Ezra 4
1 Now news came to the haters of Judah and Benjamin that the people who had come back were building a Temple to the Lord, the God of Israel;
καὶ ἤκουσαν οἱ θλίβοντες Ιουδα καὶ Βενιαμιν ὅτι οἱ υἱοὶ τῆς ἀποικίας οἰκοδομοῦσιν οἶκον τῷ κυρίῳ θεῷ Ισραηλ
2 Then they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of families, and said to them, Let us take part in the building with you; for we are servants of your God, even as you are; and we have been making offerings to him from the days of Esar-haddon, king of Assyria, who put us here.
καὶ ἤγγισαν πρὸς Ζοροβαβελ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἄρχοντας τῶν πατριῶν καὶ εἶπαν αὐτοῖς οἰκοδομήσομεν μεθ’ ὑμῶν ὅτι ὡς ὑμεῖς ἐκζητοῦμεν τῷ θεῷ ὑμῶν καὶ αὐτῷ ἡμεῖς θυσιάζομεν ἀπὸ ἡμερῶν Ασαραδδων βασιλέως Ασσουρ τοῦ ἐνέγκαντος ἡμᾶς ὧδε
3 But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of families in Israel said to them, You have no part with us in the building of a house for our God; we ourselves will do the work together for the Lord, the God of Israel, as Cyrus, king of Persia, has given us orders.
καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτοὺς Ζοροβαβελ καὶ Ἰησοῦς καὶ οἱ κατάλοιποι τῶν ἀρχόντων τῶν πατριῶν τοῦ Ισραηλ οὐχ ἡμῖν καὶ ὑμῖν τοῦ οἰκοδομῆσαι οἶκον τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν ὅτι ἡμεῖς αὐτοὶ ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ οἰκοδομήσομεν τῷ κυρίῳ θεῷ ἡμῶν ὡς ἐνετείλατο ἡμῖν Κῦρος ὁ βασιλεὺς Περσῶν
4 Then the people of the land made the hands of the people of Judah feeble, troubling them with fear in their building;
καὶ ἦν ὁ λαὸς τῆς γῆς ἐκλύων τὰς χεῖρας τοῦ λαοῦ Ιουδα καὶ ἐνεπόδιζον αὐτοὺς τοῦ οἰκοδομεῖν
5 And they gave payment to men who made designs against them and kept them from effecting their purpose, all through the time of Cyrus, king of Persia, till Darius became king.
καὶ μισθούμενοι ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς βουλευόμενοι τοῦ διασκεδάσαι βουλὴν αὐτῶν πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας Κύρου βασιλέως Περσῶν καὶ ἕως βασιλείας Δαρείου βασιλέως Περσῶν
6 And in the time of Ahasuerus, when he first became king, they put on record a statement against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
καὶ ἐν βασιλείᾳ Ασουηρου ἐν ἀρχῇ βασιλείας αὐτοῦ ἔγραψαν ἐπιστολὴν ἐπὶ οἰκοῦντας Ιουδα καὶ Ιερουσαλημ
7 And in the time of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his friends, sent a letter to Artaxerxes, king of Persia, writing it in the Aramaean writing and language.
καὶ ἐν ἡμέραις Αρθασασθα ἔγραψεν ἐν εἰρήνῃ Μιθραδάτῃ Ταβεηλ σὺν καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς συνδούλοις αὐτοῦ πρὸς Αρθασασθα βασιλέα Περσῶν ἔγραψεν ὁ φορολόγος γραφὴν Συριστὶ καὶ ἡρμηνευμένην
8 Rehum, the chief ruler, and Shimshai the scribe, sent a letter against Jerusalem, to Artaxerxes the king;
Ραουμ βααλταμ καὶ Σαμσαι ὁ γραμματεὺς ἔγραψαν ἐπιστολὴν μίαν κατὰ Ιερουσαλημ τῷ Αρθασασθα βασιλεῖ
9 The letter was sent by Rehum, the chief ruler, and Shimshai the scribe and their friends; the Dinaites and the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Shushanchites, the Dehaites, the Elamites,
τάδε ἔκρινεν Ραουμ βααλταμ καὶ Σαμσαι ὁ γραμματεὺς καὶ οἱ κατάλοιποι σύνδουλοι ἡμῶν Διναῖοι Αφαρσαθαχαῖοι Ταρφαλλαῖοι Αφαρσαῖοι Αρχυαῖοι Βαβυλώνιοι Σουσαναχαῖοι οἵ εἰσιν Ηλαμαῖοι
10 And the rest of the nations which the great and noble Osnappar took over and put in Samaria and the rest of the country over the river:
καὶ οἱ κατάλοιποι ἐθνῶν ὧν ἀπῴκισεν Ασενναφαρ ὁ μέγας καὶ ὁ τίμιος καὶ κατῴκισεν αὐτοὺς ἐν πόλεσιν τῆς Σομορων καὶ τὸ κατάλοιπον πέραν τοῦ ποταμοῦ
11 This is a copy of the letter which they sent to Artaxerxes the king: Your servants living across the river send these words:
αὕτη ἡ διαταγὴ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς ἧς ἀπέστειλαν πρὸς αὐτόν πρὸς Αρθασασθα βασιλέα παῖδές σου ἄνδρες πέραν τοῦ ποταμοῦ
12 We give news to the king that the Jews who came from you have come to us at Jerusalem; they are building up again that uncontrolled and evil town; the walls are complete and they are joining up the bases.
