Ezara 6
1 Nake Mũthamaki Dario akĩruta watho, naguo ũhoro ũcio ũgĩtuĩrio nyũmba-inĩ ĩrĩa yaigĩtwo mabuku ma maũndũ ma tene marĩa maigĩtwo nyũmba ya kĩgĩĩna kũu Babuloni.
[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 Ibuku rĩa gĩkũnjo rĩkĩoneka kũu nyũmba-inĩ ya ũthamaki ya Ekibatana, bũrũri-inĩ wa Media. Narĩo rĩandĩkĩtwo ta ũũ: Ũhoro wa Kũririkanania:
[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 Mwaka wa mbere wa Mũthamaki Kurusu, mũthamaki nĩathanire ũhoro ũkoniĩ hekarũ ya Ngai kũu Jerusalemu, akiuga atĩrĩ: Hekarũ nĩyakwo rĩngĩ ĩrĩ handũ ha kũrutagĩrwo magongona, na mĩthingi yayo yakwo. Ĩkorwo ĩrĩ mĩkono mĩrongo ĩtandatũ kũraiha na igũrũ, na mĩkono mĩrongo ĩtandatũ kwarama,
“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 ĩkorwo ĩrĩ na mĩhari ĩtatũ ya mahiga manene, na ũmwe wa mbaũ. Thogora ũcio ũrĩhwo kuuma kĩgĩĩna-inĩ kĩa ũthamaki.
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 Ningĩ indo cia thahabu na cia betha cia nyũmba ya Ngai iria Nebukadinezaru aakuuĩte kuuma hekarũ ĩrĩa ĩrĩ Jerusalemu agĩcirehe Babuloni-rĩ, nĩicookio o kĩndũ harĩa kĩarĩ thĩinĩ wa hekarũ kũu Jerusalemu; na mũciige thĩinĩ wa nyũmba ya Ngai.
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 Na rĩrĩ, wee Tatenai barũthi wa Mũrĩmo-wa-Farati, hamwe na Shetharu-Bozenai, na inyuĩ, anene a thiritũ yao, mũtigathiĩ kuo.
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 Mũtikaingĩrĩre wĩra ũcio wa hekarũ ya Ngai. Barũthi wa Ayahudi na athuuri a Ayahudi nĩmarekwo maake rĩngĩ nyũmba ĩyo ya Ngai o harĩa yaakĩtwo.
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 O na ningĩ nĩndathana ũrĩa mũgwĩkĩra athuuri aya a Ayahudi magĩaka nyũmba ĩyo ya Ngai: Mahũthĩro mothe ma andũ acio nĩ marĩhwo kuuma kĩgĩĩna-inĩ kĩa ũthamaki kĩa Mũrĩmo-wa-Farati, nĩgeetha wĩra ũyũ ndũkanarũgame.
“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 Kĩrĩa gĩothe kĩngĩendekana, tũtegwa, na ndũrũme, na tũtũrũme; cia kũrutwo maruta ma njino kũrĩ Ngai wa igũrũ, na ngano, na cumbĩ, na ndibei, na maguta, o ta ũrĩa ingĩĩtio nĩ athĩnjĩri-Ngai kũu Jerusalemu no nginya maheagwo o mũthenya itekwaga,
“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 nĩgeetha marutage magongona ma gwĩtĩkĩrĩka nĩ Ngai wa igũrũ, na mahooyagĩre kũgaacĩra kwa mũthamaki na ariũ ake.
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 Ningĩ nĩndathana atĩ mũndũ o na ũrĩkũ ũngĩgarũra maandĩko macio, mũitĩrĩro ũkaarutwo nyũmba-inĩ yake na acooke oywo na igũrũ ohanĩtio naguo. Na nĩ ũndũ wa rĩhia rĩu nyũmba yake ĩgaatuuo iganjo rĩa mahuti.
