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.
At that time two prophets gave messages from God to the Jews in Jerusalem and [other cities in] Judah. The prophets were Haggai and Zechariah, who was a descendant of Iddo. They spoke those messages representing God, whom the Israelis [worshiped/belonged to], the one who was their true king.
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 and Shealtiel [led many other people] as they started [again] to rebuild the temple of God in Jerusalem. And God’s prophets [Haggai and Zechariah] were with 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?”
Then Tattenai the governor of the province west of the [Euphrates] River and Shethar-Bozenai his assistant and [some of] their officials went to Jerusalem and said to the people, “Who has permitted you to rebuild this temple and put furnishings in it?”
4 Ningĩ makĩũria atĩrĩ, “Andũ arĩa maraaka nyũmba ĩno metagwo atĩa?”
They also requested the people to tell them the names of the men who were working [at the temple]. [But the people refused].
5 No rĩrĩ, Ngai nĩaroraga athuuri acio a Ayahudi, na matiatigithirio wĩra nginya ũhoro ũkinyĩrio Dario, na marũa ma macookio make maamũkĩrwo.
However, God was taking care of the Jewish leaders, so their enemies were not able to prevent the people from continuing [to rebuild the temple]. [They continued to work while their enemies] sent a report to King Darius, and asked him [what he wanted them to do] 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.
So Tattenai and Shethar-Bozenai and their officials sent a report to King Darius.
7 Ũhoro ũrĩa maamũtũmĩire watariĩ ũũ: Kũrĩ Mũthamaki Dario: Ngeithi cia thayũ.
This is what they wrote: “King Darius, we hope that things are going well for you!
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 want you to know that] we went to Judah Province, where the temple of the great God is being rebuilt. The people are building it with huge stones, and they are putting wooden beams in the walls. The work is being done very carefully, and they are progressing well.
9 Tuoririe athuuri acio atĩrĩ, “Nũũ wamũheire rũtha rwa gwaka rĩngĩ hekarũ ĩno na gũcookereria mwako ũyũ?”
“We asked the Jewish leaders, ‘Who has permitted you to rebuild this temple and put furnishings in it?’
10 Ningĩ nĩtwamoririe marĩĩtwa mao, nĩgeetha twandĩke marĩĩtwa ma atongoria ao, nĩguo tũkũmenyithie.
And we requested them to tell us the names of their leaders, in order that we could tell you who they were.
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.
“But [instead of telling us their leaders’ names, ] what they said was, ‘We serve the God [who created] the heaven and the earth. Many years ago a great king [who ruled] us Israeli people [told our ancestors to] build a temple here, and now we are rebuilding it.
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 God, [who rules] in heaven, allowed [the armies of] Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylonia, to destroy that temple, because our ancestors did things that caused God to become very angry. Nebuchadnezzar’s army took [many of] the [Israeli] people to Babylonia.
13 “No rĩrĩ, mwaka wa mbere wa Kurusu mũthamaki wa Babuloni, mũthamaki nĩathanire atĩ nyũmba ĩno ya Ngai yakwo rĩngĩ.
“'However, during the first year that Cyrus the King of Babylon started to rule, he decreed that the temple of God should be rebuilt.
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,
Cyrus returned [to the Jewish leaders] all the gold and silver cups that had been taken from the temple in Jerusalem and which had been put in the temple in Babylon. Those cups were given to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom King Cyrus had appointed to be the governor in Judah.
15 na akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, ‘Oya indo ici ũcitware na ũciige thĩinĩ wa hekarũ kũu Jerusalemu, na wake rĩngĩ nyũmba ya Ngai o harĩa yarĩ.’
“'The king instructed him to take the cups back to Jerusalem, to the place [from which they had previously been taken]. He also decreed that they should rebuild the temple at the place where it had been before. So Cyrus appointed Sheshbazzar to be the governor in Judah. He also sent all those things made of gold and silver, for Sheshbazzar to put in the new temple.
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 did that. He came here to Jerusalem, and [supervised the men who] laid the foundation of the temple. And since that time, the people have been working on the temple, but it is not finished yet.’
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.
“Therefore, your majesty, please order someone to search in the place in Babylon where the important records are kept, to find out whether [it is true that] King Cyrus decreed that God’s temple should be rebuilt in Jerusalem. Then you can tell us what you want us to do about this matter.”
