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.
The prophets Haggai and Zechariah, son of Iddo, gave messages to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem from the God of Israel, their ruler.
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, son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua, son of Jozadak, decided to start work on rebuilding God's Temple in Jerusalem. The prophets of God encouraged them and helped 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?”
Almost immediately Tattenai, the governor of the province west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their fellow officials arrived and asked, “Who gave you permission to rebuild this Temple and finish it?”
4 Ningĩ makĩũria atĩrĩ, “Andũ arĩa maraaka nyũmba ĩno metagwo atĩa?”
Then they asked, “What are the names of the men who are working 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 their God was watching over the Jewish leaders, so that they were not prevented from working until a report could be sent to Darius and a written reply with instructions was received.
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.
The following is a copy of the letter that Tattenai, the governor of the province west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their fellow officials, officials of the province, sent to King Darius.
7 Ũhoro ũrĩa maamũtũmĩire watariĩ ũũ: Kũrĩ Mũthamaki Dario: Ngeithi cia thayũ.
The report they sent him read went like this: “To King Darius: Greetings.
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.
We wish to inform Your Majesty that we went to the province of Judah, to the Temple of the great God. It is being built with large stones, with timber beams being placed on the walls. This work is being done properly and is progressing well.
9 Tuoririe athuuri acio atĩrĩ, “Nũũ wamũheire rũtha rwa gwaka rĩngĩ hekarũ ĩno na gũcookereria mwako ũyũ?”
We questioned the leaders, asking them, ‘Who gave you permission to rebuild this Temple and finish it?’
10 Ningĩ nĩtwamoririe marĩĩtwa mao, nĩgeetha twandĩke marĩĩtwa ma atongoria ao, nĩguo tũkũmenyithie.
We also asked for their names, so that we could write them down and let you know the names of their leaders.
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.
This is the answer they gave us. ‘We are servants of the God of heaven and earth. We are rebuilding the Temple built and completed many years ago 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 our forefathers made the God of heaven angry, so he handed them over to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this Temple and deported the people to Babylon.
13 “No rĩrĩ, mwaka wa mbere wa Kurusu mũthamaki wa Babuloni, mũthamaki nĩathanire atĩ nyũmba ĩno ya Ngai yakwo rĩngĩ.
However, Cyrus, king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, issued a decree to rebuild this Temple 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,
He even gave back the gold and silver items belonging to God's Temple, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem and placed in his temple in Babylon. King Cyrus gave them to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he had appointed governor,
15 na akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, ‘Oya indo ici ũcitware na ũciige thĩinĩ wa hekarũ kũu Jerusalemu, na wake rĩngĩ nyũmba ya Ngai o harĩa yarĩ.’
telling him, Take these items and place them in the Temple in Jerusalem. Rebuild God's Temple on its original site.
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.”
So Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of God's Temple in Jerusalem. It has been under construction since then, but hasn't yet been completed.’
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, if Your Majesty wishes, authorize a search to be made of the royal archives in Babylon to discover if there is a record that King Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild God's Temple in Jerusalem. Then please let us know Your Majesty's decision in this matter.”