“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 Ngai ũrĩa ũtũmĩte Rĩĩtwa rĩake rĩtũũre kũu aroeheria mũthamaki o wothe kana andũ arĩa mangĩgeria kũgarũra watho ũyũ kana kũharagania hekarũ ĩyo ĩrĩ Jerusalemu. Niĩ Dario nĩ niĩ ndaruta watho ũcio. Nĩwathĩkĩrwo na kĩyo.
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 Ningĩ, nĩ ũndũ wa watho ũrĩa warutĩtwo nĩ Mũthamaki Dario, Tatenai barũthi wa Mũrĩmo-wa-Farati, na Shetharu-Bozenai, marĩ na athiritũ ao nĩmathĩkĩire watho ũcio na kĩyo.
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 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio athuuri a Ayahudi magĩthiĩ o na mbere gwaka na kũgaacĩra makĩhunjagĩrio nĩ mũnabii Hagai, na Zekaria wa rũciaro rwa Ido. Makĩrĩkia gwaka hekarũ kũringana na rĩathani rĩa Ngai wa Isiraeli na watho wa Kurusu, na wa Dario, na wa Aritashashita, athamaki a Perisia.
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 Hekarũ ĩyo yarĩkire mũthenya wa gatatũ wa mweri wa Adari, mwaka wa gatandatũ wa gũthamaka kwa Mũthamaki Dario.
They finished building it on March 12, during the sixth year that King Darius [ruled].
16 Hĩndĩ ĩyo andũ a Isiraeli na athĩnjĩri-Ngai, na Alawii, na andũ arĩa angĩ maatahĩtwo, magĩkũngũĩra kwamũrwo kwa nyũmba ya Ngai marĩ na gĩkeno.
Then the priests and the Levites and all the other Israeli people who had returned from Babylon very joyfully dedicated the temple.
17 Indo iria maarutire nĩ ũndũ wa kwamũrwo kwa nyũmba ya Ngai ciarĩ ndegwa igana rĩmwe, na ndũrũme magana meerĩ, na tũtũrũme magana mana, irĩ iruta rĩa kũhoroheria Isiraeli othe mehia mao, na thenge ikũmi na igĩrĩ, o ĩmwe kũrĩ o mũhĩrĩga wa Isiraeli.
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 Nao magĩtoonyia athĩnjĩri-Ngai wĩra-inĩ kũringana na ikundi ciao, na Alawii kũringana na matuanĩra mao, nĩ ũndũ wa wĩra wa gũtungatĩra Ngai kũu Jerusalemu o ta ũrĩa kwandĩkĩtwo Ibuku-inĩ rĩa Musa.
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 Mũthenya wa ikũmi na ĩna wa mweri wa mbere, andũ arĩa maatahĩtwo magĩkũngũĩra Gĩathĩ gĩa Bathaka.
On April 21, the Jews who had returned from Babylon celebrated the Passover Festival.
20 Athĩnjĩri-Ngai na Alawii nĩmetheretie na othe maarĩ atheru. Alawii nĩo maathĩnjire gatũrũme ka Bathaka, nĩ ũndũ wa arĩa othe maatahĩtwo, na nĩ ũndũ wa ariũ a ithe wao athĩnjĩri-Ngai, o na nĩ ũndũ wao ene.
[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 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio andũ a Isiraeli arĩa maacookete kuuma kũrĩa maatahĩirwo makĩrĩa Bathaka ĩyo, hamwe na arĩa othe meyamũranĩtie na mĩtugo ya thaahu ya ndũrĩrĩ iria mariganĩtie nacio nĩgeetha marongorie Jehova Ngai wa Isiraeli.
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 Nĩmakũngũĩire Gĩathĩ kĩa Mĩgate ĩtarĩ Mĩĩkĩre Ndawa ya Kũimbia marĩ na gĩkeno ihinda rĩa mĩthenya mũgwanja, tondũ Jehova nĩamaiyũrĩtie gĩkeno nĩ ũndũ wa kũgarũra meciiria ma mũthamaki wa Ashuri, nake akĩmateithia wĩra-inĩ wa gwaka nyũmba ya Ngai, o we Ngai wa Isiraeli.
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].
