Ezra 4
1 Mgbe ndị iro Juda na Benjamin nụrụ na ndị ahụ a dọtara nʼagha alọtala, nụkwa na ha na-ewugharị ụlọnsọ ukwu Onyenwe anyị, Chineke Izrel,
Now the enemies of Judah and of Benjamin heard that the sons of the captivity were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel.
2 ha bịakwutere Zerubabel na ndịisi ezinaụlọ sị ha, “Kwerenụ ka anyị nyere unu aka nʼọrụ iwu ụlọ a, nʼihi na anyị hụrụ Chineke unu nʼanya dịka unu onwe unu si hụ ya nʼanya. Lee na kemgbe Isahadon eze Asịrịa butere anyị nʼebe a, anyị alabeghị azụ ịchụrụ ya aja.”
And so, drawing near to Zerubbabel and to the leaders of the fathers, they said to them: “Let us build with you, for we seek your God just as you do. Behold, we have immolated victims to him from the days of Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, who brought us here.”
3 Ma Zerubabel, na Jeshua na ndịisi ọzọ zara sị ha, “Unu enweghị oke ọbụla nʼọrụ iwuru Chineke anyị ụlọnsọ. Naanị ndị anyị ga-ewuru Onyenwe anyị, Chineke Izrel ụlọ ukwu a dịka Sairọs eze Peshịa nyere nʼiwu.”
And Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the leaders of the fathers of Israel said to them: “It is not for you to build the house of our God with us. Instead, we alone shall build to the Lord our God, just as Cyrus, the king of the Persians, has commanded us.”
4 Ya mere ndị niile nọ ha gburugburu malitere ime ihe ga-ewetara ndị Juda ịda mba nʼobi, na ihe ga-eme ka ụjọ tụọ ha ịga nʼihu nʼọrụ iwu ụlọ ahụ.
Therefore, it happened that the people of the land impeded the hands of the people of Judah, and they troubled them in building.
5 Ha ji ngarị gota ụfọdụ ndịisi ka ha megide ha, mebikwaa atụmatụ ha niile nʼoge niile Sairọs bụ eze Peshịa, ruokwa nʼoge Daraiọs ghọrọ eze ọhụrụ Peshịa.
Then they hired counselors against them, so that they might argue against their plan during all the days of Cyrus, king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius, king of the Persians.
6 Na mmalite ọchịchị Sekses, ha deere ya akwụkwọ ebubo megide ndị Juda na Jerusalem.
And so, during the reign of Ahasuerus, at the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and of Jerusalem.
7 Nʼụbọchị niile ahụ Ataksekses bụ eze ndị Peshịa, ka Bishlam, na Mitredat, na Tabeel, na ndị otu ya fọdụrụ degaara Ataksekses akwụkwọ. E dere akwụkwọ ozi ahụ nʼodide akwụkwọ ndị Aramaik, a sụgharịkwara ya nʼasụsụ Aramaik.
And so, in the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, and Tabeel, and the others who were in their council wrote to Artaxerxes, king of the Persians. Now the letter of accusation was written in Syriac, and was being read in the Syrian language.
8 Ndị ọzọ soro ha gbaa ajọ izu a bụ Rehum onyeisi ọchịchị, na Shimshai ode akwụkwọ. Ha deere Ataksekses akwụkwọ megide ndị Jerusalem sị ya:
Rehum, the commander, and Shimshai, the scribe, wrote one letter from Jerusalem to king Artaxerxes, in this manner:
9 “Akwụkwọ ozi a si nʼaka Rehum, onyeisi agha na Shimshai ode akwụkwọ, na ndị otu anyị ndị ọzọ, na ndị ikpe, na ndịisi obodo na-elekọta ndị ahụ niile si Tripolis, na Peshịa, na Erek, na Babilọn, na Susa nke dị nʼElam,
“Rehum, the commander, and Shimshai, the scribe, and the rest of their counselors, the judges, and rulers, the officials, those from Persia, from Erech, from Babylonia, from Susa, the Dehavites, and the Elamites,
10 na ọtụtụ ndị ọzọ ahụ onye ukwu ahụ na onye a na-asọpụrụ bụ Ashobanipal si nʼala ha bupụ bute na Sameria, na obodo ndị ọzọ dị nʼọdịda anyanwụ Yufretis.”
and the rest of the nations, whom the great and glorious Osnappar transferred and caused to live in the cities of Samaria and in the rest of the regions across the river in peace:
11 Nke a bụ ihe ha dere nʼakwụkwọ ha zigaara Eze Ataksekses. Ọ bụ gị, eze ukwu Ataksekses, ka ndị ohu gị bi nʼakụkụ ọdịda anyanwụ Yufretis na-edetara akwụkwọ a.
to king Artaxerxes. (This is a copy of the letter, which they sent to him.) Your servants, the men who are across the river, send a greeting.
12 Nke a bụ ime ka ị mata na ndị Juu si Babilọn lọta Jerusalem ọhụrụ a ebidola iwughachi obodo ọjọọ nke nnupu isi ahụ. Ha ewuolarị mgbidi ya, tọkwaa ntọala ya.
