Ezra 6
1 Hijeh chun Darius lengpan jong thu apen, Babylon gamsunga lengte thusim kisutlutna a chun akholsah tan ahi.
[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 Hiti chun ahin khol’un ahileh Media gamkol sunga Ecbatana khopia chun lekhajol khat hi amudoh taovin, hichea chun hitihin akijih in ahi:
[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 “Cyrus lengpa vaihom kumkhat channa in lengpan thu anapen Jerusalem’a houin chu kilhaina gantha kibol naleh pumgo thilto kitonaji houin chu kithah sahkit hen, a-in sandol chu tong somgup hihenlang availam jong tong somgup ma hihen.
“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 Songtum lentah tah gol thum'in kigol henlantg chuleh thingtum jong golkhat in kigol hen, huting leh hiche songho hileh in-thil ho hijongleh, hiche nakitohna a lut ho jouse chu lengte sumkhol na a kona kimang chading ahi.
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 Chuleh Jerusalem khopia Pathen houin muntheng phunga konna sana le dangka khonle lheng Nebuchadnezzer in anapoh manga Babylona anakoi hochu nungpoh lut cheh kitding ana kikoina mun mama a chu koikit ding ahi. Hicheho jouse chu Pathen houin ah kinung pohlut kitding ahi.” Akitin ahi.
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 Hijeh chun Darius lengpan hiti hin thu ale thot tan ahi: “Tun hitiding ahi, Euphtates vadung lhumlam gamkaija gamvaipo Tattenai leh Shethar-Bozenai, chuleh Euphrates vadung lhumlam gamkaiya vaipo holah natoh khompi, nangho kikang seuvin!
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 Pathen in asah naova chun suboi hih beh un. Hiche houin chu ana kisah patna mun mama a chu asahphat kitdiu ahi. Judah gam vaipopa ahin natoh vaihom Judah upa ho ahin sutang hih beh un.
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 Hiche chungchon chun hiche pathen houin asah naova hin Judah upahohi kithopiuvin tia hiche thupeh hi kahin peh nahiuve. Euphrates vadung lhumlam gamkaisea kidongoh kai hochu hiche ain sahnao manna chu geisang louva napehdoh jengdiu hiche anatoh uhi nasuhboi lou heldiu ahi.
“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 Jerusalem’a thempu hon van pathenna akatdoh diuva bongchal nou hihen, kelchal hihen kelngoi chal hijongleh angaichat dungjui uva napeh jengdiu ahi. Chuleh niseh leh amahon angaichat dung jui uva suhlou chang hihen, chule lengpitwi hijongleh olive thao hijongleh angaichat channu chu napeh jengdiu ahi.
“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 Hiteng chuleh amahon van pathen in asan theidol kilhaina chu tohdoh untin chuleh lengpale achate damthei nale phattheina dinga ahin taopeh diu ahi.
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 Hiche kadan thupeh hi asuhkeh a aumleh ainsunga konin alhungpi kibotdoh intin, chutengleh hichea chun ama kikanbeh intin kivoding chuleh ainchu vutvai kisoding ahi.
“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 Hiche Jerusalem khopihi ama min loupina dinga hinlhangdoh Pathen chun hiche thupeh hi palkeh a chuleh hiche Houin hi susea aumleh hitobang leng ahilouleh hitobang nam-mi chu kisumang ding ahi. Darius keiman hiche daan hi kasem doh ahin hiche hi mijousen phatah in juisoh keihen,” tin thu ale thotkit tan ahi.
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 Euphrates vadung lhumlam gamkaija gamvaipopa leh Shethar-bozenai leh atoh khompi hon gangtah in Darius lengpa thupeh chu ajuipai jengun ahi.
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 upa ho chun atoh uchu ajom jengjun themgao teni Haggai leh Iddo chapa Zechariah thuhil’a konin akiha tilkhou lheh jengin ahi. Houin chu Israel Pathen in athupeh dungjui leh Persia lengho Cyrus, Darius, Artaxerxes in daan anasem dung juiyin asachai taovin ahi.
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 Pathen houin chu Darius lengpa vaihom kum gup channa in Adhar lha nihtum lhinni in achai taovin ahi.
They finished building it on March 12, during the sixth year that King Darius [ruled].
16 Pathen houin chu Israel mipite, Thempute, Levite chuleh asoh channaova konna hung kile hotoh kipa thanopna sangtah pummin alopna asem uvin ahi.
Then the priests and the Levites and all the other Israeli people who had returned from Babylon very joyfully dedicated the temple.
17 Hiche Pathen houin katdohna a hin bongchal jakhat, kelngoichal jani chuleh kelngoi ail akithat in ahi. Chuleh Israel pumpi phung somleni chonsetna thoidamna dingin kelchal somleni anatoh doh un ahi.
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 Hiche jouchun thempu hole Leviho chu jatchom chom’in ahom khen’un Mose lekhabua kijih bangin Jerusalem’a Pathen Houin’ah Pakai kin abollun ahi.
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 Akhovei lha masapen nisom le nili nin sohchang hung kile hon kalchuh kut amangun ahi.
On April 21, the Jews who had returned from Babylon celebrated the Passover Festival.
20 Hichun thempuho le Levite chu amahole amaho akithenso cheh taovin athengin aum tauvin ahi. Hichun amahon sohchang hungkile ho dingleh athempu chanpi hoding chule amaho a dingin kalchuh kut manna dingin kelngoi athatnun ahi.
[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 Hiche kalchuh kut chu sohchang hung kile kit Israel chate jousen ane uvin, chutengleh thilboh chengsea konna kikangsea Pakai kin bolna a hung kipelut honjong aneovin ahi.
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 Hiti chun Israel ten ni sagi sungin cholsolou changlhah kut kipah thanom tahin amangun ahi. Gamsung pumpia chun kipana le thanopna adimlha jengin ahi. Ajeh chu Pakaiyin Assyria lengpa chu amaho khotona aneisah a hijeh achu Israel te Pathen houin sahphatna dinga jong hin Lengpan ana kithopin ahi.
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].
