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.
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 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 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 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?”
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 Ha jụkwara ha ajụjụ sị: “Gịnị bụ aha ndị na-arụ ụlọ a?”
They also requested the people to tell them the names of the men who were working [at the temple]. [But the people refused].
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.
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 Nke a bụ akwụkwọ ozi Tatenai, onye na-achị ala dị nʼọdịda anyanwụ Yufretis, na Sheta Bozenai, na ndịisi ọzọ degara eze Daraiọs:
So Tattenai and Shethar-Bozenai and their officials sent a report to King Darius.
7 Ha zigara ya akwụkwọ ozi, nke e si otu a dee, Daraiọs bụ eze nwe akwụkwọ a, Anyị ekelee gị.
This is what they wrote: “King Darius, we hope that things are going well for you!
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.
[“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 Anyị jụrụ ndị okenye ajụjụ sị: Onye nyere unu ikike ibido iwuzi ụlọnsọ a na mgbidi Jerusalem?
“We asked the Jewish leaders, ‘Who has permitted you to rebuild this temple and put furnishings in it?’
10 Anyị jụkwara ha aha ha, ka anyị si otu a mee ka ị mata aha ndị ndu ha.
And we requested them to tell us the names of their leaders, in order that we could tell you who they were.
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.
“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 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 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 “Ma otu ọ dị, nʼafọ mbụ nke ọchịchị Sairọs, eze Babilọn, eze Sairọs nyere iwu ka e wugharịa ụlọnsọ Chineke a.
“'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 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.
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 Ọ gwara ya sị, ‘buru ngwongwo ndị a bulaa ha nʼụlọnsọ dị na Jerusalem, wugharịakwa ụlọnsọ Chineke nʼọnọdụ ya mbụ.’
“'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 “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.”
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 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.
“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.”