γνωστὸν ἔστω τῷ βασιλεῖ ὅτι οἱ Ιουδαῖοι ἀναβάντες ἀπὸ σοῦ ἐφ’ ἡμᾶς ἤλθοσαν εἰς Ιερουσαλημ τὴν πόλιν τὴν ἀποστάτιν καὶ πονηρὰν οἰκοδομοῦσιν καὶ τὰ τείχη αὐτῆς κατηρτισμένοι εἰσίν καὶ θεμελίους αὐτῆς ἀνύψωσαν
13 The king may be certain that when the building of this town and its walls is complete, they will give no tax or payment in goods or forced payments, and in the end it will be a cause of loss to the kings.
νῦν οὖν γνωστὸν ἔστω τῷ βασιλεῖ ὅτι ἐὰν ἡ πόλις ἐκείνη ἀνοικοδομηθῇ καὶ τὰ τείχη αὐτῆς καταρτισθῶσιν φόροι οὐκ ἔσονταί σοι οὐδὲ δώσουσιν καὶ τοῦτο βασιλεῖς κακοποιεῖ
14 Now because we are responsible to the king, and it is not right for us to see the king's honour damaged, we have sent to give the king word of these things,
καὶ ἀσχημοσύνην βασιλέως οὐκ ἔξεστιν ἡμῖν ἰδεῖν διὰ τοῦτο ἐπέμψαμεν καὶ ἐγνωρίσαμεν τῷ βασιλεῖ
15 So that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers: and you will see in the book of the records that this town has been uncontrolled, and a cause of trouble to kings and countries, and that there were outbursts against authority there in the past: for which reason the town was made waste.
ἵνα ἐπισκέψηται ἐν βιβλίῳ ὑπομνηματισμοῦ τῶν πατέρων σου καὶ εὑρήσεις καὶ γνώσῃ ὅτι ἡ πόλις ἐκείνη πόλις ἀποστάτις καὶ κακοποιοῦσα βασιλεῖς καὶ χώρας καὶ φυγάδια δούλων ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς ἀπὸ χρόνων αἰῶνος διὰ ταῦτα ἡ πόλις αὕτη ἠρημώθη
16 We give you word, that if the building of this town and its walls is made complete, there will be an end of your power in the country across the river.
γνωρίζομεν οὖν ἡμεῖς τῷ βασιλεῖ ὅτι ἐὰν ἡ πόλις ἐκείνη οἰκοδομηθῇ καὶ τὰ τείχη αὐτῆς καταρτισθῇ οὐκ ἔστιν σοι εἰρήνη
17 Then the king sent an answer to Rehum, the chief ruler, and Shimshai the scribe, and their friends living in Samaria, and to the rest of those across the river, saying, Peace to you:
καὶ ἀπέστειλεν ὁ βασιλεὺς πρὸς Ραουμ βααλταμ καὶ Σαμσαι γραμματέα καὶ τοὺς καταλοίπους συνδούλους αὐτῶν τοὺς οἰκοῦντας ἐν Σαμαρείᾳ καὶ τοὺς καταλοίπους πέραν τοῦ ποταμοῦ εἰρήνην καί φησιν
18 And now the sense of the letter which you sent to us has been made clear to me,
ὁ φορολόγος ὃν ἀπεστείλατε πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἐκλήθη ἔμπροσθεν ἐμοῦ
19 And I gave orders for a search to be made, and it is certain that in the past this town has made trouble for kings, and that outbursts against authority have taken place there.
καὶ παρ’ ἐμοῦ ἐτέθη γνώμη καὶ ἐπεσκεψάμεθα καὶ εὕραμεν ὅτι ἡ πόλις ἐκείνη ἀφ’ ἡμερῶν αἰῶνος ἐπὶ βασιλεῖς ἐπαίρεται καὶ ἀποστάσεις καὶ φυγάδια γίνονται ἐν αὐτῇ
20 Further, there have been great kings in Jerusalem, ruling over all the country across the river, to whom they gave taxes and payments in goods and forced payments.
καὶ βασιλεῖς ἰσχυροὶ γίνονται ἐπὶ Ιερουσαλημ καὶ ἐπικρατοῦντες ὅλης τῆς ἑσπέρας τοῦ ποταμοῦ καὶ φόροι πλήρεις καὶ μέρος δίδοται αὐτοῖς
21 Give an order now, that these men are to do nothing more, and that the building of the town is to be stopped, till I give an order.
καὶ νῦν θέτε γνώμην καταργῆσαι τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐκείνους καὶ ἡ πόλις ἐκείνη οὐκ οἰκοδομηθήσεται ἔτι ὅπως ἀπὸ τῆς γνώμης
22 Be certain to do this with all care: do not let trouble be increased to the king's damage.
πεφυλαγμένοι ἦτε ἄνεσιν ποιῆσαι περὶ τούτου μήποτε πληθυνθῇ ἀφανισμὸς εἰς κακοποίησιν βασιλεῦσιν
23 Then, after reading the king's letter, Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their friends went quickly to Jerusalem, to the Jews, and had them stopped by force.
τότε ὁ φορολόγος τοῦ Αρθασασθα βασιλέως ἀνέγνω ἐνώπιον Ραουμ καὶ Σαμσαι γραμματέως καὶ συνδούλων αὐτῶν καὶ ἐπορεύθησαν σπουδῇ εἰς Ιερουσαλημ καὶ ἐν Ιουδα καὶ κατήργησαν αὐτοὺς ἐν ἵπποις καὶ δυνάμει
24 So the work of the house of God at Jerusalem came to an end; so it was stopped, till the second year of the rule of Darius, king of Persia.
τότε ἤργησεν τὸ ἔργον οἴκου τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἐν Ιερουσαλημ καὶ ἦν ἀργοῦν ἕως δευτέρου ἔτους τῆς βασιλείας Δαρείου τοῦ βασιλέως Περσῶν
