Esidrasi 6
1 Mokonzi Dariusi apesaki mitindo, mpe balukaki kati na babuku ya kala oyo ezalaki na Babiloni, kati na ebombelo bomengo ya mokonzi.
[Later] Darius [became the ruler of the Persian Empire. When the enemies of the Israelis forced them to stop rebuilding the temple, the Persian officials sent a message to King Darius. They asked him to] search the records in the (archives/government records), in the building where the king stored the important documents, [to find out whether King Cyrus had authorized that the temple should be rebuilt].
2 Mpe bamonaki buku moko kati na Ekibatane, engumba mokonzi ya etuka ya Medi. Tala makomi oyo ezalaki kati na buku yango: « Ekaniseli:
[The king commanded someone to search there, but those documents were not there in Babylon]. They found a scroll at the fort in Ecbatana, in Media province, [that contained the information that they wanted to know]. This is what was written on that scroll:
3 Na mobu ya liboso ya mokonzi Sirisi, mokonzi Sirisi azwaki mokano na tina na Tempelo ya Nzambe kati na Yelusalemi: Tempelo ya Nzambe esengeli kotongama lisusu mpo ete ezala esika ya kobonza mbeka; boye esengeli kozongisa miboko na yango. Tempelo ekozala na bametele pene tuku misato na bosanda mpe bametele pene tuku misato na mokuse.
“During the first year that Cyrus [ruled the empire], he sent out a decree concerning the temple of God which is at Jerusalem. In the decree it was stated that a new temple must be built at the same place that [the Israeli people previously] had offered sacrifices, where the [original] foundation [of the first temple] was. The temple must be 90 feet high and 90 feet wide.
4 Ekozala na milongo misato ya mabanga bakata mpe molongo moko ya mabaya ya sika mpo na motondo. Mbongo ya kofuta mpo na misala yango ekowuta na bomengo ya mokonzi.
The building must be made from large stones. After putting down three layers of stones, a layer of timber must be put on top of them. This work will be paid for by money from my treasury.
5 Lisusu, biloko basala na wolo mpe na palata ya Ndako ya Nzambe, oyo Nabukodonozori azwaki na Tempelo kati na Yelusalemi mpe amemaki na Babiloni, esengeli kozonga na bisika na yango kati na Tempelo, na Yelusalemi; basengeli kotia yango kati na Ndako ya Nzambe.
Also, the gold and silver utensils that King Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple of God in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon must be taken back to Jerusalem. They must be put in God’s temple just as they were in the previous temple.”
6 Sik’oyo, Tatinayi, moyangeli ya etuka oyo ezali na ngambo ya weste ya ebale Efrate, Shetari-Bozinayi mpe bino baninga na bango ya mosala, bakambi ya etuka, bozala mosika ya likambo oyo.
After reading this, King Darius sent this message [to the leaders of the Israeli people’s enemies in Jerusalem]: “This is a message for Tattenai, the governor of the province west of the [Euphrates] River, and for [his assistant] Shethar-Bozenai, and for all your colleagues: Stay away from that area!
7 Botika ete misala ya kotonga lisusu Ndako oyo ya Nzambe ekoba. Tika ete moyangeli mpe bakambi ya Bayuda batonga yango lisusu na esika na yango ya kala.
Do not (interfere with/hinder) the work of building the temple of God! The temple must be rebuilt at the same place where the former temple was. And do not hinder the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews [while they are doing this work].
8 Tala mitindo oyo ngai nazali kopesa bino na tina na oyo bosengeli kosala mpo na kosunga bakambi ya Bayuda mpe mpo na misala ya botongi Ndako oyo ya Nzambe: ‹ Bosengeli tango nyonso kozwaka mbongo ya misala na bomengo ya mokonzi, oyo ewutaka na mpako oyo etuka ya ngambo ya weste ya ebale Efrate efutaka mpo na mokonzi, mpo na kofuta bato wana na ndenge ekoki mpe mpo ete misala etelema te.
“Furthermore, I declare that you must help these leaders of the Jews as they rebuild this temple of God [by giving them funds for the building work].
9 Bosengeli mpe kopesaka mikolo nyonso epai ya Banganga-Nzambe ya Yelusalemi biloko nyonso oyo bakozala na yango na bosenga mpo na mbeka ya kotumba ya Nzambe ya Likolo: bana ngombe ya mibali, bameme ya mibali, bana meme, ble, mungwa, masanga ya vino mpe mafuta. Soki bakomi na bosenga ya biloko, bino bosengeli kopesa bango yango mikolo nyonso, mpe esengeli te kozanga,
“The Jewish priests in Jerusalem need young bulls and rams and lambs to sacrifice as they make burned offerings to the God of heaven. You must give them the animals that they need. Also, you must be certain to give them the wheat, salt, wine, and [olive] oil that they need each day [for those sacrifices].
10 mpo ete bakoka kobonzaka mbeka ya solo kitoko epai ya Nzambe ya Likolo, mpe mpo ete basambelaka mpo na bomoi malamu ya mokonzi elongo na bana na ye ya mibali.
If you do that, the Jewish priests will be able to offer sacrifices that please the God who is in heaven, and they will pray that God will bless me and my sons.
11 Bongo tala mokano oyo nasili kozwa mpo na moto nyonso oyo akobongola to akotosa te mitindo oyo: bakolongola libaya moko kati na ndako na ye, bakotelemisa yango, bakodiembika ye na libaya yango mpe bakokomisa ndako na ye mopiku ya biloko ya mbindo.
