U-Ezra 6
1 UDariyusi inkosi wasemisa umthetho, basebephenya endlini yezingwalo lapho okwakubekwe khona okuligugu eBhabhiloni.
Then Darius the king made a decree, and the house of the archives, where the treasures were laid up in Babylon, was searched.
2 Kwasekutholakala eAkimetha, esigodlweni esisesigabeni samaMede, incwadi egoqwayo, okwakubhalwe phakathi kwayo isikhumbuzo ngalindlela:
A scroll was found at Achmetha, in the palace that is in the province of Media, and in it this was written for a record:
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 Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king made a decree: Concerning God’s house at Jerusalem, let the house be built, the place where they offer sacrifices, and let its foundations be strongly laid, with its height sixty cubits and its width sixty cubits;
4 ibe lemizila emithathu yamatshe amakhulu lomzila wezigodo ezintsha. Izindleko zizaphiwa-ke zivela endlini yenkosi.
with three courses of great stones and a course of new timber. 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.
Also let the gold and silver vessels of God’s house, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple which is at Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be restored and brought again to the temple which is at Jerusalem, everything to its place. You shall put them in God’s house.
6 Khathesi, Tathenayi, mbusi waphetsheya komfula, Shethari-Bozenayi, labangane benu amaAfarisathiki, abaphetsheya komfula, banini khatshana lalapho.
Now therefore, Tattenai, governor beyond the River, Shetharbozenai, and your companions the Apharsachites, who are beyond the River, you must stay far from there.
7 Uyekeleni umsebenzi walindlu kaNkulunkulu; umbusi wamaJuda labadala bamaJuda kabakhe lindlu kaNkulunkulu endaweni yayo.
Leave the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the Jewish elders 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 make a decree regarding what you shall do for these Jewish elders for the building of this house of God: that of the king’s goods, even of the tribute beyond the River, expenses must be given with all diligence to these men, that they not be hindered.
9 Lokuswelakalayo, kokubili amajongosi lezinqama lamawundlu komnikelo wokutshiselwa uNkulunkulu wamazulu, ingqoloyi, itshwayi, iwayini, lamafutha, njengokutsho kwabapristi abaseJerusalema, kabakunikwe insuku ngensuku kungaphuthi,
That which they have need of, including young bulls, rams, and lambs, for burnt offerings to the God of heaven; also wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the word of the priests who 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 offer sacrifices of pleasant aroma to the God of heaven, 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.
I have also made a decree that whoever alters this message, let a beam be pulled out from his house, and let him be lifted up and fastened on it; 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.
May the God who has caused his name to dwell there overthrow all kings and peoples who stretch out their hand to alter this, to destroy this house of God which is at Jerusalem. I Darius have made a decree. Let it be done with all diligence.
13 Khonokho uTathenayi umbusi nganeno komfula, uShethari-Bozenayi, labangane babo benza njalo masinyane njengalokho uDariyusi inkosi ayekuthumele.
Then Tattenai, the governor beyond the River, Shetharbozenai, and their companions did accordingly with all diligence, because Darius the king had sent a decree.
14 Abadala bamaJuda basebesakha njalo baphumelela ngesiprofetho sikaHagayi umprofethi loZekhariya indodana kaIdo. Bakha baqeda njengokomlayo kaNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli langokomlayo kaKoresi, loDariyusi, loAthakisekisi inkosi yePerisiya.
The Jewish elders built and prospered, through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They built and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the decree of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.
15 Lindlu yasiphela ngosuku lwesithathu enyangeni kaAdari, okwakungumnyaka wesithupha wokubusa kukaDariyusi inkosi.
This house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.
16 Abantwana bakoIsrayeli, abapristi lamaLevi labanye abantwana bokuthunjwa, basebesenza ukwehlukaniselwa kwalindlu kaNkulunkulu ngentokozo.
The children of Israel, the priests, 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.
They offered at the dedication of this house of God one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and for a sin offering for all Israel, twelve male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.
18 Basebemisa abapristi ngezigaba zabo, lamaLevi ngamaqembu awo, enkonzweni kaNkulunkulu eseJerusalema, njengokubhaliweyo egwalweni lukaMozisi.
They set the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their courses, 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.
The children of the captivity kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.
20 Ngoba abapristi lamaLevi babezihlambulule ndawonye, bonke babehlambulukile. Bahlabela bonke abantwana bokuthunjwa iphasika, labafowabo abapristi, labo ngokwabo.
Because the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together, all of them were pure. They killed the Passover for all the children of the captivity, for their brothers the priests, and for themselves.
21 Ngokunjalo badla abantwana bakoIsrayeli ababebuyile ekuthunjweni, labo bonke ababezehlukanisele kubo lokungcolileyo kwezizwe zelizwe, ukudinga iNkosi, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli.
The children of Israel who had returned out of the captivity, and all who had separated themselves to them from the filthiness of the nations of the land to seek the LORD, the God of Israel, ate,
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 kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy; because the LORD had made them joyful, and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them, to strengthen their hands in the work of God, the God of Israel’s house.
