< Ezra 6 >
1 [Later] Darius [became the ruler of the Persian Empire. When the enemies of the Israelis forced them to stop rebuilding the temple, the Persian officials sent a message to King Darius. They asked him to] search the records in the (archives/government records), in the building where the king stored the important documents, [to find out whether King Cyrus had authorized that the temple should be rebuilt].
そこでダリヨス王は命を下して、バビロンのうちで、古文書をおさめてある書庫を調べさせたところ、
2 [The king commanded someone to search there, but those documents were not there in Babylon]. They found a scroll at the fort in Ecbatana, in Media province, [that contained the information that they wanted to know]. This is what was written on that scroll:
メデヤ州の都エクバタナで、一つの巻物を見いだした。そのうちにこうしるされてある。「記録。
3 “During the first year that Cyrus [ruled the empire], he sent out a decree concerning the temple of God which is at Jerusalem. In the decree it was stated that a new temple must be built at the same place that [the Israeli people previously] had offered sacrifices, where the [original] foundation [of the first temple] was. The temple must be 90 feet high and 90 feet wide.
クロス王の元年にクロス王は命を下した、『エルサレムにある神の宮については、犠牲をささげ、燔祭を供える所の宮を建て、その宮の高さを六十キュビトにし、その幅を六十キュビトにせよ。
4 The building must be made from large stones. After putting down three layers of stones, a layer of timber must be put on top of them. This work will be paid for by money from my treasury.
大いなる石の層を三段にし、木の層を一段にせよ。その費用は王の家から与えられる。
5 Also, the gold and silver utensils that King Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple of God in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon must be taken back to Jerusalem. They must be put in God’s temple just as they were in the previous temple.”
またネブカデネザルが、エルサレムの宮からバビロンに移した神の宮の金銀の器物は、これをかえして、エルサレムにある宮のもとの所に持って行き、これを神の宮に納めよ』」。
6 After reading this, King Darius sent this message [to the leaders of the Israeli people’s enemies in Jerusalem]: “This is a message for Tattenai, the governor of the province west of the [Euphrates] River, and for [his assistant] Shethar-Bozenai, and for all your colleagues: Stay away from that area!
「それで川向こうの州の知事タテナイおよびセタル・ボズナイとその同僚である川向こうの州の知事たちよ、あなたがたはこれに遠ざかり、
7 Do not (interfere with/hinder) the work of building the temple of God! The temple must be rebuilt at the same place where the former temple was. And do not hinder the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews [while they are doing this work].
神のこの宮の工事を彼らに任せ、ユダヤ人の知事とユダヤ人の長老たちに、神のこの宮をもとの所に建てさせよ。
8 “Furthermore, I declare that you must help these leaders of the Jews as they rebuild this temple of God [by giving them funds for the building work].
わたしはまた命を下し、神のこの宮を建てることについて、あなたがたがこれらのユダヤ人の長老たちになすべき事を示す。王の財産、すなわち川向こうの州から納めるみつぎの中から、その費用をじゅうぶんそれらの人々に与えて、その工事を滞らないようにせよ。
9 “The Jewish priests in Jerusalem need young bulls and rams and lambs to sacrifice as they make burned offerings to the God of heaven. You must give them the animals that they need. Also, you must be certain to give them the wheat, salt, wine, and [olive] oil that they need each day [for those sacrifices].
またその必要とするもの、すなわち天の神にささげる燔祭の子牛、雄羊および小羊ならびに麦、塩、酒、油などエルサレムにいる祭司たちの求めにしたがって、日々怠りなく彼らに与え、
10 If you do that, the Jewish priests will be able to offer sacrifices that please the God who is in heaven, and they will pray that God will bless me and my sons.
彼らにこうばしい犠牲を天の神にささげさせ、王と王子たちの長寿を祈らせよ。
11 “If anyone disobeys this decree, [my soldiers] will pull a beam from his house. Then [after they sharpen one end of the beam, ] they will lift that man up and impale him on that beam. Then they will [completely destroy that man’s house until only] a pile of rubble is left.
