Ezra 4
1 When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the LORD, the God of Israel,
Men da Judas og Benjamins Fjender hørte, at de, der havde været i Landflygtighed, byggede HERREN, Israels Gud, en Helligdom,
2 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the families, saying, “Let us build with you because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to Him since the time of King Esar-haddon of Assyria, who brought us here.”
henvendte de sig til Zerubbabel, Jesua og Overhovederne for Fædrenehusene og sagde til dem: Lad os være med til at bygge, thi vi søger eders Gud saavel som I, og ham har vi ofret til, siden Assyrerkongen Asarhaddon førte os herhen!
3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other heads of the families of Israel replied, “You have no part with us in building a house for our God, since we alone must build it for the LORD, the God of Israel, as Cyrus king of Persia has commanded us.”
Men Zerubbabel, Jesua og de andre Overhoveder for Israels Fædrenehuse svarede: »I skal ikke være fælles med os om at bygge vor Gud et Hus, men vi vil være ene om at bygge for HERREN, Israels Gud, saaledes som Kong Kyros, Perserkongen, paalagde os!«
4 Then the people of the land set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to build.
Saa bragte Hedningerne i Landet Judas Folks Hænder til at synke og skræmmede dem fra at bygge;
5 They hired counselors against them to frustrate their plans throughout the reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.
og de købte Folk til med deres Raad at modarbejde dem og bringe deres Planer til at strande; saaledes gik det, saa længe Perserkongen Kyros levede, lige til Perserkongen Darius's Regering.
6 At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes, an accusation was lodged against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
Under Ahasverus's Regering, i hans første Regeringstid, skrev de en Klage over Judas og Jerusalems Indbyggere.
7 And in the days of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. It was written in Aramaic and then translated.
I Artaxerxes's Dage affattede Bisjlam, Mitredat, Tabe'el og alle hans andre Embedsbrødre en Skrivelse til Perserkongen Artaxerxes. Skrivelsen var affattet paa Aramaisk og oversat.
8 Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote the letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows:
Statholderen Rehum og Skriveren Sjimsjaj skrev et Brev mod Jerusalem til Kong Artaxerxes af følgende Indhold.
9 From Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates—the judges and officials over Tripolis, Persia, Erech and Babylon, the Elamites of Susa,
De, der dengang skrev, var Statholderen Rehum og Skriveren Sjimsjaj og alle deres andre Embedsbrødre, Diniterne, Afarsatkiterne, Tarpeliterne, Afaresiterne, Arkiterne, Babylonerne,
10 and the rest of the peoples whom the great and honorable Ashurbanipal deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and elsewhere west of the Euphrates.
Susaniterne, Dehaviterne, Elamiterne og de andre Folk, som den store og navnkundige Asenappar havde ført bort og ladet bosætte sig i Samarias Byer og andetsteds hinsides Floden, og saa videre.
11 (This is the text of the letter they sent to him.) To King Artaxerxes, From your servants, the men west of the Euphrates:
Dette er en Afskrift af Brevet, de sendte ham: »Til Kong Artaxerxes. Dine Trælle, Folkene hinsides Floden, og saa videre:
12 Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came from you to us have returned to Jerusalem. And they are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city, restoring its walls, and repairing its foundations.
Det være Kongen kundgjort, at Jøderne, som drog op til os fra dig, er kommet til Jerusalem; de er i Færd med at genopbygge denne oprørske og onde By; de genopfører Murene og udbedrer Grunden.
13 Let it now be known to the king that if that city is rebuilt and its walls are restored, they will not pay tribute, duty, or toll, and the royal treasury will suffer.
Men nu være det Kongen kundgjort, at hvis denne By bygges op og Murene genopføres, saa vil de ikke svare Skat, Afgift eller Skyld, og der bliver Skaar i Kongens Indtægter.
14 Now because we are in the service of the palace and it is not fitting for us to allow the king to be dishonored, we have sent to inform the king
Da vi nu spiser Paladsets Salt, og det ikke sømmer sig for os at se paa, at Kongen lider Skade, sender vi herved Bud og lader Kongen det vide,
15 that a search should be made of the record books of your fathers. In these books you will discover and verify that the city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces, inciting sedition from ancient times. That is why this city was destroyed.
for at der kan blive set efter i dine Fædres Krønikebog; i den vil du finde og se, at denne By er en oprørsk By, der har voldt Konger og Lande Skade, og at der fra gammel Tid har fundet Opstande Sted i den. Det er Grunden til, at denne By blev ødelagt.
16 We advise the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are restored, you will have no dominion west of the Euphrates.
Saa lader vi da Kongen vide, at hvis denne By bygges op og Murerne genopføres, har du ikke mere nogen Besiddelse hinsides Floden!«
17 Then the king sent this reply: To Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of your associates living in Samaria and elsewhere in the region west of the Euphrates: Greetings.
Kongen sendte da følgende Svar til Statholderen Rehum, Skriveren Sjimsjaj og alle deres andre Embedsbrødre, som boede i Samaria og de andre Lande hinsides Floden: »Hilsen, og saa videre.
18 The letter you sent us has been translated and read in my presence.
Den Skrivelse, I har sendt mig, er forelæst mig grundigt.
19 I issued a decree, and a search was conducted. It was discovered that this city has revolted against kings from ancient times, engaging in rebellion and sedition.
Og paa mit Bud har man set efter og fundet, at denne By fra gammel Tid har sat sig op mod Konger, og at der har fundet Oprør og Opstande Sted i den;
20 And mighty kings have ruled over Jerusalem and exercised authority over the whole region west of the Euphrates; and tribute, duty, and toll were paid to them.
over Jerusalem har der hersket mægtige Konger, som udstrakte deres Magt over alt hinsides Floden, og til hvem der svaredes Skat, Afgift og Skyld.
21 Now, therefore, issue an order for these men to stop, so that this city will not be rebuilt until I so order.
Giv derfor Ordre til at standse disse Mænd og til, at denne By ikke maa genopbygges, før der kommer Befaling fra mig;
22 See that you do not neglect this matter. Why allow this threat to increase and the royal interests to suffer?
og tag eder vel i Vare for at vise Forsømmelighed i denne Sag, at ikke der skal lides store Tab til Skade for Kongerne!«
23 When the text of the letter from King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their associates, they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and forcibly stopped them.
Saa snart Afskriften af denne Skrivelse fra Kong Artaxerxes var blevet læst for Rehum, Skriveren Sjimsjaj og deres Embedsbrødre, begav de sig uopholdelig til Jøderne i Jerusalem og tvang dem med Magt til at standse Arbejdet.
24 Thus the construction of the house of God in Jerusalem ceased, and it remained at a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Saa standsede Arbejdet paa Guds Hus i Jerusalem, og det hvilede til Perserkongen Darius's andet Regeringsaar.