Let it be known to the king, that the Jews, who ascended from you to us, have arrived in Jerusalem, a rebellious and most wicked city, which they are building, constructing its ramparts and repairing the walls.
13 Anyị chọrọ ka o doo gị anya na ọ bụrụ na ha ewuchaa ya, ọ ga-abụ nsogbu nye alaeze gị, nʼihi na ndị Juu agaghị ekwekwa ịtụrụ gị ụtụ isi ha.
And now let be it known to the king, that if this city will have been built up, and its walls repaired, they will not pay tribute, nor tax, nor yearly revenues, and this loss will affect even the kings.
14 Ebe anyị na-asọpụrụ gị dịka nna anyị ukwu, anyị achọghị ka ihe ọjọọ mee nʼalaeze gị, ya mere anyị ji kpebie idere gị akwụkwọ a.
But, remembering the salt that we have eaten in the palace, and because we are led to believe that it is a crime to see the king harmed, we have therefore sent and reported to the king,
15 Anyị chọrọ ka i leba anya nʼakwụkwọ akụkọ nke mgbe ochie, ka ị chọpụta na ọ dịghị mgbe Jerusalem na-ejighị bụrụ obodo nnupu isi. Nʼezie, ọ bụ nʼihi nnupu isi a na nkwulu nke ha na-ekwulu ndị eze dị iche iche, ka e ji bibie ya na mbụ.
so that you may search in the books of the histories of your fathers, and you may find written in the records, and you may know that this city is a rebellious city, and that it is harmful to the kings and the provinces, and that wars were incited within it from the days of antiquity. For which reason also, the city itself was destroyed.
16 Anyị chọrọ ka ị mata na ọ bụrụ na e wuchaa mgbidi obodo a, ọ ga-esi ike ka akụkụ alaeze gị a, nke dị ruo nʼosimiri Yufretis, bụrụkwa nke gị ọzọ.
We report to the king that if this city will have been built, and its walls repaired, you will have no possession across the river.”
17 Eze ahụ si otu a saa akwụkwọ ahụ, Ọ sịrị ha, Rehum onyeisi ọchịchị, na Shimshai ode akwụkwọ, na ndị otu ha bi na Sameria ruo nʼọdịda anyanwụ nke osimiri Yufretis. Ndeewonụ.
The king sent word to Rehum, the commander, and to Shimshai, the scribe, and to the rest who were in their council, to the inhabitants of Samaria, and to the others across the river, offering a greeting and peace.
18 Akwụkwọ ozi ahụ unu zitere anyị, agụọla ma tapịakwaa ya nʼihu m.
“The accusation, which you have sent to us, has been read aloud before me.
19 Enyere m iwu ka e nyochaa chọpụta, e mere nyochaa, a chọpụtakwara ya nʼakwụkwọ na obodo a siterị nʼoge gara aga bụ obodo na-ebuli onwe ya megide ọtụtụ ndị eze, bụrụkwa ebe na-akpali nnupu isi na okwu na-eweta ọgbaaghara.
And it was commanded by me, and they searched and found that this city, from the days of antiquity, has rebelled against the kings, and that seditions and battles have been incited within it.
20 Jerusalem e nweela ụfọdụ ndị eze nke chịrị nʼIzrel, ndị dị ike a maara aha ha, ndị alaeze ha gbasara rute nʼosimiri Yufretis, ndị a na-atụkwara ụtụ dị iche iche.
Then too, there have been very strong kings in Jerusalem, who also ruled over the entire region which is across the river. They have also taken tribute, and tax, and revenues.
21 Ugbu a, nye iwu ka ndị ikom ndị ahụ kwụsị ọrụ, ka a ghara iwuzi obodo a tutu ruo mgbe m ga-enye iwu.
Now therefore, hear the sentence: Prohibit those men, so that this city may be not built, until perhaps there may be further orders from me.
22 Lezienụ anya ka unu ghara i lepụrụ okwu a anya. Gịnị ga-eme ka a hapụ ihe iyi egwu a ka ọ gaa nʼihu, ime ka ihe jọrọ alaeze a njọ karịa?
See to it that you are not negligent in fulfilling this, otherwise, little by little, the evil may increase against the kings.”
23 Ngwangwa a gụrụ akwụkwọ ozi si nʼaka eze Ataksekses, nye Rehum na Shimshai bụ ode akwụkwọ, na ndị otu ha, ha mere ọsịịsọ gakwuru ndị Juu na Jerusalem jiri ike kwagide ha ka ha kwụsị ịrụ ọrụ ahụ.
And so a copy of the edict of king Artaxerxes was read before Rehum, the commander, and Shimshai, the scribe, and their counselors. And they went away hurriedly to Jerusalem, to the Jews. And they prohibited them by force and by strength.
24 Ya mere, ha kwụsịrị ịrụ ọrụ nʼụlọnsọ ukwu Chineke na Jerusalem tutu ruo nʼafọ abụọ nke ọchịchị Daraiọs eze Peshịa.
Then the work of the house of the Lord in Jerusalem was interrupted, and it did not resume until the second year of the reign of Darius, the king of the Persians.
