Ezra 6
1 Tete Fia Darius de se, eye wotsa le nyaŋlɔɖigbalẽ xoxo siwo wodzra ɖo ɖe nudzraɖoƒe la me le Babilonia.
[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].
2 Woke ɖe lãgbalẽgbalẽ aɖe ŋu le Ekbatana ƒe fiasã si le Media nuto la me. Esiae nye nu si woŋlɔ ɖe eme: Ŋkuɖodzinya:
[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:
3 Le Fia Sirus ƒe fiaɖuɖu ƒe ƒe gbãtɔ me la, fia la de se ku ɖe Mawu ƒe gbedoxɔ si le Yerusalem ŋuti be: Migbugbɔ gbedoxɔ la tu wòanye teƒe si woasa vɔ le, miɖo eƒe gɔmeɖokpewo anyi. Nekɔ mita blaeve-vɔ-adre eye wòakeke mita blaeve-vɔ-adre.
“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.
4 Woatsɔ kpe gãwo aɖo gɔmeɖokpe lae, eye woaɖoe ɖe wo nɔewo dzi zi etɔ̃, ale be ɖoɖo etɔ̃lia nanye ati sesẽwo. Woatsɔ ga le fia la ƒe gaɖaka me axe fee ɖe dɔ la ta.
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.
5 Kpe ɖe esia ŋu la, woatrɔ klosalonu kple sikanu siwo nɔ Mawu ƒe aƒe la me, esiwo Nebukadnezar lɔ le gbedoxɔ la me le Yerusalem, yi ɖe Babiloniae la aɖada ɖe wo nɔƒe le gbedoxɔ la me le Yerusalem; woakɔ wo ɖe Mawu ƒe aƒe la me.
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.”
6 Ke azɔ la, wò, Tatenai, mɔmefia si le Frat tɔsisi la godo kple wò, Setar Bozenai kple mi woƒe dɔnunɔla siwo le nuto ma me la, migaka afɔ afi ma o.
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!
7 Miɖe asi le Mawu ƒe gbedoxɔ si tum wole la ƒe nya me. Miɖe mɔ be Yudatɔwo ƒe mɔmefia kple Yudatɔwo ƒe dumegãwo nagbugbɔ Mawu ƒe aƒe sia atu ɖe teƒe si wònɔ tsã.
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].
8 Gawu la, mele se dem be, esiawo miawɔ na Yudatɔwo ƒe dumegãwo le Mawu ƒe gbedoxɔ la tutu me: Woaxe ame siawo ƒe nugbegblẽwo katã tso fia la ƒe gaɖaka si me wodea nudzɔdzɔwoe le Frat tɔsisi la godo me, ale be dɔa matɔ te o.
“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].
9 Woatsɔ nyitsui, agbo kple agbovi siwo wohiãna na numevɔsawo na dziƒo Mawu la kpe ɖe wɔ, dze, wain kple ami siwo nunɔla siwo le Yerusalem hiãna gbe sia gbe la ŋu na wo, mada le edzi o.
“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].
10 Ale be woate ŋu asa vɔ siwo adze dziƒo Mawu la ŋu la nɛ, eye woado gbe ɖa ɖe fia la kple via ŋutsuwo ta be woanɔ dedie.
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.
11 Gawu la, mele se dem be ame si atrɔ sedede sia la, woaɖe ati le eƒe xɔ me, eye woatu ati la ɖe tome, aklãe ɖe eŋuti, eye le nu vɔ̃ sia ta la, woagbã eƒe aƒe wòazu aɖukpo.
“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.
12 Mawu, ame si na be yeƒe Ŋkɔ nanɔ afi ma la, naɖe fia le zi dzi alo dukɔ si akɔ eƒe asi dzi be yeatrɔ sedede sia alo agbã gbedoxɔ sia le Yerusalem. Nye Darius de se sia. Ele be woawɔe kple mo vevi ɖoɖo.
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.”
13 Le sedede si Fia Darius ɖo ɖa ta la, Tatenai, mɔmefia si le Frat tɔsisi la godo, Setar Bozeni kple wo ŋutimewo wɔ sedede la menyawo dzi kple mo vevi ɖoɖo.
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.
14 Ale Yuda dumegãwo yi xɔa tutu dzi, eye to Nyagblɔɖila Hagai kple Zekaria, Ido ƒe dzidzimevi ƒe mawunyagbɔgblɔ me la, nuwo dze edzi nyuie. Le Israel ƒe Mawu kple Sirus, Darius kple Artazerses, Persia fiawo ƒe sededewo nu la, wowu gbedoxɔ la tutu nu.
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.
15 Wowu enu le dzinu Adar ƒe ŋkeke etɔ̃lia dzi le Fia Darius ƒe fiaɖuɖu ƒe ƒe adelia me.
They finished building it on March 12, during the sixth year that King Darius [ruled].
16 Tete Israel dukɔ la katã, nunɔlawo, Levitɔwo kple ame siwo gbɔ tso aboyome la ɖu Mawu ƒe aƒe la ŋuti kɔkɔ ƒe azã la kple aseyetsotso.
Then the priests and the Levites and all the other Israeli people who had returned from Babylon very joyfully dedicated the temple.
17 Wotsɔ nyitsu alafa ɖeka, agbo alafa eve kple alẽvi alafa ene sa vɔe le gbedoxɔ la ŋuti kɔkɔ me, eye abe nuvɔ̃ŋutivɔsa ɖe Israel blibo la ta ene la, wotsɔ gbɔ̃tsu wuieve ɖe Israel ƒe to wuieveawo nu sa vɔe,
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.
18 eye woɖo nunɔlaawo ɖe woƒe hatsotsowo me kple Levitɔwo ɖe woƒe memamawo me hena Mawu ƒe dɔwo wɔwɔ le Yerusalem, ɖe nu si woŋlɔ ɖe Mose ƒe Agbalẽ la me nu.
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].
19 Le dzinu gbãtɔ ƒe ŋkeke wuienelia gbe la, aboyometsolawo ɖu Ŋutitotoŋkekenyui la.
On April 21, the Jews who had returned from Babylon celebrated the Passover Festival.
20 Nunɔlaawo kple Levitɔwo kɔ wo ɖokuiwo ŋu, ale wo katã wonɔ kɔkɔe le se la nu. Levitɔwo wu Ŋutitotolẽvi la na aboyometsolawo katã, wo nɔvi nunɔlawo kple woawo ŋutɔ ɖokuiwo.
[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.
21 Ale Israelvi siwo katã gbɔ tso aboyome la ɖui kple ame siwo katã kɔ wo ɖokuiwo ŋu tso trɔ̃subɔla siwo dome wole ƒe kɔnyinyiwo me, be woadi Yehowa, Israel ƒe Mawu la.
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.
22 Woɖu abolo maʋamaʋã ŋkekenyui la kple aseyetsotso, elabena Yehowa tsɔ dzidzɔ yɔ woƒe dziwo me, eye wòna Asiria fia ƒe dɔ me trɔ ɖe wo ŋu, wòkpe ɖe wo ŋu le Israel ƒe Mawu la ƒe aƒe la ƒe dɔwo me.
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].
