Ezra 6
1 Hahoi siangpahrang Darius ni kâ a poe teh Babilon râw kuemnae koe, cauk tânae dawk a tawng awh.
[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 Hat toteh, Medes ram Akhametha kho e siangpahrang im vah cakalawng e a hmu awh. Hawvah kahawicalah tâ hanelah hettelah thut lah ao.
[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 Jerusalem e Cathut e im teh siangpahrang Sairus ni a bawinae kum nah hettelah kâ a poe, thuengnae khoungroe im teh bout sak e lah awm seh, adu hai kacaklah ung naseh.
“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 A rasang e dong 60, akaw e dong 60, talung kalenpounge coung thum touh lah pacoung hnukkhu, a katha e thing hoi boutbout pacoung sin naseh. Aphunaw hateh siangpahrang e hnopai hoi poe lah ao han.
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 Hahoi Cathut e im dawk e sui, ngun hoi hnopai Nebukhadnezar ni Jerusalem lah a ceikhai teh Babilon vah a kâenkhai e naw hah bout poe naseh, Jerusalem e bawkim amae hmuen koevah ceikhai vaiteh Cathut e im dawk bout hrueng naseh.
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 Hatdawkvah, tui namran kaukkung Tattenai hoi Setharbozenai hoi tui namran lah kaawm e a hui Afasat taminaw hah hnai awh hanh.
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 Hete BAWIPA e bawkim sak e dawk runae poe awh hanh. Judah kahrawikungnaw hoi Judah kacuenaw ni Cathut e im teh amae hmuen koe bout sak naseh.
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 Hahoi sak e kabawp hanelah kâ na poe awh, thaw a hmacawn nahanelah, tui namran kanîloumlae tamuk teh, siangpahrang e hnopai thung hoi poe lah ao han.
“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 Panki e patetlah kalvan Cathut koe hmaisawi thueng nahanelah maitoca thoseh, tutan thoseh, tuca thoseh, cakang, misur, satui hai thoseh, Jerusalem kaawm e vaihmanaw ni a dei e patetlah hnintangkuem hnan laipalah, poe awh naseh.
“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 Hat toteh, kalvan Cathut koe hmuitui thuengnae pout laipalah siangpahrang hoi a ca hringsaw thai nahanlah a ratoum thai awh han.
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 Hete lawk ka ek e tami teh, a im khom phawk pouh vaiteh bout ung e dawk ama hai bang vaiteh, a im teh vaipuen lah tho sak han telah, kâ ka poe.
“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 Hahoi, hawvah a min kaawm sak e BAWIPA ni Jerusalem e Cathut im raphoe hanelah a kâcai. teh, kut ka dâw e siangpahrang hoi a ram pueng teh raphoe pouh e lah awm naseh telah, kai Darius ni kâ poe e patetlah roup tarawi naseh.
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 Hahoi teh, tui namran lah kaukkung Tattenai hoi Setharbozenai hoi a huinaw ni Darius e ca a hmu awh e patetlah a sak awh,
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 Hahoi profet Haggai hoi Iddo capa Zekhariah ni a dei roi e lawk kecu dawk Judah kahrawikungnaw ni kahawicalah a sak awh. Isarel Cathut e kâpoelawk patetlah Persia siangpahrang Sairus hoi Darius hoi Artaxerxes tinaw ni kâ poe e patetlah a sak awh teh a cum awh.
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 Hote im teh siangpahrang Darius a bawi kum 6nae, Adar thapa hni 3 nah a cum awh.
They finished building it on March 12, during the sixth year that King Darius [ruled].
16 Isarel catoun, vaihmanaw hoi Levih miphun, san dawk hoi ka tâcawt e ni Cathut e im teh pout laipalah lunghawicalah a sak awh.
Then the priests and the Levites and all the other Israeli people who had returned from Babylon very joyfully dedicated the temple.
17 Hete im saknae dawkvah maitotan 200, tuca 400 touh a poe awh. Hahoi Isarelnaw hanelah yon thuengnae dawk Isarel miphun yit touh hoiyah hmae 12 touh.
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 e cauk dawk thut e patetlah Jerusalem e Cathut im thaw tawk hanelah vaihmanaw hoi Levihnaw hah ahuhu lahoi ao sak awh.
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 Hahoi, san dawk hoi kahloutnaw ni thapa pasuek, hnin 14 nah ceitakhai pawi a sak awh.
On April 21, the Jews who had returned from Babylon celebrated the Passover Festival.
20 Vaihmanaw hoi Levih miphunnaw amamouh kâthoung sak teh abuemlahoi a thoung awh. Hahoi ceitakhai pawi nah san dawk hoi kahloutnaw hoi a hmaunawngha vaihmanaw hanelah tu a thei awh.
[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 Hahoi Isarel catoun san dawk hoi kahlout ni teh Isarel BAWIPA Cathut ka tawng ni teh alouke ramnaw e lawk ngai laipalah, a yonnae naw thoung sak e pueng hoi a canei awh.
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 Lung kanawmcalah tawn phuen hoeh e pawi hah hnin sari touh thung a sak awh. Bangkongtetpawiteh, BAWIPA ni ahnimanaw teh a lunghawi sak. Isarel Cathut e im saknae dawk a kut tha ao sak nahanelah Assiria siangpahrang e lungthin hah ahnimouh koe lah a kamlang sak.
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].
