Ezara 5

1 Na rĩrĩ, mũnabii Hagai, na mũnabii Zekaria wa rũciaro rwa Ido, nĩmarathĩire Ayahudi a kũu Juda na Jerusalemu thĩinĩ wa rĩĩtwa rĩa Ngai wa Isiraeli, mũgitĩri wao.

Now the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, the son of Iddo, were preaching to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel.

2 Hĩndĩ ĩyo Zerubabeli mũrũ wa Shealitieli, na Jeshua mũrũ wa Jozadaku makĩambĩrĩria wĩra wa gwaka rĩngĩ nyũmba ya Ngai kũu Jerusalemu, na anabii a Ngai maarĩ hamwe nao makĩmateithia.

Then Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, got up and made a start at building the house of God at Jerusalem: and the prophets of God were with them, helping them.

3 Ihinda rĩu Tatenai, barũthi wa Mũrĩmo-wa-Farati, na Shetharu-Bozenai, hamwe na athiritũ ao magĩthiĩ kũrĩ o, makĩmooria atĩrĩ, “Nũũ wamũheire rũtha rwa gwaka rĩngĩ hekarũ ĩno na gũcookereria mwako ũyũ?”

At the same time, Tattenai, ruler of the land across the river, and Shethar-bozenai, and their men, came to them and said, Who gave you orders to go on building this house and this wall?

4 Ningĩ makĩũria atĩrĩ, “Andũ arĩa maraaka nyũmba ĩno metagwo atĩa?”

Then they said these words to them: What are the names of the men who are at work on this building?

5 No rĩrĩ, Ngai nĩaroraga athuuri acio a Ayahudi, na matiatigithirio wĩra nginya ũhoro ũkinyĩrio Dario, na marũa ma macookio make maamũkĩrwo.

But the eye of their God was on the chiefs of the Jews, and they did not make them give up working till the question had been put before Darius and an answer had come by letter about it.

6 Ĩno nĩyo kobi ya marũa marĩa maatũmĩirwo Mũthamaki Dario nĩ Tatenai ũrĩa warĩ barũthi wa Mũrĩmo-wa-Farati, marĩ na Shetharu-Bozenai na athiritũ ao, arĩa maarĩ anene a Mũrĩmo-wa-Farati.

This is a copy of the letter which Tattenai, the ruler of the land across the river, and Shethar-bozenai and his friends the Apharsachites, living across the river, sent to Darius the king:

7 Ũhoro ũrĩa maamũtũmĩire watariĩ ũũ: Kũrĩ Mũthamaki Dario: Ngeithi cia thayũ.

They sent him a letter saying, To Darius the king, all peace:

8 Nĩ wega mũthamaki amenye atĩ ithuĩ nĩtwathiire rũgongo rwa Juda, kũu hekarũ-inĩ ya Ngai ũrĩa mũnene. Andũ acio nĩmaraaka hekarũ na mahiga manene, o na magekĩra mbaũ rũthingo-inĩ. Wĩra nĩũrarutwo na kĩyo, na nĩũrathiĩ na mbere mũno ũrĩ moko-inĩ ma arĩa maraũruta.

This is to give the king word that we went into the land of Judah, to the house of the great God, which is made of great stones, and has its walls supported with wood, and the work is going on with industry, and they are doing it well.

9 Tuoririe athuuri acio atĩrĩ, “Nũũ wamũheire rũtha rwa gwaka rĩngĩ hekarũ ĩno na gũcookereria mwako ũyũ?”

Then we said to the men responsible, who gave you authority for the building of this house and these walls?

10 Ningĩ nĩtwamoririe marĩĩtwa mao, nĩgeetha twandĩke marĩĩtwa ma atongoria ao, nĩguo tũkũmenyithie.

And we made request for their names, so that we might send you word, and give you the names of the men at the head of them.

11 Ũũ nĩguo maatũcokeirie: “Ithuĩ tũrĩ ndungata cia Ngai wa igũrũ na thĩ, na tũraaka rĩngĩ hekarũ ĩrĩa yakĩtwo mĩaka mĩingĩ mĩthiru, ĩrĩa yakĩtwo na ĩkarĩkio nĩ mũthamaki mũnene wa Isiraeli.

And they made answer to us, saying, We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are building the house which was put up in times long past and was designed and made complete by a great king of Israel.

12 No tondũ maithe maitũ nĩmarakaririe Ngai wa igũrũ, nĩamaneanire kũrĩ Nebukadinezaru ũrĩa Mũkalidei, mũthamaki wa Babuloni, ũrĩa wamomorire hekarũ ĩno na agĩthaamĩria andũ bũrũri wa Babuloni.

But when the God of heaven was moved to wrath by our fathers, he gave them up into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, the Chaldaean, who sent destruction on this house and took the people away into Babylon.

13 “No rĩrĩ, mwaka wa mbere wa Kurusu mũthamaki wa Babuloni, mũthamaki nĩathanire atĩ nyũmba ĩno ya Ngai yakwo rĩngĩ.

But in the first year of Cyrus, king of Babylon, Cyrus the king gave an order for the building of this house of God;

14 O na nĩarutire kuuma hekarũ ĩrĩa yarĩ Babuloni indo cia thahabu na cia betha cia nyũmba ya Ngai, iria Nebukadinezaru aarutĩte hekarũ-inĩ kũu Jerusalemu, agĩcitwara hekarũ-inĩ kũu Babuloni. “Nake Mũthamaki Kurusu agĩcineana kũrĩ mũndũ wetagwo Sheshibazaru, ũrĩa aatuĩte barũthi,

And the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the Temple which was in Jerusalem, and put into the house of his god in Babylon, these Cyrus the king took from the house of his god in Babylon, and gave to one named Sheshbazzar, whom he had made ruler;

15 na akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, ‘Oya indo ici ũcitware na ũciige thĩinĩ wa hekarũ kũu Jerusalemu, na wake rĩngĩ nyũmba ya Ngai o harĩa yarĩ.’

And he said to him, Go, take these vessels, and put them in the Temple in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be put up again in its place.

16 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio Sheshibazaru agĩũka agĩaka mũthingi wa nyũmba ya Ngai kũu Jerusalemu. Kuuma mwaka ũcio nginya ũmũthĩ mwako ũcio no ũthiiaga na mbere na ndũrĩ warĩĩka.”

Then this same Sheshbazzar came and put the house of God in Jerusalem on its bases: and from that time till now the building has been going on, but it is still not complete.

17 Na rĩrĩ, mũthamaki angĩona kwagĩrĩire-rĩ, nĩgũtuĩrio maandĩko-inĩ ma ũthamaki ma tene ma Babuloni, kuoneke kana Mũthamaki Kurusu ti-itherũ nĩarutĩte watho wa gwaka rĩngĩ nyũmba ĩno ya Ngai gũkũ Jerusalemu. Ningĩ reke mũthamaki atũtũmĩre itua rĩake ũhoro-inĩ ũcio.

So now, if it seems good to the king, let search be made in the king's store-house at Babylon, to see if it is true that an order was given by Cyrus the king for the building of this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send us word of his pleasure in connection with this business.