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].
Enti ɔhene Dario hyɛɛ sɛ, wɔnkɔhwehwɛ Babilonia nneɛma dedaw akorae hɔ faako a wɔkora nneɛma a ɛsom bo no.
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:
Na Ekbatana aban a ɛwɔ Mediaman no mu hɔ no na wohuu krataa mmobɔwee bi. Na emu nsɛm ni: Amanneɛbɔ krataa:
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.
Ɔhene Kores dii ade nʼafe a edi so no, wɔhyɛɛ mmara faa Onyankopɔn asɔredan a ɛwɔ Yerusalem no ho. Ɛkae se ɛsɛ sɛ wɔsan si no wɔ beae a na Yudafo bɔ wɔn afɔre hɔ, wɔ fapem dedaw no so. Ɛsɛ sɛ ne sorokɔ yɛ anammɔn aduɔkron, na ne trɛw nso anammɔn aduɔkron.
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.
Abo a wɔasiesie no sononko no mmeaso abiɛsa biara so no, ɛsɛ sɛ wɔde nnua gu. Na adehye foto mu na wobefi atua ho ka.
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.”
Sikakɔkɔɔ ne dwetɛ nkuku ne nkaka a Nebukadnessar tase fii Onyankopɔn asɔredan a esi Yerusalem no mu de kɔɔ Babilonia no, ɛsɛ sɛ wɔsan de kɔ Yerusalem, de kogu Onyankopɔn asɔredan no mu sɛnea na ɛte no.
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!
Na ɔhene Dario de saa nkra yi somae: Mede krataa yi kɔma amrado Tatenai a ɔwɔ asu Eufrate agya ne Setar-Bosnai ne mo mfɛfo ne mpanyimfo a wɔwɔ Eufrate agya sɛ monnkɔ hɔ.
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].
Monnkotwintwan Onyankopɔn asɔredan no si anan mu. Wonsi no wɔ beae dedaw mu hɔ ara, na monntoto Yuda amrado ne Yudafo mpanyimfo anan mu wɔ adwuma no yɛ ho.
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].
Na mesan hyɛ mo bio sɛ, mommoa saa Yudafo mpanyimfo no wɔ Onyankopɔn asɔredan no si mu. Ɛsɛ sɛ mutua adansi no ho ka nyinaa fi tow a mugyigye fi mo man mu a monntwentwɛn so koraa, sɛnea adwuma no yɛ renka.
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].
Biribiara a ɛho hia asɔfo a wɔwɔ Yerusalem, sɛ ebia, nantwimma, adwennini ne nguantenmma a wɔde bɛbɔ ɔhyew afɔre ama Onyankopɔn a ɔwɔ ɔsorosoro no, momfa mma wɔn. Afei, momma wɔn atoko, nkyene, nsa ne ngo a ɛho behia wɔn da biara a monnto mu.
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.
Sɛ ɛba saa a, wobetumi abɔ afɔre a ɛsɔ ani ama ɔsorosoro Nyankopɔn, na wɔabɔ mpae ama me ne me mmabarima.
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.
Wɔn a wobebu mmara no so wɔ ɔkwan biara so no, wobeyi wɔn adan so mpuran, na wɔde wɔn abobɔ mu, abɔ wɔn mmaa, ama wɔn afi adwiriw, adan sumina siw.
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.”
Onyankopɔn a wayi Yerusalem kurow sɛ beae a wɔnhyɛ ne din anuonyam no nsɛe ɔhene anaa ɔman biara a wobebu ne mmara so, asɛe asɔredan no. Me Dario na mahyɛ saa mmara yi. Ma ɔmanfo ntie no aso pa mu.
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.
Na Tatenai a ɔyɛ asu Eufrate agya amrado ne Setar-Bosnai ne ne mfɛfo dii Dario mmara a ɔhyɛɛ no so prɛko pɛ.
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.
Enti Yudafo mpanyimfo toaa wɔn dwumadi no so na asɛm a adiyifo Hagai ne Ido babarima Sakaria kae no hyɛɛ wɔn nkuran. Na wowiee asɔredan no si, sɛnea Israel Nyankopɔn hyɛe na Kores, Dario ne Persiahene Artasasta hyɛɛ mmara no.
15 They finished building it on March 12, during the sixth year that King Darius [ruled].
Wowiee asɔredan no si wɔ Abib (bɛyɛ Ɔbɛnem) da a ɛto so dumien, ɔhene Dario ahenni mfe asia so.
16 Then the priests and the Levites and all the other Israeli people who had returned from Babylon very joyfully dedicated the temple.
Israelfo, asɔfo, Lewifo ne nnipa no nkae a wofi nnommum mu aba no de ahosɛpɛw too Onyankopɔn asɔredan no din.
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.
Onyankopɔn asɔredan no dinto afahyɛ no mu no, wɔde nantwimma ɔha, adwennini ahannu ne nguantenmma ahannan bɔɔ afɔre. Na wɔmaa mmirekyi dumien sɛ bɔne ho afɔrebɔde, de gyinaa hɔ maa Israel mmusuakuw dumien no.
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].
Na wɔkyekyɛɛ asɔfo ne Lewifo no mu, sɛnea wɔn akuw ahorow te no ma wɔsom wɔ Onyankopɔn asɔredan no mu wɔ Yerusalem, sɛnea wɔakyerɛw wɔ Mose Nhoma mu no.
19 On April 21, the Jews who had returned from Babylon celebrated the Passover Festival.
Adar ɔsram (bɛyɛ Oforisuo) da a ɛto so aduonu baako no, wɔn a wofi nnommum mu bae no dii Twam Afahyɛ.
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.
Asɔfo no ne Lewifo no dwiraa wɔn ho maa wɔn ho tew maa afahyɛ no. Enti wokum Twam Afahyɛ guamma maa wɔn a wofi nnommum mu bae no nyinaa ne asɔfo a wɔaka ne wɔn ankasa wɔn ho.
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.
Nnipa a wɔwɔ Israel a wofi nnommum mu aba no ne nnipa no nkae a wɔwɔ ɔman no mu no a wɔadan afi wɔn amumɔyɛ akwan ho abɛsom Awurade, Israel Nyankopɔn, no na wodii twam aduan no.
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].
Wodii Twam Afahyɛ aduan no, na wɔde nnanson nso dii Apiti Afahyɛ no. Ahosɛpɛw baa ɔman no mmaa nyinaa, efisɛ Awurade sakraa Asiriahene adwene a ɔwɔ wɔ wɔn ho ma ɔboaa wɔn sii Onyankopɔn, Israel Nyankopɔn, asɔredan no.
