Ezra 5

1 Ugbu a, ndị amụma, bụ Hegai, na Zekaraya nwa Ido buru amụma nye ndị Juu nọ na Juda nakwa Jerusalem. Ọ bụ nʼaha Chineke nke Izrel, onye na-achị ha ka ha buru amụma ahụ.

Now the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, the son of Iddo, were preaching to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel.

2 Mgbe ahụ, Zerubabel nwa Shealtiel, na Jeshua nwa Jozadak malitekwara iwu ụlọnsọ Chineke nʼJerusalem. Ndị amụma Chineke ahụ nọnyeere ha na-enyekwara ha aka.

Then Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, got up and made a start at building the house of God at Jerusalem: and the prophets of God were with them, helping them.

3 Ma Tatenai, onye na-achị mba niile dị nʼọdịda anyanwụ Yufretis, na Sheta Bozenai, na ndị enyi ha, gara Jerusalem jụọ ndị Juu sị; “Onye nyere unu ike ibido iwuzi ụlọnsọ a na mgbidi Jerusalem?”

At the same time, Tattenai, ruler of the land across the river, and Shethar-bozenai, and their men, came to them and said, Who gave you orders to go on building this house and this wall?

4 Ha jụkwara ha ajụjụ sị: “Gịnị bụ aha ndị na-arụ ụlọ a?”

Then they said these words to them: What are the names of the men who are at work on this building?

5 Ma anya Chineke ha dịkwasịrị nʼahụ ndị okenye ndị Juu, ha akwụsịghị ha ọrụ ruo mgbe akwụkwọ ozi ruru Daraiọs, na mgbe ọsịsa ya bịara site nʼakwụkwọ ozi.

But the eye of their God was on the chiefs of the Jews, and they did not make them give up working till the question had been put before Darius and an answer had come by letter about it.

6 Nke a bụ akwụkwọ ozi Tatenai, onye na-achị ala dị nʼọdịda anyanwụ Yufretis, na Sheta Bozenai, na ndịisi ọzọ degara eze Daraiọs:

This is a copy of the letter which Tattenai, the ruler of the land across the river, and Shethar-bozenai and his friends the Apharsachites, living across the river, sent to Darius the king:

7 Ha zigara ya akwụkwọ ozi, nke e si otu a dee, Daraiọs bụ eze nwe akwụkwọ a, Anyị ekelee gị.

They sent him a letter saying, To Darius the king, all peace:

8 Ọ dị mma ka eze mata na anyị jeruru mpaghara ala Juda, nʼebe ahụ ụlọnsọ ukwu Chineke dị. Anyị chọpụtara na ndị ahụ ji nkume a wara awa na-ewu ya, na-edokwa osisi na-elu mgbidi ya. Ọrụ ahụ na-agakwa nʼihu nke ọma na-esepụghị aka nʼokpuru nlekọta ha.

This is to give the king word that we went into the land of Judah, to the house of the great God, which is made of great stones, and has its walls supported with wood, and the work is going on with industry, and they are doing it well.

9 Anyị jụrụ ndị okenye ajụjụ sị: Onye nyere unu ikike ibido iwuzi ụlọnsọ a na mgbidi Jerusalem?

Then we said to the men responsible, who gave you authority for the building of this house and these walls?

10 Anyị jụkwara ha aha ha, ka anyị si otu a mee ka ị mata aha ndị ndu ha.

And we made request for their names, so that we might send you word, and give you the names of the men at the head of them.

11 Ma nke a bụ ihe ha zaghachiri anyị: “Anyị onwe anyị bụ ndị ohu Chineke nke eluigwe na ụwa. Anyị na-ewugharị ụlọnsọ nke otu eze ukwu ndị Izrel wuru nʼoge gara aga.

And they made answer to us, saying, We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are building the house which was put up in times long past and was designed and made complete by a great king of Israel.

12 Ma nʼihi na nna nna anyị ha mere ka iwe wee Chineke nke eluigwe, o weere ha nyefee nʼaka Nebukadneza, onye Kaldịa, bụ eze Babilọn, onye bibiri ụlọnsọ a ma dọrọ ndị bi nʼala ahụ nʼagha laa Babilọn.

But when the God of heaven was moved to wrath by our fathers, he gave them up into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, the Chaldaean, who sent destruction on this house and took the people away into Babylon.

13 “Ma otu ọ dị, nʼafọ mbụ nke ọchịchị Sairọs, eze Babilọn, eze Sairọs nyere iwu ka e wugharịa ụlọnsọ Chineke a.

But in the first year of Cyrus, king of Babylon, Cyrus the king gave an order for the building of this house of God;

14 O sikwa nʼụlọnsọ dị na Babilọn wepụta ngwongwo ọlaọcha na ọlaedo si nʼụlọnsọ Chineke nke Nebukadneza si nʼụlọnsọ Chineke dị na Jerusalem bupụ bulaa nʼụlọnsọ dị na Babilọn. Mgbe ahụ eze Sairọs nyefere ha nʼaka otu nwoke a na-akpọ Sheshbaza, onye ọ họpụtara dịka gọvanọ.

And the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the Temple which was in Jerusalem, and put into the house of his god in Babylon, these Cyrus the king took from the house of his god in Babylon, and gave to one named Sheshbazzar, whom he had made ruler;

15 Ọ gwara ya sị, ‘buru ngwongwo ndị a bulaa ha nʼụlọnsọ dị na Jerusalem, wugharịakwa ụlọnsọ Chineke nʼọnọdụ ya mbụ.’

And he said to him, Go, take these vessels, and put them in the Temple in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be put up again in its place.

16 “Ya mere, ọ bụ Sheshbaza a bịara tọọ ntọala ụlọnsọ dị na Jerusalem. Sitekwa nʼoge ahụ ruo ugbu a, ha nọ na-arụ ya ma ha arụchabeghị ya.”

Then this same Sheshbazzar came and put the house of God in Jerusalem on its bases: and from that time till now the building has been going on, but it is still not complete.

17 Ugbu a, ọ bụrụ na ọ dị eze mma nʼobi, ya nye iwu ka e nyochaa nʼụlọ a na-echebe akwụkwọ ochie nke ndị eze Babilọn, ịchọpụta maọbụ eziokwu na eze Sairọs nyere iwu dị otu a iwugharị ụlọnsọ Chineke dị na Jerusalem. Ka eze gwakwa anyị ihe bụ mkpebi ya banyere okwu a.

So now, if it seems good to the king, let search be made in the king's store-house at Babylon, to see if it is true that an order was given by Cyrus the king for the building of this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send us word of his pleasure in connection with this business.