Esdræ 5
1 Prophetaverunt autem Aggaeus Propheta, et Zacharias filius Addo prophetantes ad Iudaeos, qui erant in Iudaea et Ierusalem, in nomine Dei Israel.
Later, the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them.
2 Tunc surrexerunt Zorobabel filius Salathiel, et Iosue filius Iosedec, et coeperunt aedificare templum Dei in Ierusalem, et cum eis prophetae Dei adiuvantes eos.
Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak rose up and began to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, helping them.
3 In ipso autem tempore venit ad eos Thathanai, qui erat dux trans Flumen, et Stharbuzanai, et consiliarii eorum: sicque dixerunt eis: Quis dedit vobis consilium ut domum hanc aedificaretis, et muros eius instauraretis?
At that time Tattenai the governor of the region west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates went to the Jews and asked, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and restore this structure?”
4 Ad quod respondimus eis, quae essent nomina hominum auctorum aedificationis illius.
They also asked, “What are the names of the men who are constructing this building?”
5 Oculus autem Dei eorum factus est super senes Iudaeorum, et non potuerunt inhibere eos. Placuitque ut res ad Darium referretur, et tunc satisfacerent adversus accusationem illam.
But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, so that they were not stopped until a report was sent to Darius and written instructions about this matter were returned.
6 Exemplar epistolae, quam misit Thathanai dux regionis trans Flumen, et Stharbuzanai, et consiliatores eius Arphasachaei, qui erant trans Flumen, ad Darium regem.
This is the text of the letter that Tattenai the governor of the region west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates, the officials in the region, sent to King Darius.
7 Sermo, quem miserant ei, sic scriptus erat: Dario regi pax omnis.
The report they sent him read as follows: To King Darius: All peace.
8 Notum sit regi, isse nos ad Iudaeam provinciam, ad domum Dei magni, quae aedificatur lapide impolito, et ligna ponuntur in parietibus: opusque illud diligenter extruitur, et crescit in manibus eorum.
Let it be known to the king that we went into the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. The people are rebuilding it with large stones, and placing timbers in the walls. This work is being carried out diligently and is prospering in their hands.
9 Interrogavimus ergo senes illos, et ita diximus eis: Quis dedit vobis potestatem ut domum hanc aedificaretis, et muros hos instauraretis?
So we questioned the elders and asked, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and restore this structure?”
10 Sed et nomina eorum quaesivimus ab eis, ut nunciaremus tibi: scripsimusque nomina eorum virorum, qui sunt principes in eis.
We also asked for their names, so that we could write down the names of their leaders for your information.
11 Huiuscemodi autem sermonem responderunt nobis, dicentes: Nos sumus servi Dei caeli et terrae, et aedificamus templum, quod erat extructum ante hos annos multos, quodque rex Israel magnus aedificaverat, et extruxerat.
And this is the answer they returned: “We are servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and completed.
12 Postquam autem ad iracundiam provocaverunt patres nostri Deum caeli, tradidit eos in manus Nabuchodonosor regis Babylonis Chaldaei, domum quoque hanc destruxit, et populum eius transtulit in Babylonem.
But since our fathers angered the God of heaven, He delivered them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean who destroyed this temple and carried away the people to Babylon.
13 Anno autem primo Cyri regis Babylonis, Cyrus rex proposuit edictum ut domus Dei aedificaretur.
In his first year, however, Cyrus king of Babylon issued a decree to rebuild this house of God.
14 Nam et vasa templi Dei aurea et argentea, quae Nabuchodonosor tulerat de templo, quod erat in Ierusalem, et asportaverat ea in templum Babylonis, protulit Cyrus rex de templo Babylonis, et data sunt Sassabasar vocabulo, quem et principem constituit,
He also removed from the temple of Babylon the gold and silver articles belonging to the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken and carried there from the temple in Jerusalem. King Cyrus gave these articles to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he appointed governor
15 dixitque ei: Haec vasa tolle, et vade, et pone ea in templo, quod est in Ierusalem, et domus Dei aedificetur in loco suo.
and instructed, ‘Take these articles, put them in the temple in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its original site.’
16 Tunc itaque Sassabasar ille venit et posuit fundamenta templi Dei in Ierusalem, et ex eo tempore usque nunc aedificatur, et necdum completum est.
So this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of the house of God in Jerusalem, and from that time until now it has been under construction, but it has not yet been completed.”
17 Nunc ergo, si videtur regi bonum, recenseat in bibliotheca regis, quae est in Babylone, utrumnam a Cyro rege iussum fuerit ut aedificaretur domus Dei in Ierusalem, et voluntatem regis super hac re mittat ad nos.
Now, therefore, if it pleases the king, let a search be made of the royal archives in Babylon to see if King Cyrus did indeed issue a decree to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. Then let the king send us his decision in this matter.
