Esdræ 4

1 audierunt autem hostes Iudae et Beniamin quia filii captivitatis aedificarent templum Domino Deo Israhel

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 immolamus victimas ex diebus Asoraddan 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 Israhel non est vobis et nobis ut aedificemus domum Deo nostro sed nos ipsi soli aedificabimus Domino Deo nostro sicut praecepit nobis rex 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 inpediret 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 quoque adversum 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 Asueri principio regni eius scripserunt accusationem adversum habitatores Iudae et Hierusalem

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 Artarxersis scripsit Beselam Mitridatis et Tabel et reliqui qui erant in consilio eorum ad Artarxersen regem Persarum epistula 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 epistulam unam de Hierusalem Artarxersi 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 Dinei et Apharsathei Terphalei Apharsei Erchuei Babylonii Susannechei Deaei 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 Asennaphar 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 epistulae quam miserunt ad eum Artarxersi 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 Hierusalem civitatem rebellem et pessimam quam aedificant extruentes muros eius et parietes conponentes

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 ergo memores salis quod in palatio comedimus et quia laesiones regis videre nefas ducimus idcirco misimus et nuntiavimus 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 concitant 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 nuntiamus 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 accusationem 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 proelia 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 Hierusalem 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 ut prohibeatis viros illos et 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 neglegenter 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 Artarxersis regis lectum est coram Reum et Samsai scriba et consiliariis eorum et abierunt festini in Hierusalem 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 Dei in Hierusalem 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.