Ezra 8

1 Now these are the heads of their fathers’ households, and this is the genealogy of those who went up with me from Babylon, in the reign of Artaxerxes the king:

Hawa ndio viongozi wa jamaa pamoja na wale walioandikwa ambao walikuja pamoja nami kutoka Babeli wakati wa utawala wa Mfalme Artashasta:

2 Of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom. Of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel. Of the sons of David, Hattush.

wa wazao wa Finehasi, alikuwa Gershoni; wa wazao wa Ithamari, alikuwa Danieli; wa wazao wa Daudi, alikuwa Hatushi

3 Of the sons of Shecaniah, of the sons of Parosh, Zechariah; and with him were listed by genealogy of the males one hundred fifty.

wa wazao wa Shekania; wa wazao wa Paroshi, alikuwa Zekaria, na watu 150 walioandikishwa pamoja naye;

4 Of the sons of Pahathmoab, Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah; and with him two hundred males.

wa wazao wa Pahath-Moabu, alikuwa Eliehoenai mwana wa Zerahia na wanaume 200 pamoja naye;

5 Of the sons of Shecaniah, the son of Jahaziel; and with him three hundred males.

wa wazao wa Zatu, alikuwa Shekania mwana wa Yahazieli na wanaume 300 pamoja naye;

6 Of the sons of Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan; and with him fifty males.

wa wazao wa Adini, alikuwa Ebedi mwana wa Yonathani na wanaume 50 pamoja naye;

7 Of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah; and with him seventy males.

wa wazao wa Elamu, alikuwa Yeshaya mwana wa Athalia, na wanaume 70 pamoja naye;

8 Of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael; and with him eighty males.

wa wazao wa Shefatia, alikuwa Zebadia mwana wa Mikaeli na wanaume 80 pamoja naye;

9 Of the sons of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel; and with him two hundred eighteen males.

wa wazao wa Yoabu, alikuwa Obadia mwana wa Yehieli na wanaume 218 pamoja naye;

10 Of the sons of Shelomith, the son of Josiphiah; and with him one hundred sixty males.

wa wazao wa Bani, alikuwa Shelomithi mwana wa Yosifia na wanaume 160 pamoja naye;

11 Of the sons of Bebai, Zechariah the son of Bebai; and with him twenty-eight males.

wa wazao wa Bebai, alikuwa Zekaria mwana wa Bebai na wanaume 28 pamoja naye;

12 Of the sons of Azgad, Johanan the son of Hakkatan; and with him one hundred ten males.

wa wazao wa Azgadi, alikuwa Yohanani mwana wa Hakatani na wanaume 110 pamoja naye;

13 Of the sons of Adonikam, who were the last, their names are: Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah; and with them sixty males.

wa wazao wa Adonikamu, hawa walikuwa wa mwisho ambao majina yao ni Elifeleti, Yeueli, Shemaya na wanaume 60 pamoja nao;

14 Of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and Zabbud; and with them seventy males.

wa wazao wa Bigwai, walikuwa Uthai na Zakuri na wanaume 70 pamoja nao.

15 I gathered them together to the river that runs to Ahava; and there we encamped three days. Then I looked around at the people and the priests, and found there were none of the sons of Levi.

Niliwakusanya kwenye mto utiririkao kuelekea Ahava, nasi tukapiga kambi pale siku tatu. Wakati nilipokagua kati ya watu na makuhani, sikuwapata Walawi.

16 Then I sent for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah, for Elnathan, for Jarib, for Elnathan, for Nathan, for Zechariah, and for Meshullam, chief men; also for Joiarib and for Elnathan, who were teachers.

Basi niliwaita Eliezeri, Arieli, Shemaya, Elnathani, Yaribu, Elnathani, Nathani, Zekaria na Meshulamu waliokuwa viongozi na Yoyaribu na Elnathani waliokuwa wasomi,

17 I sent them out to Iddo the chief at the place Casiphia; and I told them what they should tell Iddo and his brothers the temple servants at the place Casiphia, that they should bring to us ministers for the house of our God.

nikawatuma kwa Ido kiongozi huko Kasifia. Niliwaambia watakayomwambia Ido na ndugu zake, watumishi wa Hekalu huko Kasifia, ili waweze kutuletea wahudumu kwa ajili ya nyumba ya Mungu wetu.

18 According to the good hand of our God on us they brought us a man of discretion, of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, with his sons and his brothers, eighteen;

Kwa sababu mkono wa neema wa Mungu wetu ulikuwa juu yetu, walituletea Sherebia, mtu mwenye uwezo kutoka wazao wa Mahli mwana wa Lawi, mwana wa Israeli, na wana wa Sherebia pamoja na ndugu zao wanaume kumi na wanane.

19 and Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his brothers and their sons, twenty;

Naye Hashabia, pamoja na Yeshaya kutoka wazao wa Merari na ndugu zake na wapwa wake wanaume ishirini.

20 and of the temple servants, whom David and the princes had given for the service of the Levites, two hundred twenty temple servants. All of them were mentioned by name.

Vilevile walileta watumishi wa Hekalu 220, kikundi ambacho Daudi na maafisa walikuwa wamekiweka kusaidia Walawi. Wote walikuwa wameorodheshwa kwa majina.

21 Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a straight way for us, for our little ones, and for all our possessions.

