Ezra 4
1 Now some enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the people who had been exiled were now building a temple for Yahweh, the God of Israel.
茲にユダとベニヤミンの敵たる者等夫俘囚より歸り來りし人々イスラエルの神ヱホバのために殿を建ると聞き
2 So they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of their ancestors' clans. They said to them, “Let us build with you, for, like you, we seek your God and have sacrificed to him since the days when Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, brought us to this place.”
乃ちゼルバベルと宗家の長等の許に至りて之に言けるは我儕をして汝等と共に之を建しめよ 我らは汝らと同じく汝らの神を求む アッスリヤの王エサルハドンが我儕を此に携へのぼりし日より以來我らはこれに犠牲を獻ぐるなりと
3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the heads of their ancestors' clans said, “It is not you, but we who must build the house of our God, for it is we who will build for Yahweh, the God of Israel, just as King Cyrus of Persia commanded.”
然るにゼルバベル、ヱシユアおよびその餘のイスラエルの宗家の長等これに言ふ 汝らは我らの神に室を建ることに與るべからず 我儕獨りみづからイスラエルの神ヱホバのために建ることを爲べし 是ペルシヤの王クロス王の我らに命ぜし所なりと
4 So the people of the land made the Judeans' hands weak; they made the Judeans afraid to build.
是に於てその地の民ユダの民の手を弱らせてその建築を妨げ
5 They also bribed counselors to frustrate their plans. They did this during all of Cyrus' days and into the reign of Darius king of Persia.
之が計る所を敗らんために議官に賄賂して之に敵せしむペルシヤ王クロスの世にある日よりペルシヤ王ダリヨスの治世まで常に然り
6 Then at the beginning of Ahasuerus' reign they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
アハシユエロスの治世すなはち其治世の初に彼ら表を上りてユダとヱルサレムの民を誣訟へたり
7 It was during the days of Artaxerxes that Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and their companions wrote to Artaxerxes. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated.
またアルタシヤスタの世にビシラム、ミテレダテ、タビエルおよびその餘の同僚同じく表をペルシヤの王アルタシヤスタに上つれり その書の文はスリヤの文字にて書きスリヤ語にて陳述たる者なりき
8 Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote this way to Artaxerxes about Jerusalem.
方伯レホム書記官シムシヤイ書をアルタシヤスタ王に書おくりてヱルサレムを誣ゆ左のごとし
9 Then Rehum, Shimshai, and their companions, who were judges and other officers in the government, the Persians, men from Erech and Babylon, and the men from Susa (that is, the Elamites)—they wrote a letter—
即ち方伯レホム書記官シムシヤイおよびその餘の同僚デナ人アパルサテカイ人タルペライ人アパルサイ人アルケロイ人バビロン人シユシヤン人デハウ人エラマイ人
10 and they were joined by the people whom the great and noble Ashurbanipal forced to settle in Samaria, along with the rest who were in the Province Beyond the River.
ならびに其他の民すなはち大臣オスナパルが移してサマリアの邑および河外ふのその他の地に置し者等云々
11 This is a copy of the letter that they sent to Artaxerxes: “Your servants, men of the Province Beyond the River, write this:
其アルタシヤスタ王に上りし書の稿は是なく云く河外ふの汝の僕等云々
12 Let the king know that the Jews who went from you have come against us in Jerusalem to build a rebellious city. They have completed the walls and repaired the foundations.
王知たまへ汝の所より上り來りしユダヤ人ヱルサレムに到りてわれらの中にいりかの背き悖る惡き邑を建なほし石垣を築きあげその基礎を固うせり
13 Now let the king know that if this city is built and the wall is completed, they will not give any tribute and taxes, but they will harm the kings.
然ば王いま知たまへ 若この邑を建て石垣を築きあげなば彼ら必ず貢賦租税税金などを納じ 然すれば終に王等の不利とならん
14 Surely because we have eaten the palace salt, it is not fitting for us to see any dishonor happen to the king. It is because of this that we are informing the king
そもそも我らは王の鹽を食む者なれば王の輕んぜらるるを見るに忍びず 茲に人を遣はし王に奏聞す
15 to search your father's record and to verify that this is a rebellious city that will harm kings and provinces. It has caused many problems to the kings and provinces. It has been a center for rebellion from long ago. It was for this reason that the city was destroyed.
列祖の記録の書を稽へたまへ必ずその記録の書の中において此邑は背き悖る邑にして諸王と諸州とに害を加へし者なるを見その中に古來叛逆の事ありしを知たまふべし此邑の滅ぼされしは此故に縁るなり
16 We are informing the king that if this city and wall are built, then there will be nothing remaining for you in the Province Beyond the River.”
我ら王に奏聞す 若この邑を建て石垣を築きあげなばなんぢは之がために河外ふの領分をうしなふなるべしと
17 So the king sent out a reply to Rehum and Shimshai and their companions in Samaria and the rest who were in the Province Beyond the River: “May peace be yours.
王すなはち方伯レホム書記官シムシヤイこの餘サマリアおよび河外ふのほかの處に住る同僚に答書をおくりて云く平安あれ云々
18 The letter that you sent me has been translated and read to me.
汝らが我儕におくりし書をば我前に讀解しめたり
19 So I ordered an investigation and discovered that in previous days they had rebelled and revolted against kings.
我やがて詔書を下して稽考しめしに此邑の古來起りて諸王に背きし事その中に反亂謀叛のありし事など詳悉なり
20 Mighty kings have ruled over Jerusalem and had power over everything in the Province Beyond the River. Tribute and taxes were paid to them.
またヱルサレムには在昔大なる王等ありて河外ふをことごとく治め貢賦租税税金などを己に納しめたる事あり
21 Now, make a decree for these men to stop and not build this city until I make a decree.
然ば汝ら詔言を傳へて其人々を止め我が詔言を下すまで此邑を建ること無らしめよ
22 Be careful not to neglect this. Why allow this threat to grow and cause more loss for the royal interests?
汝ら愼め 之を爲ことを忽にする勿れ 何ぞ損害を増て王に害を及ぼすべけんやと
23 When King Artaxerxes' decree was read before Rehum, Shimshai, and their companions, they went out quickly to Jerusalem and forced the Jews to stop building.
アルタシヤスタ王の書の稿をレホム及び書記官シムシヤイとその同僚の前に讀あげければ彼等すなはちヱルサレムに奔ゆきてユダヤ人に就き腕力と權威とをもて之を止めたり
24 So the work on the house of God in Jerusalem stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
此をもてヱルサレムなる神の室の工事止みぬ 即ちペルシヤ王ダリヨスの治世の二年まで止みたりき