わたしはまた命を下す。だれでもこの命ずる所を改める者があるならば、その家の梁は抜き取られ、彼はその上にくぎづけにされ、その家はまた、これがために汚物の山とされるであろう。
12 God has chosen [that city of] Jerusalem as the place where people will honor him [MTY]. What I desire is that he will get rid of any king or any nation that tries to change this decree or tries to destroy that temple in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have made this decree. It must be obeyed quickly and thoroughly.”
これを改めようとする者、あるいはエルサレムにある神のこの宮を滅ぼそうとして手を出す王あるいは民は、かしこにその名をとどめられる神よ、願わくはこれを倒されるように。われダリヨスは命を下す。心してこれを行え」。
13 Tattenai, the governor of the province, and [his assistant] Shethar-Bozenai and their colleagues [read the message and] immediately obeyed the decree of King Darius.
ダリヨス王がこう言い送ったので、川向こうの州の知事タテナイおよびセタル・ボズナイとその同僚たちは心してこれを行った。
14 So the Jewish leaders continued their work [of rebuilding the temple]. They were greatly encouraged by the messages that the prophets Haggai and Zechariah preached. The Israelis continued building the temple, just like God had commanded them to do and like King Cyrus had decreed.
そしてユダヤ人の長老たちは、預言者ハガイおよびイドの子ゼカリヤの預言によって建て、これをなし遂げた。彼らはイスラエルの神の命令により、またクロス、ダリヨスおよびペルシャ王アルタシャスタの命によって、これを建て終った。
15 They finished building it on March 12, during the sixth year that King Darius [ruled].
この宮はダリヨス王の治世の六年アダルの月の三日に完成した。
16 Then the priests and the Levites and all the other Israeli people who had returned from Babylon very joyfully dedicated the temple.
そこでイスラエルの人々、祭司たち、レビびとおよびその他の捕囚から帰った人々は、喜んで神のこの宮の奉献式を行った。
17 During [the ceremony to] dedicate the temple, they sacrificed 100 young bulls, 200 rams, and 400 lambs. They also sacrificed twelve male goats as an offering in order that [God would forgive] the sins of the people of the twelve tribes of Israel.
すなわち神のこの宮の奉献式において、雄牛一百頭、雄羊二百頭、小羊四百頭をささげ、またイスラエルの部族の数にしたがって、雄やぎ十二頭をささげて、すべてのイスラエルびとのための罪祭とした。
18 Then the priests and Levites were divided into groups that would [take turns to] serve at the temple. They did this according to what Moses had written [many years previously] in the laws [that he wrote].
またモーセの書にしるされてあるように祭司を組別により、レビびとを班別によって立て、エルサレムで神に仕えさせた。
19 On April 21, the Jews who had returned from Babylon celebrated the Passover Festival.
こうして捕囚から帰って来た人々は、正月の十四日に過越の祭を行った。
20 [To qualify themselves for offering the sacrifices], the priests and Levites had already purified themselves by performing certain rituals. Then they slaughtered the lambs for the benefit of all the people who had returned from Babylon, for the other priests, and for themselves.
すなわち祭司、レビびとたちは共に身を清めて皆清くなり、すべて捕囚から帰って来た人々のため、その兄弟である祭司たちのため、また彼ら自身のために過越の小羊をほふった。
21 Those who had returned from Babylon and the other people in that land who had turned away from their immoral practices in order to worship Yahweh, the God of the Israeli people, ate the Passover meal.
そして捕囚から帰って来たイスラエルの人々、およびその地の異邦人の汚れを捨てて彼らに連なり、イスラエルの神、主を拝しようとする者はすべてこれを食べ、
22 They celebrated the Unleavened Bread Festival of [Eating] Unleavened Bread for seven days. The Israeli people throughout the land were joyful because Yahweh had changed the attitude of the king of Assyria toward them, and as a result, the king had helped them to rebuild the temple of God, the one whom they [worshiped].
喜んで七日の間、種入れぬパンの祭を行った。これは主が彼らを喜ばせ、またアッスリヤの王の心を彼らに向かわせ、彼にイスラエルの神にいます神の宮の工事を助けさせられたからである。