Ezra 5

1 Og Profeterne, Profeten Haggaj og Sakarias, Iddo's Søn, profeterede for Jøderne, som vare i Juda og Jerusalem, i Israels Guds Navn, som var over dem.

Now the prophets, Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem. They prophesied to them in the name of the God of Israel.

2 Da gjorde Serubabel, Sealthiels Søn, og Jesua, Jozadaks Søn, sig rede og begyndte at bygge Guds Hus, som var i Jerusalem, og med dem de Guds Profeter, som styrkede dem.

Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Yeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build God’s house which is at Jerusalem; and with them were the prophets of God, helping them.

3 Paa den Tid kom Thatnaj, Landshøvdingen paa denne Side Floden, og Sthar-Bosnaj og deres Selskab til dem og sagde til dem: Hvo har givet eder Befaling om at bygge dette Hus og at fuldføre denne Mur?

At the same time Tattenai, the governor beyond the River, came to them, with Shetharbozenai and their companions, and asked them, “Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this wall?”

4 Da sagde vi altsaa til dem, hvad de Mænd hed, som byggede denne Bygning.

They also asked for the names of the men who were making this building.

5 Og over Jødernes Ældste var deres Guds Øje, og man forhindrede dem ikke, indtil der kom Befaling fra Darius, og man da sendte dem Brev tilbage derom.

But the eye of their God was on the Jewish elders, and they didn’t make them cease until the matter should come to Darius, and an answer should be returned by letter concerning it.

6 Afskriften af Brevet, som Thatnaj, Landshøvdingen paa denne Side Floden, og Sthar-Bosnaj og hans Selskab, de fra Afarsakta, som vare paa den Side Floden, sendte til Kong Darius; —

The copy of the letter that Tattenai, the governor beyond the River, and Shetharbozenai, and his companions the Apharsachites who were beyond the River, sent to Darius the king follows.

7 de sendte Beretningen til ham, og saaledes var der skrevet i den: Kong Darius ønske vi al Fred!

They sent a letter to him, in which was written: To Darius the king, all peace.

8 Det være Kongen vitterligt, at vi kom til det Landskab Juda, til den store Guds Hus, og at man bygger det med storø Stene og lægger Træ i Væggene, og at Arbejdet gaar rask frem og lykkes ved deres Hænder.

Be it known to the king that we went into the province of Judah, to the house of the great God, which is being built with great stones and timber is laid in the walls. This work goes on with diligence and prospers in their hands.

9 Da spurgte vi disse. Ældste ad og sagde saaledes til dem: Hvo har givet eder Befaling om at bygge dette Hus og at fuldføre denne Mur?

Then we asked those elders, and said to them thus, “Who gave you a decree to build this house, and to finish this wall?”

10 Vi spurgte og om deres Navne for at give dig dem til Kende, at vi kunde skrive de Mænds Navne, som vare deres Øverster.

We asked them their names also, to inform you that we might write the names of the men who were at their head.

11 Og de gave os saadant Svar tilbage og sagde: Vi ere Himmelens og Jordens Guds Tjenere og bygge et Hus, som var fordum bygget, for mange Aar siden; thi en stor Konge i Israel havde bygget det og fuldført det.

Thus they returned us answer, saying, “We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth and are building the house that was built these many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished.

12 Men efterdi vore Fædre havde fortørnet Himmelens Gud, gav han dem i Kongen af Babel, Kaldæeren Nebukadnezars Haand, og denne nedbrød dette Hus og førte Folket bort til Babel.

But after our fathers had provoked the God of heaven to wrath, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Kasdian, who destroyed this house and carried the people away into Babylon.

13 Men i Kongen af Babel, Kyrus's første Aar, gav Kong Kyrus Befaling at bygge dette Guds Hus.

But in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree to build this house of God.

14 Ja, ogsaa de Guds Hus's Kar, som vare af Guld og Sølv, hvilke Nebukadnezar havde udtaget af Templet, som var i Jerusalem, og ført til Templet i Babel, dem udtog Kong Kyrus af Templet i Babel, og de bleve givne en, hvis Navn var Sesbazar, hvilken han satte til Landshøvding.

The gold and silver vessels of God’s house, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that was in Jerusalem and brought into the temple of Babylon, those Cyrus the king also took out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered to one whose name was Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor.

15 Og han sagde til ham: Tag disse Kar, gak bort og bring dem ind i Templet, som er i Jerusalem, og lad Guds Hus bygges paa sit Sted!

He said to him, ‘Take these vessels, go, put them in the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let God’s house be built in its place.’

16 Da kom den samme Sesbazar, han lagde Grundvolden til Guds Hus, som er i Jerusalem; og fra da af og indtil nu bygges det og er ikke fuldført.

Then the same Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of God’s house which is in Jerusalem. Since that time even until now it has been being built, and yet it is not completed.

17 Og dersom det nu synes godt for Kongen, saa lad der blive eftersøgt i Kongens Skatkammer, som er i Babel, om det er saa, at der er given Befaling af Kong Kyrus om at bygge dette Guds Hus i Jerusalem, og man sende os Kongens Vilje derom!

Now therefore, if it seems good to the king, let a search be made in the king’s treasure house, which is there at Babylon, whether it is so that a decree was made by Cyrus the king to build this house of God at Jerusalem; and let the king send his pleasure to us concerning this matter.”