Ἔσδρας Αʹ 6
1 τότε Δαρεῖος ὁ βασιλεὺς ἔθηκεν γνώμην καὶ ἐπεσκέψατο ἐν ταῖς βιβλιοθήκαις ὅπου ἡ γάζα κεῖται ἐν Βαβυλῶνι
Thus King Darius ordered a search of the archives stored in the treasury of Babylon.
2 καὶ εὑρέθη ἐν πόλει ἐν τῇ βάρει τῆς Μήδων πόλεως κεφαλὶς μία καὶ τοῦτο ἦν γεγραμμένον ἐν αὐτῇ ὑπόμνημα
And a scroll was found in the fortress of Ecbatana, in the province of Media, with the following written on it: Memorandum:
3 ἐν ἔτει πρώτῳ Κύρου βασιλέως Κῦρος ὁ βασιλεὺς ἔθηκεν γνώμην περὶ οἴκου τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἐν Ιερουσαλημ οἶκος οἰκοδομηθήτω καὶ τόπος οὗ θυσιάζουσιν τὰ θυσιάσματα καὶ ἔθηκεν ἔπαρμα ὕψος πήχεις ἑξήκοντα πλάτος αὐτοῦ πήχεων ἑξήκοντα
In the first year of King Cyrus, he issued a decree concerning the house of God in Jerusalem: Let the house be rebuilt as a place for offering sacrifices, and let its foundations be firmly laid. It is to be sixty cubits high and sixty cubits wide,
4 καὶ δόμοι λίθινοι κραταιοὶ τρεῖς καὶ δόμος ξύλινος εἷς καὶ ἡ δαπάνη ἐξ οἴκου τοῦ βασιλέως δοθήσεται
with three layers of cut stones and one of timbers. The costs are to be paid from the royal treasury.
5 καὶ τὰ σκεύη οἴκου τοῦ θεοῦ τὰ ἀργυρᾶ καὶ τὰ χρυσᾶ ἃ Ναβουχοδονοσορ ἐξήνεγκεν ἀπὸ οἴκου τοῦ ἐν Ιερουσαλημ καὶ ἐκόμισεν εἰς Βαβυλῶνα καὶ δοθήτω καὶ ἀπελθάτω εἰς τὸν ναὸν τὸν ἐν Ιερουσαλημ ἐπὶ τόπου οὗ ἐτέθη ἐν οἴκῳ τοῦ θεοῦ
Furthermore, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and carried to Babylon, must also be returned to the temple in Jerusalem and deposited in the house of God.
6 νῦν δώσετε ἔπαρχοι πέραν τοῦ ποταμοῦ Σαθαρβουζανα καὶ οἱ σύνδουλοι αὐτῶν Αφαρσαχαῖοι οἱ ἐν πέρα τοῦ ποταμοῦ μακρὰν ὄντες ἐκεῖθεν
Therefore Darius decreed: To Tattenai governor of the region west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and your associates and officials in the region: You must stay away from that place!
7 ἄφετε τὸ ἔργον οἴκου τοῦ θεοῦ οἱ ἀφηγούμενοι τῶν Ιουδαίων καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι τῶν Ιουδαίων οἶκον τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκεῖνον οἰκοδομείτωσαν ἐπὶ τοῦ τόπου αὐτοῦ
Leave this work on the house of God alone. Let the governor and elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its original site.
8 καὶ ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ ἐτέθη γνώμη μήποτέ τι ποιήσητε μετὰ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων τῶν Ιουδαίων τοῦ οἰκοδομῆσαι οἶκον τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκεῖνον καὶ ἀπὸ ὑπαρχόντων βασιλέως τῶν φόρων πέραν τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἐπιμελῶς δαπάνη ἔστω διδομένη τοῖς ἀνδράσιν ἐκείνοις τὸ μὴ καταργηθῆναι
I hereby decree what you must do for these elders of the Jews who are rebuilding this house of God: The cost is to be paid in full to these men from the royal treasury out of the taxes of the provinces west of the Euphrates, so that the work will not be hindered.
9 καὶ ὃ ἂν ὑστέρημα καὶ υἱοὺς βοῶν καὶ κριῶν καὶ ἀμνοὺς εἰς ὁλοκαυτώσεις τῷ θεῷ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ πυρούς ἅλας οἶνον ἔλαιον κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμα τῶν ἱερέων τῶν ἐν Ιερουσαλημ ἔστω διδόμενον αὐτοῖς ἡμέραν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὃ ἐὰν αἰτήσωσιν
Whatever is needed—young bulls, rams, and lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, as well as wheat, salt, wine, and oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem—must be given to them daily without fail.
10 ἵνα ὦσιν προσφέροντες εὐωδίας τῷ θεῷ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ προσεύχωνται εἰς ζωὴν τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ
Then they will be able to offer sacrifices of a sweet aroma to the God of heaven and to pray for the lives of the king and his sons.