“If anyone disobeys this decree, [my soldiers] will pull a beam from his house. Then [after they sharpen one end of the beam, ] they will lift that man up and impale him on that beam. Then they will [completely destroy that man’s house until only] a pile of rubble is left.
12 Tika ete Nzambe oyo atiaki Kombo na Ye kuna akweyisa mokonzi nyonso to bato nyonso oyo bakomeka kotombola loboko mpo na koboya kotosa to kobongola mitindo na ngai na kobuka Tempelo oyo ya Nzambe kati na Yelusalemi. Ezali ngai, Dariusi, moto napesi mitindo yango. Tika ete botosa yango malamu mpe na lombangu. › »
God has chosen [that city of] Jerusalem as the place where people will honor him [MTY]. What I desire is that he will get rid of any king or any nation that tries to change this decree or tries to destroy that temple in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have made this decree. It must be obeyed quickly and thoroughly.”
13 Boye, Tatinayi, moyangeli ya etuka ya ngambo ya weste ya ebale Efrate, mpe Shetari-Bozinayi elongo na baninga na bango ya mosala batosaki mitindo ya mokonzi Dariusi na lombangu mpe na ndenge ezaleli.
Tattenai, the governor of the province, and [his assistant] Shethar-Bozenai and their colleagues [read the message and] immediately obeyed the decree of King Darius.
14 Boye bakambi ya Bayuda bakobaki misala ya kotonga, mpe balongaki wana balendisamaki na maloba ya basakoli Aje mpe Zakari, mokitani ya Ido. Basilisaki kotonga kolanda mitindo ya Nzambe ya Isalaele mpe ya Sirisi, Dariusi, mpe Aritakizerisesi, bakonzi ya Persi.
So the Jewish leaders continued their work [of rebuilding the temple]. They were greatly encouraged by the messages that the prophets Haggai and Zechariah preached. The Israelis continued building the temple, just like God had commanded them to do and like King Cyrus had decreed.
15 Basilisaki kotonga Ndako mobimba ya Nzambe, na mokolo ya misato ya sanza ya Adari, tango mokonzi Dariusi akokisaki mibu motoba na bokonzi.
They finished building it on March 12, during the sixth year that King Darius [ruled].
16 Bato ya Isalaele, Banganga-Nzambe, Balevi mpe bato mosusu oyo bawutaki na bowumbu basalaki feti ya libulisi ya Ndako ya Nzambe.
Then the priests and the Levites and all the other Israeli people who had returned from Babylon very joyfully dedicated the temple.
17 Babonzaki bangombe ya mibali nkama moko, bameme ya mibali nkama mibale, bana meme nkama minei mpo na libulisi ya Ndako ya Nzambe; mpe bantaba ya mibali zomi na mibale, moko mpo na ekolo moko na moko ya Isalaele, lokola mbeka mpo na masumu ya Isalaele mobimba.
During [the ceremony to] dedicate the temple, they sacrificed 100 young bulls, 200 rams, and 400 lambs. They also sacrificed twelve male goats as an offering in order that [God would forgive] the sins of the people of the twelve tribes of Israel.
18 Bakabolaki mpe Banganga-Nzambe kolanda milongo na bango, mpe Balevi kolanda masanga na bango mpo na mosala ya Nzambe kati na Yelusalemi, ndenge ekomama kati na buku ya Moyize.
Then the priests and Levites were divided into groups that would [take turns to] serve at the temple. They did this according to what Moses had written [many years previously] in the laws [that he wrote].
19 Na mokolo ya zomi na minei ya sanza ya liboso, bana ya Isalaele oyo bawutaki na bowumbu basepelaki feti ya Pasika.
On April 21, the Jews who had returned from Babylon celebrated the Passover Festival.
20 Banganga-Nzambe mpe Balevi bamipetolaki kolanda mibeko mpe bakomaki peto. Boye Balevi bakataki kingo ya mpate lokola mbeka ya Pasika mpo na bato nyonso oyo bawutaki na bowumbu, mpo na bandeko na bango, Banganga-Nzambe, mpe mpo na bango moko.
[To qualify themselves for offering the sacrifices], the priests and Levites had already purified themselves by performing certain rituals. Then they slaughtered the lambs for the benefit of all the people who had returned from Babylon, for the other priests, and for themselves.
21 Bana ya Isalaele oyo bawutaki na bowumbu baliaki yango elongo na bato nyonso oyo bakabwanaki na misala ya mbindo ya bikolo ya mokili mpe basanganaki elongo na bango mpo na koluka Yawe, Nzambe ya Isalaele.
Those who had returned from Babylon and the other people in that land who had turned away from their immoral practices in order to worship Yahweh, the God of the Israeli people, ate the Passover meal.
22 Na mikolo sambo, basalaki na esengo feti ya Mapa ezanga levire, pamba te Yawe atondisaki bango na esengo ndenge abongolaki makanisi ya mokonzi ya Asiri mpo ete asunga bango na misala ya botongi Ndako ya Nzambe, ya Nzambe ya Isalaele.
They celebrated the Unleavened Bread Festival of [Eating] Unleavened Bread for seven days. The Israeli people throughout the land were joyful because Yahweh had changed the attitude of the king of Assyria toward them, and as a result, the king had helped them to rebuild the temple of God, the one whom they [worshiped].
