Ezra 7
1 Now after these things, during the reign of Artaxerxes, the king of the Persians, Ezra, the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,
Saya, Ezra, adalah ahli Taurat yang sangat terdidik dalam hukum-hukum TUHAN yang diberikan kepada bangsa Israel melalui Musa. Saya adalah anak Seraya. Daftar leluhur saya mulai dari imam besar yang pertama yaitu Harun, kemudian Eleazar, Pinehas, Abisua, Buki, Uzi, Zeruya, Merayot, Azarya, Amaria, Ahitub, Zadok, Salum, Hilkia, Azarya, Seraya. Beberapa tahun setelah pembangunan rumah TUHAN, saya berangkat dari Babel ke Yerusalem. Sejumlah imam, orang Lewi, para pemusik, penjaga gerbang, dan pekerja rumah TUHAN juga ikut bersama saya. Kami pergi pada tahun ketujuh pemerintahan Raja Artasasta di negeri Persia, tepatnya tanggal satu bulan pertama. Dengan pertolongan Allah, kami tiba di Yerusalem pada tanggal satu bulan kelima. Raja membekali saya dengan apa pun yang saya minta, sebab TUHAN Allah menyertai saya.
2 the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub,
3 the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth,
4 the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki,
5 the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, priest from the beginning,
6 this same Ezra, ascended from Babylon; and he was a proficient scribe in the law of Moses, which the Lord God gave to Israel. And the king granted to him his every petition. For the hand of the Lord, his God, was over him.
7 And some from the sons of Israel, and from the sons of the priests, and from the sons of the Levites, and from the singing men, and from the gatekeepers, and from the temple servants ascended to Jerusalem, in the seventh year of king Artaxerxes.
8 And they arrived at Jerusalem in the fifth month, in the same seventh year of the king.
9 For on the first day of the first month, he began to ascend from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month, he arrived at Jerusalem. For the good hand of his God was over him.
10 For Ezra prepared his heart, so that he might search the law of the Lord, and so that he might keep and teach precept and judgment in Israel.
Saya sudah menetapkan dalam hati untuk mempelajari, melaksanakan, dan mengajarkan segala hukum TUHAN di Israel.
11 Now this is a copy of the letter of the edict, which king Artaxerxes gave to Ezra, the priest, a scribe well-taught in the words and precepts of the Lord and in his ceremonies in Israel:
Berikut ini adalah salinan surat dari Raja Artasasta kepada saya, sebagai seorang imam sekaligus ahli dalam hukum yang TUHAN berikan kepada bangsa Israel:
12 “Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra, the priest, a very learned scribe of the law of the God of heaven: a greeting.
Salam dari Artasasta, raja segala raja, kepada Ezra, imam dan ahli hukum Allah Penguasa surga.
13 It has been decreed by me, that whosoever wishes, among the people of Israel and their priests and Levites within my kingdom, to go to Jerusalem, may go with you.
Saya memerintahkan agar setiap orang Israel dalam kerajaan saya yang ingin pergi ke Yerusalem, boleh pergi bersamamu, baik itu rakyat biasa, para imam, maupun orang Lewi.
14 For you have been sent from the face of the king and his seven counselors, so that you may visit Judea and Jerusalem by the law of your God, which is in your hand,
Saya sebagai raja, beserta ketujuh penasihat saya, mengutus kamu untuk memeriksa keadaan wilayah Yehuda dan Yerusalem berdasarkan perintah dan ketetapan Allahmu, yang ada padamu.
15 and so that you may carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose tabernacle is in Jerusalem.
Bawalah juga perak dan emas yang sudah kami berikan kepadamu untuk menjadi persembahan sukarela kepada Allah Israel, yaitu Allah yang rumah-Nya berada di Yerusalem.
16 And all the silver and gold, as much as you will find in the entire province of Babylon, and which the people will wish to offer, and which some of the priests will offer freely to the house of their God, which is in Jerusalem,
Kamu juga harus membawa semua perak dan emas yang dikumpulkan di seluruh provinsi Babel dan persembahan dari orang Israel serta imam mereka. Semua itu harus diserahkan sebagai persembahan di rumah Allah.
17 accept it freely. And with this money, carefully purchase calves, rams, lambs, and their sacrifices and libations, and offer these upon the altar of the temple of your God, which is in Jerusalem.
Gunakanlah uang itu dengan baik untuk membeli sapi jantan, domba, anak domba, gandum, dan anggur terbaik. Kemudian persembahkanlah semuanya itu di atas mezbah di rumah Allahmu di Yerusalem.
