangla saii uh.
“If there is any silver or gold that remains [you have bought all those things], you and your companions/colleagues are permitted to use it to [buy] whatever you desire, but buy only things that [you know that] God wants you to buy.
19 Te hnopai te na Pathen im kah thothuengnah ham nang taengah kam paek. Te te Jerusalem kah Pathen taengah cum coeng.
We have given to you some valuable items to be used in the temple of your God. Take them also to Jerusalem.
20 Na Pathen im kah a tloe a ngoe dongah thoh hamla nang soah aka tla te tah manghai cabu im lamkah te thoo mai.
If you need any other things for the temple, you are permitted to get the money for those things from the building here where my government’s money is kept/stored.
21 Manghai Artaxerxes kai kamah lamloh sok paem kah hnokhoem boeih taengah saithainah ka paek. A cungkuem dongah vaan Pathen kah oltlueh cadaek khosoih Ezra nang n'dawt saeh lamtah tluem tluem saii.
“And I, King Artaxerxes, command this to all the treasurers in the province west of the [Euphrates] River: 'Give to Ezra, the priest who has studied very well the laws of the God [who is/rules] in heaven, everything that he requests, and give it to him quickly.
22 Cak talent yakhat hil, cangyen kore yakhat hil, misurtui bath yakhat hil, situi bath yakhat neh lungkaehtael toeklek toekna pawt hil tawn saeh.
The most that you should give to him is (7,500 pounds/3,400 kg.) of silver, 500 bushels of wheat, 550 gallons of wine, and 550 gallons of [olive] oil, but give to him all the salt that they need.
23 Vaan Pathen kah saithainah lamkah boeih he vaan Pathen im dongah tluem tluem saii saeh. Balae tih kosi loh manghai kah ram neh a ca a bo thil eh.
Be sure that you provide whatever their God requires for his temple, because we certainly do not [RHQ] want him to be angry with me or with my descendants who will later be kings.
24 Te phoeiah khosoih boeih neh Levi khaw, laasa rhoek khaw, thoh tawt rhoek khaw, tamtaeng rhoek khaw, Pathen im kah tho aka thueng he khaw, mangmu neh hlang mangmu khaw, cawn khaw, amih soah coi ham saithainah om pawh tila namah taengah mingpha saeh.
We are also commanding that none of the priests, descendants of Levi, musicians, temple guards, or other men who work in the temple, will be required to pay any kind of taxes.'
25 Ezra nang khaw na Pathen kah cueihnah rhangneh na kut dongkah aka taemrhai ham neh laitloekung la m'hmoel coeng. Te tlam te a om uh daengah ni sok paem kah pilnam cungkuem taengah khaw, na Pathen oltlueh aka ming boeih taengah khaw, na ming bangla aka ming pawt taengah khaw lai aka tloek rhoek loh lai a tloek thai eh.
“Ezra, your God has enabled you to become very wise. Using that wisdom, appoint men in the province west of the [Euphrates] River who will judge cases involving the people, and men who will judge cases involving the government. You must appoint men who know the laws of your God. All of you must teach God’s laws to others who do not know them.
26 Na Pathen kah oltlueh neh manghai kah oltlueh aka vai pawt boeih te tah laitloeknah tluem, tluem om saeh. Anih te dueknah nen khaw, haeknah nen khaw, a koe tuuknah nen khaw, pinnah nen khaw saii saeh.
Everyone who does not obey God’s laws or the laws of my government must be punished severely. Some of them will be executed, some will be put in prison, some will be sent out of the country or have all their property taken away from them.”
27 Mamih napa rhoek kah Pathen YAHWEH tah a yoethen pai saeh. Tahae kah bangla Jerusalem kah BOEIPA im te cam hamla manghai kah lungbuei ah a cuen sak.
[Because King Artaxerxes was very kind like that, I said], “Praise Yahweh, the God whom our ancestors [worshiped/belonged to]! He has caused the king to want to honor the temple of Yahweh in Jerusalem.
28 Kai ham khaw manghai neh a olrhoep mikhmuh ah, hlangrhalh manghai kah mangpa boeih taengah khaw sitlohnah a tueng sak. Ka sokah ka Pathen BOEIPA kut rhangneh kamah khaw ka moem uh. Te dongah kamah neh aka puei la Israel boeilu te ka coi.
Because God was very kind to me, the king and all his advisors and all his powerful officials have also been kind to me. So, because God has helped me, I have become encouraged, and I have [been able to] persuade some of the Israeli leaders to go up to Jerusalem with me.”
