Ezra 5
1 The prophets Haggai and Zechariah, son of Iddo, gave messages to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem from the God of Israel, their ruler.
那時，先知哈該和易多的孫子撒迦利亞奉以色列上帝的名向猶大和耶路撒冷的猶大人說勸勉的話。
2 Then Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua, son of Jozadak, decided to start work on rebuilding God's Temple in Jerusalem. The prophets of God encouraged them and helped them.
於是撒拉鐵的兒子所羅巴伯和約薩達的兒子耶書亞都起來動手建造耶路撒冷上帝的殿，有上帝的先知在那裏幫助他們。
3 Almost immediately Tattenai, the governor of the province west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their fellow officials arrived and asked, “Who gave you permission to rebuild this Temple and finish it?”
當時河西的總督達乃和示他‧波斯乃，並他們的同黨來問說：「誰降旨讓你們建造這殿，修成這牆呢？」
4 Then they asked, “What are the names of the men who are working on this building?”
我們便告訴他們建造這殿的人叫甚麼名字。
5 But their God was watching over the Jewish leaders, so that they were not prevented from working until a report could be sent to Darius and a written reply with instructions was received.
上帝的眼目看顧猶大的長老，以致總督等沒有叫他們停工，直到這事奏告大流士，得着他的回諭。
6 The following is a copy of the letter that Tattenai, the governor of the province west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their fellow officials, officials of the province, sent to King Darius.
河西的總督達乃和示他‧波斯乃，並他們的同黨，就是住河西的亞法薩迦人，上本奏告大流士王。
7 The report they sent him read went like this: “To King Darius: Greetings.
本上寫着說：「願大流士王諸事平安。
8 We wish to inform Your Majesty that we went to the province of Judah, to the Temple of the great God. It is being built with large stones, with timber beams being placed on the walls. This work is being done properly and is progressing well.
王該知道，我們往猶大省去，到了至大上帝的殿，這殿是用大石建造的。樑木插入牆內，工作甚速，他們手下亨通。
9 We questioned the leaders, asking them, ‘Who gave you permission to rebuild this Temple and finish it?’
我們就問那些長老說：『誰降旨讓你們建造這殿，修成這牆呢？』
10 We also asked for their names, so that we could write them down and let you know the names of their leaders.
又問他們的名字，要記錄他們首領的名字，奏告於王。
11 This is the answer they gave us. ‘We are servants of the God of heaven and earth. We are rebuilding the Temple built and completed many years ago by a great king of Israel.
他們回答說：『我們是天地之上帝的僕人，重建前多年所建造的殿，就是以色列的一位大君王建造修成的。
12 But our forefathers made the God of heaven angry, so he handed them over to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this Temple and deported the people to Babylon.
只因我們列祖惹天上的上帝發怒，上帝把他們交在迦勒底人巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒的手中，他就拆毀這殿，又將百姓擄到巴比倫。
13 However, Cyrus, king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, issued a decree to rebuild this Temple of God.
然而巴比倫王塞魯士元年，他降旨允准建造上帝的這殿。
14 He even gave back the gold and silver items belonging to God's Temple, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem and placed in his temple in Babylon. King Cyrus gave them to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he had appointed governor,
上帝殿中的金、銀器皿，就是尼布甲尼撒從耶路撒冷的殿中掠去帶到巴比倫廟裏的，塞魯士王從巴比倫廟裏取出來，交給派為省長的，名叫設巴薩，
15 telling him, Take these items and place them in the Temple in Jerusalem. Rebuild God's Temple on its original site.
對他說可以將這些器皿帶去，放在耶路撒冷的殿中，在原處建造上帝的殿。
16 So Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of God's Temple in Jerusalem. It has been under construction since then, but hasn't yet been completed.’
於是這設巴薩來建立耶路撒冷上帝殿的根基。這殿從那時直到如今尚未造成。』
17 So, if Your Majesty wishes, authorize a search to be made of the royal archives in Babylon to discover if there is a record that King Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild God's Temple in Jerusalem. Then please let us know Your Majesty's decision in this matter.”
現在王若以為美，請察巴比倫王的府庫，看塞魯士王降旨允准在耶路撒冷建造上帝的殿沒有，王的心意如何？請降旨曉諭我們。」