Kando ya Mto Ahava, hapo nilitangaza kufunga, ili tujinyenyekeshe mbele za Mungu wetu na kumwomba kwa ajili ya kutujalia safari ya amani sisi na watoto wetu, pamoja na mali zetu zote.

22 For I was ashamed to ask of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the way, because we had spoken to the king, saying, “The hand of our God is on all those who seek him, for good; but his power and his wrath is against all those who forsake him.”

Niliona aibu kumwomba mfalme askari na wapanda farasi wa kutulinda njiani kutokana na adui zetu, kwa sababu tulikwisha kumwambia mfalme, “Mkono wa neema wa Mungu wetu uko juu ya kila mmoja anayemtafuta, lakini hasira yake kubwa ni dhidi ya wote wamwachao.”

23 So we fasted and begged our God for this, and he granted our request.

Kwa hiyo tulifunga na kumwomba Mungu wetu kuhusu jambo hili, naye akajibu maombi yetu.

24 Then I set apart twelve of the chiefs of the priests, even Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers with them,

Kisha niliwatenga viongozi wa makuhani kumi na wawili, pamoja na Sherebia, Hashabia na ndugu zao kumi,

25 and weighed to them the silver, the gold, and the vessels, even the offering for the house of our God, which the king, his counselors, his princes, and all Israel there present, had offered.

nami nikawapimia fedha, dhahabu na vifaa ambavyo mfalme, washauri wake, maafisa wake na Israeli wote waliokuwepo walikuwa wamevitoa sadaka kwa ajili ya nyumba ya Mungu wetu.

26 I weighed into their hand six hundred fifty talents of silver, one hundred talents of silver vessels, one hundred talents of gold,

Niliwapimia talanta 650 za fedha, vifaa vingine vya fedha vya uzito wa talanta mia moja, talanta mia moja za dhahabu,

27 twenty bowls of gold weighing one thousand darics, and two vessels of fine bright bronze, precious as gold.

mabakuli ishirini ya dhahabu ya thamani ya darkoni elfu moja, na vyombo viwili vya shaba iliyosuguliwa, ya thamani kama dhahabu.

28 I said to them, “You are holy to Yahweh, and the vessels are holy. The silver and the gold are a free will offering to Yahweh, the God of your fathers.

Niliwaambia, “Ninyi pamoja na vyombo hivi ni wakfu kwa Bwana. Fedha na dhahabu ni sadaka ya hiari kwa Bwana, Mungu wa baba zenu.

29 Watch and keep them until you weigh them before the chiefs of the priests, the Levites, and the princes of the fathers’ households of Israel at Jerusalem, in the rooms of Yahweh’s house.”

Vilindeni kwa uangalifu mpaka mtakapovipima ndani ya vyumba vya nyumba ya Bwana katika Yerusalemu mbele ya makuhani, viongozi na Walawi pamoja na wakuu wa jamaa za Israeli.”

30 So the priests and the Levites received the weight of the silver, the gold, and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem to the house of our God.

Ndipo makuhani na Walawi wakapokea fedha, dhahabu na vyombo vilivyowekwa wakfu ambavyo vilipimwa na kupelekwa katika nyumba ya Mungu wetu mjini Yerusalemu.

31 Then we departed from the river Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and the bandits by the way.

Tulianza safari kutoka Mto Ahava kwenda Yerusalemu kwenye siku ya kumi na mbili ya mwezi wa kwanza. Mkono wa Mungu wetu ulikuwa juu yetu, naye njiani alitulinda dhidi ya adui na wanyangʼanyi.

32 We came to Jerusalem, and stayed there three days.

Kwa hiyo tuliwasili Yerusalemu ambapo tulipumzika kwa siku tatu.

33 On the fourth day the silver and the gold and the vessels were weighed in the house of our God into the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest; and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them were Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, the Levites.

Katika siku ya nne, ndani ya nyumba ya Mungu wetu, tulipima fedha, dhahabu na vyombo vilivyowekwa wakfu, tukakabidhi mikononi mwa kuhani Meremothi mwana wa Uria. Eleazari mwana wa Finehasi alikuwa pamoja naye, pia walikuwako Walawi wawili, Yozabadi mwana wa Yeshua na Noadia mwana wa Binui.

34 Everything was counted and weighed; and all the weight was written at that time.

Kila kitu kilihesabiwa kwa idadi na kupimwa kwa uzito, nao uzito wote uliandikwa wakati ule.

35 The children of the captivity, who had come out of exile, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and twelve male goats for a sin offering. All this was a burnt offering to Yahweh.

Kisha mateka waliokuwa wamerudi kutoka utumwani wakatoa sadaka za kuteketezwa kwa moto kwa Mungu wa Israeli: mafahali kumi na wawili kwa ajili ya Israeli wote, kondoo dume tisini na sita, wana-kondoo sabini na saba na mbuzi dume kumi na wawili kuwa sadaka ya dhambi. Hii yote ilikuwa sadaka ya kuteketezwa kwa moto kwa Bwana.

36 They delivered the king’s commissions to the king’s local governors and to the governors beyond the River. So they supported the people and God’s house.

Pia walikabidhi manaibu wa mfalme na watawala wa Ngʼambo ya Mto Frati maagizo ya mfalme, ambao baadaye walitoa msaada kwa watu na kwa nyumba ya Mungu.