< U-Ezra 6 >
1 UDariyusi inkosi wasemisa umthetho, basebephenya endlini yezingwalo lapho okwakubekwe khona okuligugu eBhabhiloni.
Then king Darius gave orders, and search was made in the house of the rolls, where the treasures were laid up in Babylon.
2 Kwasekutholakala eAkimetha, esigodlweni esisesigabeni samaMede, incwadi egoqwayo, okwakubhalwe phakathi kwayo isikhumbuzo ngalindlela:
And there was found at Achmetha in the fortress that is in the province of Media a roll, and therein was a record thus written:
3 Ngomnyaka wokuqala kaKoresi inkosi, uKoresi inkosi wamisa umthetho: Indlu kaNkulunkulu eseJerusalema, kayakhiwe lindlu endaweni lapho abanikela khona iminikelo, lezisekelo zayo zizabekwa ngokuqinileyo; ukuphakama kwayo kube zingalo ezingamatshumi ayisithupha, ububanzi bayo bube zingalo ezingamatshumi ayisithupha;
In the first year of king Cyrus, king Cyrus made a decree [concerning] the house of God at Jerusalem: Let the house be built for a place where they offer sacrifices, and let its foundations be solidly laid; its height sixty cubits, its breadth sixty cubits,
4 ibe lemizila emithathu yamatshe amakhulu lomzila wezigodo ezintsha. Izindleko zizaphiwa-ke zivela endlini yenkosi.
[with] three rows of great stones, and a row of new timber; and let the expenses be given out of the king's house:
5 Futhi lezitsha zegolide lezesiliva zendlu kaNkulunkulu uNebhukadinezari azikhupha ethempelini eliseJerusalema waziletha eBhabhiloni, kazibuyiselwe zisiwe ethempelini eliseJerusalema, endaweni yayo, uzibeke endlini kaNkulunkulu.
and also let the golden and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that is at Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be restored and brought again to the temple that is at Jerusalem, in their place; and thou shalt put [them] in the house of God.
6 Khathesi, Tathenayi, mbusi waphetsheya komfula, Shethari-Bozenayi, labangane benu amaAfarisathiki, abaphetsheya komfula, banini khatshana lalapho.
Therefore Tatnai, governor beyond the river, Shethar-boznai, and your companions the Apharsachites, who are beyond the river, be ye far from thence:
7 Uyekeleni umsebenzi walindlu kaNkulunkulu; umbusi wamaJuda labadala bamaJuda kabakhe lindlu kaNkulunkulu endaweni yayo.
let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God in its place.
8 Futhi umthetho umiswa yimi ngelizakwenzela abadala balamaJuda ekwakhiweni kwalindlu kaNkulunkulu, ukuthi empahleni zenkosi ezivela emthelweni wangaphetsheya komfula, izindleko ziphiwe lamadoda masinyane ukuze angami.
Moreover, I give orders what ye shall do to these elders of the Jews, for the building of this house of God: that of the king's goods, of the tribute beyond the river, expenses be diligently given to these men, that they be not hindered.
9 Lokuswelakalayo, kokubili amajongosi lezinqama lamawundlu komnikelo wokutshiselwa uNkulunkulu wamazulu, ingqoloyi, itshwayi, iwayini, lamafutha, njengokutsho kwabapristi abaseJerusalema, kabakunikwe insuku ngensuku kungaphuthi,
And that which they have need of, both young bullocks and rams and lambs, for the burnt-offerings to the God of the heavens, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the appointment of the priests that are at Jerusalem, let it be given them day by day without fail;
10 ukuze banikele iminikelo yephunga elimnandi kuNkulunkulu wamazulu, bakhulekele impilo yenkosi leyamadodana ayo.
that they may present sweet odours to the God of the heavens, and pray for the life of the king and of his sons.
