以斯拉記 6
1 達理阿王遂下令，檢查在巴比倫貯藏寶物的檔案室。
[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 在厄克巴塔納，即在瑪待省的王堡內，發現了一宗案卷，上邊這樣的記載：「備忘錄：
[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 居魯士王元年，居魯士曾為耶路撒冷天主的殿宇，頒發上諭：殿宇應予重建，為在那裏舉行祭獻，奉獻火祭；殿應高六十肘，寬六十肘，
“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 三層用方石，一層用木料修建；所有費用概出自室。
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 此外，凡拿步高王取耶路撒冷殿宇，而運到巴比倫的，天主殿宇的那些金銀器，冊都應歸還，送回耶路撒冷的殿宇內，各放在原處，安置在天主的殿宇內。
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 河西州長塔特乃的同僚官員，應退出那地，
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 不可干涉天主殿宇的工程，任憑猶太人的總督和猶太人的長老，在原處重建天主的殿宇。
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 此外，我且頒下此旨，諭令你們為協助猶太人的長老，修建天主的殿應行的事：由河西收入王室的賦稅，給那些人撥出充分的經費，不得有誤!
“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 他們向上天大王，獻全燔祭所需要是牛犢、公綿羊和羔羊，以及麵、鹽、酒和油，應按耶路撒冷的司祭所指定的，每天供應，不得有誤!
“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 好使他們向上天的大王，奉獻馨香祭，為君王和王孫的長壽祈禱。
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 我今頒下此令：凡有敢刪改此令者，應把他屋內的樑木拆出，堅起來，把他懸在上邊；令他的房屋從此成為糞堆。
“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 凡有敢刪改此令，對耶路撒冷的天主殿宇，敢於破壞的王侯和人民，願那使己名住在那裏的天主將他毀滅! 我達理阿頒發此令，應悉依照遵行! 」
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 於是河西長塔特乃和他們的同僚，全照達理阿王所頒佈的，一一遵行。
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 猶太人的長老遂繼續修建，因著先知哈蓋，和依多的兒子匝利亞的鼓勵，進行的很是順利；如此他們遵照以色列天主的旨意，並按照波斯王居魯士和達理阿的諭令，完成了修殿的工程。
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 聖殿完工的日期，是在達理阿王在位第六年，「阿達爾」月初三日。
They finished building it on March 12, during the sixth year that King Darius [ruled].
16 以色列子民、司祭、肋未人和其餘由充軍歸來的人，興高彩烈，為天主的殿舉行了奉獻禮。
Then the priests and the Levites and all the other Israeli people who had returned from Babylon very joyfully dedicated the temple.
17 天主聖殿的奉獻禮，奉獻了牛犢一百頭，公綿羊二百隻，羔羊四百隻；又照以色列支派的數目，a了十二隻公山羊，為贖全叵的罪。
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 他們又派定了司祭，按照他們的編制，肋未人，按照他們的班次，在耶路撒冷值班奉侍天主，全照梅瑟書上所記載的。
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 由充軍歸來的子民，於正月十四日，舉行了逾越節。
On April 21, the Jews who had returned from Babylon celebrated the Passover Festival.
20 肋未人全都聖潔了自己，他們既已聖潔了，就為所有充軍歸來的人，並為他們的兄弟司祭和自己，宰殺了逾越節羔羊。
[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 凡由充軍歸來的以色列子民，並所有戒絕當地民族不潔的人，尋求上主以色列的天主，都吃了逾越節羔羊。
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 七天之久，歡樂地舉行了無酵節，因為上主使亞述王的心傾向他們，協助了他們修建以色列天主的聖殿，都非常歡樂。
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].
