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, wɔnkɔnpɛnsɛmpɛnsɛm Babilonia nneɛma dada akoraeɛ hɔ baabi 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 na wɔhunuu krataa mmobɔeɛ bi. Na emu nsɛm nie: Asɛnkaeɛ 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 adeɛ nʼafe a ɛdi so no, wɔhyɛɛ mmara faa Onyankopɔn asɔredan a ɛwɔ Yerusalem no ho. Ɛkaa sɛ, ɛsɛ sɛ wɔsane si no wɔ beaeɛ a na Yudafoɔ bɔ wɔn afɔdeɛ hɔ, wɔ fapem dada no so. Ɛsɛ sɛ ne ɔsorokɔ yɛ anammɔn aduɔkron, na ne tɛtrɛtɛ mu nso yɛ 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.
Aboɔ a wɔasiesie no sononko no ntosoɔ mmiɛnsa biara so no, ɛsɛ sɛ wɔde nnua gu so. Na adehyeɛ fotoɔ mu na wɔbɛfiri 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 firii Onyankopɔn asɔredan a ɛsi Yerusalem no mu de kɔɔ Babilonia no, ɛsɛ sɛ wɔsane de kɔ Yerusalem, de kɔgu Onyankopɔn asɔredan no mu sɛdeɛ na ɛteɛ 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 too saa nkra yi: Mede krataa yi kɔma amrado Tatenai a ɔwɔ asuo Eufrate atɔeɛ fam ne Setar-Bosnai ne mo mfɛfoɔ ne mpanimfoɔ a wɔwɔ Eufrate atɔeɛ fam 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].
Monnkɔtwintwane Onyankopɔn asɔredan no sie. Wɔnsi no wɔ beaeɛ dada mu hɔ ara, na monntwintwane Yuda amrado ne Yudafoɔ mpanimfoɔ ananmu wɔ adwuma no yɛ mu.
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 mesane hyɛ mo bio sɛ, mommoa saa Yudafoɔ mpanimfoɔ no wɔ Onyankopɔn asɔredan no sie mu. Ɛsɛ sɛ motua adansie no ho ka nyinaa firi me toɔ a mogyegye firi Eufrate asuogya hɔ, a monntwentwɛn so koraa, sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a adwuma no bɛkɔ so ama wɔawie.
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 asɔfoɔ a wɔwɔ Yerusalem, sɛ ebia, nantwie mma, nnwennini ne nnwammaa a wɔde bɛbɔ ɔhyeɛ afɔdeɛ ama Onyankopɔn a ɔwɔ ɔsorosoro no, momfa mma wɔn. Afei, momma wɔn atokoɔ, nkyene, nsã ne ngo a ɛho bɛhia 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, wɔbɛtumi abɔ afɔdeɛ a ɛsɔ ani ama ɔsorosoro Onyankopɔn, na wɔabɔ mpaeɛ ama me ne me mmammarima.
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 wɔbɛbu mmara no so wɔ ɛkwan biara so no, wɔbɛyi wɔn adan so mpunan. Na wɔde wɔn abobɔ mu, abɔ wɔn mmaa, ama wɔn afie adwiri, adane nkunkumasie.
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 kuro sɛ beaeɛ a wɔnhyɛ ne din animuonyam no nsɛe ɔhene anaa ɔman biara a wɔbɛbu ne mmara so asɛe asɔredan no. Me Dario na mahyɛ saa mmara yi. Ma ɔmanfoɔ 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 asuo Eufrate atɔeɛ amrado ne Setar-Bosnai ne nʼafɛfoɔ dii Dario mmara a ɔhyɛeɛ 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, Yudafoɔ mpanimfoɔ toaa wɔn dwumadie no so na asɛnka a adiyifoɔ Hagai ne Ido babarima Sakaria kaeɛ no hyɛɛ wɔn nkuran. Na, wɔwiee asɔredan no sie, sɛdeɛ, Israel Onyankopɔn hyɛeɛ 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].
Wɔwiee asɔredan no sie Abib (bɛyɛ Ɔbɛnem) da a ɛtɔ so dumienu, wɔ ɔhene Dario ahennie mfeɛ nsia so.
16 Then the priests and the Levites and all the other Israeli people who had returned from Babylon very joyfully dedicated the temple.
Israelfoɔ, asɔfoɔ, Lewifoɔ ne nnipa no nkaeɛ a wɔfiri asutwa mu aba no de ahosɛpɛ 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 dintoɔ afahyɛ no mu no, wɔde anantwie mma ɔha, nnwennini ahanu ne nnwammaa ahanan bɔɔ afɔdeɛ. Na wɔmaa mmirekyie dumienu sɛ bɔne ho afɔrebɔdeɛ, de gyinaa hɔ maa Israel mmusuakuo dumienu 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].
Afei, wɔkyekyɛɛ asɔfoɔ ne Lewifoɔ no mu, sɛdeɛ wɔn akuo ahodoɔ teɛ no, ma wɔsomm wɔ Onyankopɔn asɔredan no mu wɔ Yerusalem, sɛdeɛ wɔatwerɛ wɔ Mose Nwoma mu no.
19 On April 21, the Jews who had returned from Babylon celebrated the Passover Festival.
Adar bosome (bɛyɛ Oforisuo) da a ɛtɔ so aduonu baako no, wɔn a wɔatwa wɔn asu no a wɔasane aba 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.
Asɔfoɔ no ne Lewifoɔ no dwiraa wɔn ho, ma wɔn ho te maa afahyɛ no. Enti, wɔkumm Twam Afahyɛ dwammaa maa wɔn a wɔtwaa wɔn asu no a wɔasane aba no nyinaa ne asɔfoɔ 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 wɔfiri asutwa mu aba no ne nnipa no nkaeɛ a wɔwɔ ɔman no mu no a wɔadane afiri wɔn amumuyɛ akwan ho abɛsom Awurade Israel Onyankopɔn no na wɔdii twam aduane 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].
Wɔdii Twam Afahyɛ aduane no, ɛnna wɔde nnanson nso dii Apiti Afahyɛ no. Ahosɛpɛ baa ɔman no mu afanan nyinaa, ɛfiri sɛ, Awurade sesaa Asiriahene adwene a ɔwɔ wɔ wɔn ho, ma ɔboaa wɔn ma wɔsii Onyankopɔn, Israel Onyankopɔn, asɔredan no.