11 Futhi umthetho umiswe yimi wokuthi loba ngubani oguqula lelilizwi, kakuhwatshwe ugodo endlini yakhe, aphakanyiswe abethelwe phezu kwalo; lendlu yakhe yenziwe inqumbi yomquba ngenxa yalokhu.
Also I have given order that whosoever shall alter this rescript, let timber be pulled down from his house, and being set up, let him be hanged thereon, and let his house be made a dunghill for this.
12 LoNkulunkulu owenze ibizo lakhe lihlale lapho kachithe loba yiyiphi inkosi loba abantu abazakwelula isandla sabo ukuguqula lokuchitha lindlu kaNkulunkulu eseJerusalema. Mina Dariyusi ngimise umthetho, kakwenziwe masinyane.
And the God that has caused his name to dwell there overthrow every king and people that shall put forth their hand to alter [or] to destroy this house of God which is at Jerusalem. I Darius have given [this] order; let it be done diligently.
13 Khonokho uTathenayi umbusi nganeno komfula, uShethari-Bozenayi, labangane babo benza njalo masinyane njengalokho uDariyusi inkosi ayekuthumele.
Then Tatnai, governor on this side the river, Shethar-boznai, and their companions, because of that which king Darius had sent, did so diligently.
14 Abadala bamaJuda basebesakha njalo baphumelela ngesiprofetho sikaHagayi umprofethi loZekhariya indodana kaIdo. Bakha baqeda njengokomlayo kaNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli langokomlayo kaKoresi, loDariyusi, loAthakisekisi inkosi yePerisiya.
And the elders of the Jews built; and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built and completed [it] according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.
15 Lindlu yasiphela ngosuku lwesithathu enyangeni kaAdari, okwakungumnyaka wesithupha wokubusa kukaDariyusi inkosi.
And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of king Darius.
16 Abantwana bakoIsrayeli, abapristi lamaLevi labanye abantwana bokuthunjwa, basebesenza ukwehlukaniselwa kwalindlu kaNkulunkulu ngentokozo.
And the children of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house of God with joy;
17 Banikelela ukwehlukaniselwa kwalindlu kaNkulunkulu inkunzi ezilikhulu, inqama ezingamakhulu amabili, amawundlu angamakhulu amane; lezimpongo zezimbuzi ezilitshumi lambili zingumnikelo wesono kaIsrayeli wonke, ngokwenani lezizwe zakoIsrayeli.
and they presented at the dedication of this house of God a hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and for a sin-offering for all Israel, twelve he-goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.
18 Basebemisa abapristi ngezigaba zabo, lamaLevi ngamaqembu awo, enkonzweni kaNkulunkulu eseJerusalema, njengokubhaliweyo egwalweni lukaMozisi.
And they set the priests in their classes, and the Levites in their divisions, for the service of God, which is at Jerusalem: as it is written in the book of Moses.
19 Abantwana bokuthunjwa benza lephasika ngolwetshumi lane lwenyanga yokuqala.
And the children of the captivity held the passover upon the fourteenth of the first month.
20 Ngoba abapristi lamaLevi babezihlambulule ndawonye, bonke babehlambulukile. Bahlabela bonke abantwana bokuthunjwa iphasika, labafowabo abapristi, labo ngokwabo.
For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves as one [man]: they were all pure; and they killed the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.
21 Ngokunjalo badla abantwana bakoIsrayeli ababebuyile ekuthunjweni, labo bonke ababezehlukanisele kubo lokungcolileyo kwezizwe zelizwe, ukudinga iNkosi, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli.
And the children of Israel that were come back out of captivity, and all such as had separated themselves to them from the filthiness of the nations of the land, to seek Jehovah the God of Israel, did eat;
22 Benza umkhosi wesinkwa esingelamvubelo insuku eziyisikhombisa ngentokozo; ngoba iNkosi yayibenze bathokoza, yaphendulela kibo inhliziyo yenkosi yeAsiriya, ukuqinisa izandla zabo emsebenzini wendlu kaNkulunkulu, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli.
and they kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy; for Jehovah had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.