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 some enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the people who had been exiled were now building a temple for Yahweh, 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.
So they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of their ancestors' clans. They said to them, “Let us build with you, for, like you, we seek your God and have sacrificed to him since the days when Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, brought us to this place.”
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, Jeshua, and the heads of their ancestors' clans said, “It is not you, but we who must build the house of our God, for it is we who will build for Yahweh, the God of Israel, just as King Cyrus of Persia commanded.”
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.
So the people of the land made the Judeans' hands weak; they made the Judeans afraid to build.
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.
They also bribed counselors to frustrate their plans. They did this during all of Cyrus' days and into the reign of Darius king of Persia.
6 Ahasuerus ram ah khaw a ram a moecuek vaengah Judah neh Jerusalem khosa taengah toenah ca a daek uh.
Then at the beginning of Ahasuerus' reign they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants 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.
It was during the days of Artaxerxes that Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and their companions wrote to Artaxerxes. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated.
8 Hlangcal boei Rehum neh cadaek Shimshai loh Jerusalem kawng te manghai Artaxerxes taengah ca a daek pah bal.
Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote this way to Artaxerxes about Jerusalem.
9 Hlangcal boei Rehum, cadaek Shimshai neh Dinay hui a ngen rhoek, Tarplay boei rhoek, Persia rhoek, Babylon Erek, amih Almiy Susa,
Then Rehum, Shimshai, and their companions, who were judges and other officers in the government, the Persians, men from Erech and Babylon, and the men from Susa (that is, the Elamites)—they wrote a letter—
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 they were joined by the people whom the great and noble Ashurbanipal forced to settle in Samaria, along with the rest who were in the Province Beyond 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 that they sent to Artaxerxes: “Your servants, men of the Province Beyond the River, write this:
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.
Let the king know that the Jews who went from you have come against us in Jerusalem to build a rebellious city. They have completed the walls and repaired the foundations.
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.
Now let the king know that if this city is built and the wall is completed, they will not give any tribute and taxes, but they will harm 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.
Surely because we have eaten the palace salt, it is not fitting for us to see any dishonor happen to the king. It is because of this that we are informing the king
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.
to search your father's record and to verify that this is a rebellious city that will harm kings and provinces. It has caused many problems to the kings and provinces. It has been a center for rebellion from long ago. It was for this reason that the city was destroyed.
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 are informing the king that if this city and wall are built, then there will be nothing remaining for you in the Province Beyond 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.
So the king sent out a reply to Rehum and Shimshai and their companions in Samaria and the rest who were in the Province Beyond the River: “May peace be yours.
18 Kaimih taengla ca nan pat uh te kai taengah a tae tih a kong.
The letter that you sent me has been translated and read 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.
So I ordered an investigation and discovered that in previous days they had rebelled and revolted against kings.
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.
Mighty kings have ruled over Jerusalem and had power over everything in the Province Beyond the River. Tribute and taxes were paid to them.
21 Hlang rhoek he paa sak ham hlangcal ka khueh coeng. Kai lamloh hlangcal a om hlan ah khopuei te thung uh boel saeh.
Now, make a decree for these men to stop and not build this city until I make a decree.
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 careful not to neglect this. Why allow this threat to grow and cause more loss for the royal interests?
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.
When King Artaxerxes' decree was read before Rehum, Shimshai, and their companions, they went out quickly to Jerusalem and forced the Jews to stop building.
24 Jerusalem Pathen im kah imsak te paa tangloeng tih Persia manghai Dairus ram kah kum bae hil paa van.
So the work on the house of God in Jerusalem stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
