Esdræ 4
1 Audierunt autem hostes Iuda, et Beniamin, quia filii captivitatis aedificarent templum Domino Deo Israel:
Now news came to the haters of Judah and Benjamin that the people who had come back were building a Temple to the Lord, the God of Israel;
2 et accedentes ad Zorobabel, et ad principes patrum dixerunt eis: Aedificemus vobiscum, quia ita ut vos, quaerimus Deum vestrum: ecce nos immolavimus victimas a diebus Asor Haddan regis Assur, qui adduxit nos huc.
Then they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of families, and said to them, Let us take part in the building with you; for we are servants of your God, even as you are; and we have been making offerings to him from the days of Esar-haddon, king of Assyria, who put us here.
3 Et dixit eis Zorobabel, et Iosue, et reliqui principes patrum Israel: Non est vobis et nobis ut aedificemus domum Deo nostro, sed nosipsi soli aedificabimus Domino Deo nostro, sicut praecepit nobis Cyrus rex Persarum.
But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of families in Israel said to them, You have no part with us in the building of a house for our God; we ourselves will do the work together for the Lord, the God of Israel, as Cyrus, king of Persia, has given us orders.
4 Factum est igitur ut populus terrae impediret manus populi Iudae, et turbaret eos in aedificando.
Then the people of the land made the hands of the people of Judah feeble, troubling them with fear in their building;
5 Conduxerunt autem adversus eos consiliatores, ut destruerent consilium eorum omnibus diebus Cyri regis Persarum, et usque ad regnum Darii regis Persarum.
And they gave payment to men who made designs against them and kept them from effecting their purpose, all through the time of Cyrus, king of Persia, till Darius became king.
6 In regno autem Assueri, in principio regni eius, scripserunt accusationem adversus habitatores Iudae et Ierusalem.
And in the time of Ahasuerus, when he first became king, they put on record a statement against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
7 Et in diebus Artaxerxis scripsit Beselam Mithridates, et Thabeel, et reliqui, qui erant in consilio eorum, ad Artaxerxem regem Persarum: epistola autem accusationis scripta erat Syriace, et legebatur sermone Syro.
And in the time of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his friends, sent a letter to Artaxerxes, king of Persia, writing it in the Aramaean writing and language.
8 Reum Beelteem, et Samsai scriba scripserunt epistolam unam de Ierusalem Artaxerxi regi, huiuscemodi:
Rehum, the chief ruler, and Shimshai the scribe, sent a letter against Jerusalem, to Artaxerxes the king;
9 Reum Beelteem, et Samsai scriba, et reliqui consiliatores eorum, Dinaei, et Apharsathachaei, Terphalaei, Apharsaei, Erchuae, Babylonii, Susanechaei, Dievi, et Aelamitae,
The letter was sent by Rehum, the chief ruler, and Shimshai the scribe and their friends; the Dinaites and the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Shushanchites, the Dehaites, the Elamites,
10 et ceteri de Gentibus, quas transtulit Asenaphar magnus et gloriosus: et habitare eas fecit in civitatibus Samariae, et in reliquis regionibus trans Flumen in pace:
And the rest of the nations which the great and noble Osnappar took over and put in Samaria and the rest of the country over the river:
11 (Hoc est exemplar epistolae, quam miserunt ad eum) Artaxerxi regi, servi tui, viri qui sunt trans Fluvium, salutem dicunt.
This is a copy of the letter which they sent to Artaxerxes the king: Your servants living across the river send these words:
12 Notum sit regi, quia Iudaei, qui ascenderunt a te ad nos, venerunt in Ierusalem civitatem rebellem et pessimam, quam aedificant extruentes muros eius, et parietes componentes.
We give news to the king that the Jews who came from you have come to us at Jerusalem; they are building up again that uncontrolled and evil town; the walls are complete and they are joining up the bases.
13 Nunc igitur notum sit regi, quia si civitas illa aedificata fuerit, et muri eius instaurati, tributum, et vectigal, et annuos reditus non dabunt, et usque ad reges haec noxa perveniet.
The king may be certain that when the building of this town and its walls is complete, they will give no tax or payment in goods or forced payments, and in the end it will be a cause of loss to the kings.
14 Nos autem memores salis, quod in palatio comedimus, et quia laesiones regis videre nefas ducimus, idcirco misimus et nunciavimus regi,
Now because we are responsible to the king, and it is not right for us to see the king's honour damaged, we have sent to give the king word of these things,
15 ut recenseas in libris historiarum patrum tuorum, et invenies scriptum in commentariis: et scies quoniam urbs illa, urbs rebellis est, et nocens regibus et provinciis, et bella concitantur in ea ex diebus antiquis: quam ob rem et civitas ipsa destructa est.
So that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers: and you will see in the book of the records that this town has been uncontrolled, and a cause of trouble to kings and countries, and that there were outbursts against authority there in the past: for which reason the town was made waste.
16 Nunciamus nos regi, quoniam si civitas illa aedificata fuerit, et muri ipsius instaurati, possessionem trans Fluvium non habebis.
We give you word, that if the building of this town and its walls is made complete, there will be an end of your power in the country across the river.
17 Verbum misit rex ad Reum Beelteem, et Samsai scribam, et ad reliquos, qui erant in consilio eorum habitatores Samariae, et ceteris trans Fluvium, salutem dicens et pacem.
Then the king sent an answer to Rehum, the chief ruler, and Shimshai the scribe, and their friends living in Samaria, and to the rest of those across the river, saying, Peace to you:
18 Accusatio, quam misistis ad nos, manifeste lecta est coram me.
And now the sense of the letter which you sent to us has been made clear to me,
19 et a me praeceptum est: et recensuerunt, inveneruntque quoniam civitas illa a diebus antiquis adversum reges rebellat, et seditiones, et praelia concitantur in ea:
And I gave orders for a search to be made, and it is certain that in the past this town has made trouble for kings, and that outbursts against authority have taken place there.
20 nam et reges fortissimi fuerunt in Ierusalem, qui et dominati sunt omni regioni. quae trans Fluvium est: tributum quoque et vectigal, et reditus accipiebant.
Further, there have been great kings in Jerusalem, ruling over all the country across the river, to whom they gave taxes and payments in goods and forced payments.
21 Nunc ergo audite sententiam: Prohibeatis viros illos ut urbs illa non aedificetur, donec si forte a me iussum fuerit.
Give an order now, that these men are to do nothing more, and that the building of the town is to be stopped, till I give an order.
22 Videte ne negligenter hoc impleatis, et paulatim crescat malum contra reges.
Be certain to do this with all care: do not let trouble be increased to the king's damage.
23 Itaque exemplum edicti Artaxerxis regis lectum est coram Reum Beelteem, et Samsai scriba, et consiliariis eorum: et abierunt festini in Ierusalem ad Iudaeos, et prohibuerunt eos in brachio et robore.
Then, after reading the king's letter, Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their friends went quickly to Jerusalem, to the Jews, and had them stopped by force.
24 Tunc intermissum est opus domus Domini in Ierusalem, et non fiebat usque ad annum secundum regni Darii regis Persarum.
So the work of the house of God at Jerusalem came to an end; so it was stopped, till the second year of the rule of Darius, king of Persia.
