< 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.
爰に預言者ハガイおよびイドの子ゼカリヤの二人の預言者ユダとヱルサレムに居るユダヤ人に向ひてイスラエルの神の名をもて預言する所ありければ
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.
シヤルテルの子ゼルバベルおよびヨザダクの子ヱシュア起あがりてヱルサレムなる神の室を建ることを始む 神の預言者等これと共に在て之を助く
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?”
その時に河外の總督タテナイといふ者セタルボズナイおよびその同僚とともにその所に來り誰が汝らに此室を建て此石垣を築きあぐることを命ぜしやと斯言ひ
4 Then they asked, “What are the names of the men who are working on this building?”
また此建物を建る人々の名は何といふやと斯これに問り
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.
然るにユダヤ人の長老等の上にはその神の目そそぎゐたれば彼等これを止むること能はずして遂にその事をダリヨスに奏してその返答の來るを待り
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.
河外ふの總督タテナイおよびセタルボズナイとその同僚なる河外ふのアパルサカイ人がダリヨス王に上まつりし書の稿は左のごとし
7 The report they sent him read went like this: “To King Darius: Greetings.
即ち其上まつりし書の中に書しるしたる所は是のごとし 云く願くはダリヨス王に大なる平安あれ
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.
王知りたまへ我儕ユダヤ州に往てかの大神の室に至り視しに巨石をもて之を建て材木を組て壁を作り居り其工事おほいに捗りてその手を下すところ成ざる無し
9 We questioned the leaders, asking them, ‘Who gave you permission to rebuild this Temple and finish it?’
是に於て我儕その長老等に問てこれに斯いへり 誰が汝らに此室を建てこの石垣を築きあぐることを命ぜしやと
10 We also asked for their names, so that we could write them down and let you know the names of their leaders.
我儕またその首長たる人々の名を書しるして汝に奏聞せんがためにその名を問り
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.
時に彼等かく我らに答へて言り 我儕は天地の神の僕にして年久しき昔に建おかれし殿を再び建るなり 是は素イスラエルの大なる王 某の建築きたる者なしりが
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.
我らの父等天の神の震怒を惹起せしに縁てつひに之をカルデヤ人バビロンの王ネブカデネザルの手に付したまひければ彼この殿を毀ち民をバビロンに擄へゆけり
13 However, Cyrus, king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, issued a decree to rebuild this Temple of God.
然るにバビロンの王クロスの元年にクロス王神のこの室を建べしとの詔言を下したまへり
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,
然のみならず ヱルサレムの殿よりネブカデネザルが取いだしてバビロンの殿に携へいれし神の室の金銀の器皿もクロス王これをバビロンの殿より取いだし其立たる總督セシバザルと名くる者に之を付し
15 telling him, Take these items and place them in the Temple in Jerusalem. Rebuild God's Temple on its original site.
而して彼に言けらく是等の器皿を取り往て之をヱルサレムの殿に携へいれ神の室をその本の處に建よと
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.’
是において其セシバザル來りてヱルサレムなる神の室の石礎を置たりき 其時よりして今に至るまで之を建つつありしが猶いまだ竣らざるなりと
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.”
然ば今王もし善となされなば請ふ御膝下バビロンにある所の王の寳蔵を査べたまひて神のこの室を建べしとの詔言のクロス王より出しや否を稽へ而して王此事につきて御旨を我らに諭したまえ

< Ezra 5 >