11 καὶ ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ ἐτέθη γνώμη ὅτι πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ὃς ἀλλάξει τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο καθαιρεθήσεται ξύλον ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας αὐτοῦ καὶ ὠρθωμένος παγήσεται ἐπ’ αὐτοῦ καὶ ὁ οἶκος αὐτοῦ τὸ κατ’ ἐμὲ ποιηθήσεται
I also decree that if any man interferes with this directive, a beam is to be torn from his house and raised up, and he is to be impaled on it. And his own house shall be made a pile of rubble for this offense.
12 καὶ ὁ θεός οὗ κατασκηνοῖ τὸ ὄνομα ἐκεῖ καταστρέψει πάντα βασιλέα καὶ λαόν ὃς ἐκτενεῖ τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἀλλάξαι ἢ ἀφανίσαι τὸν οἶκον τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκεῖνον τὸν ἐν Ιερουσαλημ ἐγὼ Δαρεῖος ἔθηκα γνώμην ἐπιμελῶς ἔσται
May God, who has caused His Name to dwell there, overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to alter this decree or to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued the decree. Let it be carried out with diligence.
13 τότε Θανθαναι ἔπαρχος πέραν τοῦ ποταμοῦ Σαθαρβουζανα καὶ οἱ σύνδουλοι αὐτοῦ πρὸς ὃ ἀπέστειλεν Δαρεῖος ὁ βασιλεὺς οὕτως ἐποίησαν ἐπιμελῶς
In response, Tattenai the governor of the region west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates diligently carried out what King Darius had decreed.
14 καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι τῶν Ιουδαίων ᾠκοδομοῦσαν καὶ οἱ Λευῖται ἐν προφητείᾳ Αγγαιου τοῦ προφήτου καὶ Ζαχαριου υἱοῦ Αδδω καὶ ἀνῳκοδόμησαν καὶ κατηρτίσαντο ἀπὸ γνώμης θεοῦ Ισραηλ καὶ ἀπὸ γνώμης Κύρου καὶ Δαρείου καὶ Αρθασασθα βασιλέων Περσῶν
So the Jewish elders built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo. They finished building according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia.
15 καὶ ἐτέλεσαν τὸν οἶκον τοῦτον ἕως ἡμέρας τρίτης μηνὸς Αδαρ ὅ ἐστιν ἔτος ἕκτον τῇ βασιλείᾳ Δαρείου τοῦ βασιλέως
And this temple was completed on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.
16 καὶ ἐποίησαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ισραηλ οἱ ἱερεῖς καὶ οἱ Λευῖται καὶ οἱ κατάλοιποι υἱῶν ἀποικεσίας ἐγκαίνια τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ
Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the exiles—celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy.
17 καὶ προσήνεγκαν εἰς τὰ ἐγκαίνια τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ θεοῦ μόσχους ἑκατόν κριοὺς διακοσίους ἀμνοὺς τετρακοσίους χιμάρους αἰγῶν περὶ ἁμαρτίας ὑπὲρ παντὸς Ισραηλ δώδεκα εἰς ἀριθμὸν φυλῶν Ισραηλ
For the dedication of the house of God they offered a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and a sin offering for all Israel of twelve male goats, one for each tribe of Israel.
18 καὶ ἔστησαν τοὺς ἱερεῖς ἐν διαιρέσεσιν αὐτῶν καὶ τοὺς Λευίτας ἐν μερισμοῖς αὐτῶν ἐπὶ δουλείᾳ θεοῦ τοῦ ἐν Ιερουσαλημ κατὰ τὴν γραφὴν βιβλίου Μωυσῆ
They also appointed the priests by their divisions and the Levites by their groups to the service of God in Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses.
19 καὶ ἐποίησαν οἱ υἱοὶ τῆς ἀποικεσίας τὸ πασχα τῇ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτῃ τοῦ μηνὸς τοῦ πρώτου
On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles kept the Passover.
20 ὅτι ἐκαθαρίσθησαν οἱ ἱερεῖς καὶ οἱ Λευῖται ἕως εἷς πάντες καθαροὶ καὶ ἔσφαξαν τὸ πασχα τοῖς πᾶσιν υἱοῖς τῆς ἀποικεσίας καὶ τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς αὐτῶν τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν καὶ ἑαυτοῖς
All the priests and Levites had purified themselves and were ceremonially clean. And the Levites slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their priestly brothers, and for themselves.
21 καὶ ἔφαγον οἱ υἱοὶ Ισραηλ τὸ πασχα οἱ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀποικεσίας καὶ πᾶς ὁ χωριζόμενος τῆς ἀκαθαρσίας ἐθνῶν τῆς γῆς πρὸς αὐτοὺς τοῦ ἐκζητῆσαι κύριον θεὸν Ισραηλ
The Israelites who had returned from exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the uncleanness of the peoples of the land to seek the LORD, the God of Israel.
22 καὶ ἐποίησαν τὴν ἑορτὴν τῶν ἀζύμων ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ ὅτι εὔφρανεν αὐτοὺς κύριος καὶ ἐπέστρεψεν καρδίαν βασιλέως Ασσουρ ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς κραταιῶσαι τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῶν ἐν ἔργοις οἴκου τοῦ θεοῦ Ισραηλ
For seven days they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread with joy, because the LORD had made them joyful and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them to strengthen their hands in the work on the house of the God of Israel.