18 But also, whatever it will please you and your brothers to do with the remainder of the silver and gold, do so in accord with the will of your God.
Gunakan sisa dari perak dan emas itu untuk apa pun yang kalian butuhkan, sesuai dengan kehendak Allahmu.
19 Likewise, the vessels that have been given to you for the ministry of the house of your God, deliver these to the sight of God in Jerusalem.
Kamu harus menyerahkan kepada Allah Yerusalem semua peralatan yang sudah diberikan kepadamu untuk digunakan dalam pelayanan rumah Allah.
20 Then, whatever more will be needed for the house of your God, as much as is necessary for you to spend, it shall be given from the treasury, and from the king’s finances,
Dan apa pun yang masih kamu butuhkan untuk pembangunan rumah Allahmu, silakan minta dari perbendaharaan kerajaan.
21 and by me. I, king Artaxerxes, have appointed and decreed to all the keepers of the public treasury, those who are beyond the river, that whatever Ezra, the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall ask of you, you shall provide it without delay,
Saya, Raja Artasasta, sekarang mengeluarkan perintah kepada semua pejabat perbendaharaan di Provinsi Sebelah Barat sungai Efrat untuk memberikan apa saja yang diminta oleh Imam Ezra, ahli dan pengajar hukum Allah Penguasa surga.
22 even up to one hundred talents of silver, and up to one hundred cors of wheat, and up to one hundred baths of wine, and up to one hundred baths of oil, and truly salt without measure.
Jumlah maksimal yang boleh kalian berikan kepadanya adalah sebagai berikut: Perak 3.400 kilogram, gandum 10.000 kilogram, anggur 2.000 liter, minyak zaitun 2.000 liter, dan garam tanpa batas.
23 All that pertains to the rite of the God of heaven, let it be distributed scrupulously to the house of the God of heaven, lest perhaps he may become angry against the kingdom of the king and his sons.
Kalian harus teliti dalam memberikan segala sesuatu yang diperintahkan oleh Allah Penguasa surga untuk kebutuhan rumah-Nya, supaya Dia tidak marah kepada saya ataupun raja-raja keturunan saya.
24 Likewise, we would make known to you, about all the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the gatekeepers, and the temple servants, and the ministers of the house of this God, that you have no authority to impose tax, or tribute, or duty upon them.
Saya juga perintahkan bahwa setiap imam, orang Lewi, penyanyi, penjaga gerbang, serta pelayan dan pekerja lain di rumah Allah tidak boleh dikenakan pajak atau pungutan untuk kerajaan.
25 But as for you, Ezra, in accord with the wisdom of your God, which is in your hand, appoint judges and magistrates, so that they may judge the entire people, which is beyond the river, especially so that they may know the law of your God, but also so as to teach the ignorant freely.
Ezra, pakailah hikmat yang Allah berikan kepadamu untuk mengangkat pemimpin-pemimpin dan hakim-hakim yang akan memerintah semua orang di Provinsi Sebelah Barat sungai Efrat sesuai dengan hukum Allahmu. Para pemimpin dan hakim itu harus sudah tahu dan melakukan hukum-hukum Allah serta bisa mengajarkannya kepada masyarakat yang belum mengetahuinya.
26 And anyone who will not diligently keep the law of your God, and the law of the king, judgment shall be upon him, either to death, or to exile, or to the confiscation of his goods, or certainly to prison.”
Setiap orang yang tidak mematuhi hukum Allahmu dan hukum kerajaan harus segera dijatuhi hukuman yang sesuai dengan pelanggarannya. Hukuman dapat berupa disita harta miliknya, dipaksa meninggalkan wilayah kerajaan saya, dipenjara, atau dihukum mati.
27 Blessed be the Lord, the God of our fathers, who has put this into the heart of the king, so that he may glorify the house of the Lord, which is in Jerusalem.
Terpujilah TUHAN, Allah nenek moyang kita, yang menggugah hati raja untuk memberi perhatian khusus kepada rumah TUHAN di Yerusalem!
28 For he has turned his mercy toward me in the sight of the king, and his counselors, and all the powerful leaders of the king. And so, having been strengthened by the hand of the Lord, my God, which was upon me, I gathered together some of the leaders of Israel, those who were to go up with me.
Dia sudah menyatakan kebaikan-Nya kepada saya, sehingga saya dihormati di hadapan raja dan ketujuh penasihatnya serta di hadapan semua pembesar yang berkuasa! Saya diberi kekuatan, karena TUHAN Allah menyertai saya, kemudian saya mengajak beberapa pemimpin Israel pulang ke Yerusalem bersama saya.
