एज्रा 4

1 यतिबेला निर्वासनबाट फर्केका मानिसहरूले परमप्रभु इस्राएलका परमेश्‍वरको लागि मन्दिर बनाउँदै छन् भनी यहूदा र बेन्यामीनका केही शत्रुहरूले सुने ।

Now some enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the people who had been exiled were now building a temple for Yahweh, the God of Israel.

2 त्यसैले तिनीहरू यरुबाबेल र परिवारका मुख्य मानिसहरूकहाँ आए । तिनीहरूले उनीहरूलाई भने, “हामीलाई पनि तपाईंहरूसँगै निर्माण गर्न दिनुहोस्, किनकि अश्शूरका राजा एसरहदोनले हामीलाई यहाँ ल्याएदेखि नै तपाईंहरूजस्तै हामी तपाईंका परमेश्‍वरको खोजी गर्छौं, र हामीले उहाँलाई नै बलिदान चढाएका छौं ।”

So they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of their ancestors' clans. They said to them, “Let us build with you, for, like you, we seek your God and have sacrificed to him since the days when Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, brought us to this place.”

3 तर यरुबाबेल, येशूअ र परिवारका मुख्य मानिसहरूले भने, “तपाईंहरूले होइन, तर हामीले परमेश्‍वरको मन्दिर बनाउनुपर्छ, किनकि हामीले नै परमप्रभु इस्राएलका परमेश्‍वरको निम्ति मन्दिर बनाउनेछौं, जस्‍तो फारसका राजा कोरेसले आज्ञा गर्नुभएको छ ।”

But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the heads of their ancestors' clans said, “It is not you, but we who must build the house of our God, for it is we who will build for Yahweh, the God of Israel, just as King Cyrus of Persia commanded.”

4 त्यसैले त्यस देशका मानिसहरूले यहूदीहरूका हात कमजोर तुल्याए । तिनीहरूले निर्माणमा यहूदीहरूलाई डर देखाए ।

So the people of the land made the Judeans' hands weak; they made the Judeans afraid to build.

5 यहूदीहरूका योजनालाई निराश तुल्याउन तिनीहरूले सल्लाहकारहरूलाई घुस पनि दिए । तिनीहरूले फारसका राजा कोरेसको शासनकाल र दाराको शासनकालभरि नै यसो गरे ।

They also bribed counselors to frustrate their plans. They did this during all of Cyrus' days and into the reign of Darius king of Persia.

6 तब अहासूरस (अर्तासास्त) को शासनकालको सुरुमा तिनीहरूले यहूदा र यरूशलेमका बासिन्दाहरूको विरुद्धमा एउटा अभियोग-पत्र लेखे ।

Then at the beginning of Ahasuerus' reign they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

7 अर्तासास्तको शासनकालमा विश्‍लाम, मित्रेता, ताबेल र तिनका सहयोगीहरूले अर्तासास्तलाई लेखे ।उक्‍त चिट्ठी आरमेइक भाषामा लेखियो र अनुवाद गरियो ।

It was during the days of Artaxerxes that Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and their companions wrote to Artaxerxes. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated.

8 सेनापति रेहूम र सचिव शिम्शैले यरूशलेमको बारेमा अर्तासास्तलाई यसरी चिट्ठी लेखे ।

Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote this way to Artaxerxes about Jerusalem.

9 रेहूम, शिम्शै र तिनीहरूका सहयोगीहरू अर्थात् फारस, एरेक र बेबिलोनका मानिसहरूमाथि अधिकार गर्ने न्यायाधीशहरू र अधिकारीहरू अनि शूशनका मानिसहरू (अर्थात् एलामीहरू) ले एउटा चिट्ठी लेखे,

Then Rehum, Shimshai, and their companions, who were judges and other officers in the government, the Persians, men from Erech and Babylon, and the men from Susa (that is, the Elamites)—they wrote a letter—

10 र महान् अनि प्रसिद्ध अशूरवनिपलले देश निकाला गरेर सामरिया र यूफ्रेटिस नदीपारिको प्रान्तमा बसालेका मानिसहरू पनि तिनीहरूसँगै मिले ।

and they were joined by the people whom the great and noble Ashurbanipal forced to settle in Samaria, along with the rest who were in the Province Beyond the River.

11 तिनीहरूले अर्तासास्तलाई पठाएका चिट्ठीको प्रतिलिपी यही हो, “हजुरका सेवकहरू, यूफ्रेटिस नदी पारिको प्रान्तका मानिसहरू यसो लेख्छन्:

This is a copy of the letter that they sent to Artaxerxes: “Your servants, men of the Province Beyond the River, write this:

12 हजुरकहाँबाट आएका यहूदीहरू यरूशलेममा एउटा विद्रोही सहर निर्माण गर्न हाम्रो विरुद्ध आएका छन् भन्‍ने कुरो राजालाई जाहेर होस् । तिनीहरूले पर्खालहरू बनाएर सिद्ध्याएका छन्, र जगहरू मर्मत गर्दैछन् ।

Let the king know that the Jews who went from you have come against us in Jerusalem to build a rebellious city. They have completed the walls and repaired the foundations.

13 यो सहर निर्मण भयो रउक्‍त पर्खाल सम्पन्‍न भयो भने, तिनीहरूले कुनै महसुल र कर तिर्नेछैनन्, तर तिनीहरूले राजाहरूलाई हानि पुर्‍याउनेछन् भन्‍ने कुरो राजाका हजुरीमा जाहेर होस् ।

Now let the king know that if this city is built and the wall is completed, they will not give any tribute and taxes, but they will harm the kings.

14 हामीले दरबारको नून खाएका हुनाले राजालाई कुनै अनादर भएको देख्‍नु हाम्रो लागि निश्‍चय नै उचित हुँदैन । यही कारणले गर्दा हामीले राजालाई जानकारी गराउँदैछौं,

Surely because we have eaten the palace salt, it is not fitting for us to see any dishonor happen to the king. It is because of this that we are informing the king

15 जसले गर्दा हजुरले आफ्ना पिताको अभिलेख खोज्‍न र राजाहरूसाथै प्रान्तहरूलाई हानि गर्ने यो एउटा विद्रोही सहर रहेछ भनी पुष्‍टि गर्न सक्‍नुहुन्‍छ । यसले राजाहरू र प्रान्तहरूलाई धेरै समस्या दिएको छ । पहिले देखि नै यो विद्रोहको केन्द्र बनेको छ । यही कारणले गर्दा यो सहर नष्‍ट पारिएको थियो ।

to search your father's record and to verify that this is a rebellious city that will harm kings and provinces. It has caused many problems to the kings and provinces. It has been a center for rebellion from long ago. It was for this reason that the city was destroyed.

16 यो सहर र पर्खाल निर्माण गरियो भने हजुरको लागि यूफ्रेटिस नदीपारिको प्रान्तमा केही बाँकी रहने छैन भनी हामी राजालाई जानकारी गराउँदैछौं ।”

We are informing the king that if this city and wall are built, then there will be nothing remaining for you in the Province Beyond the River.”

17 त्यसैले राजाले सामरियामा बस्‍ने रेहूम, शिम्शै र तिनीहरूका सहयोगीहरू अनि यूफ्रेटिस नदीपारिको प्रान्तमा बस्‍ने बाँकी सबैलाई एउटा जवाफ पठाए, “तिमीहरूलाई शान्ति होस् ।

So the king sent out a reply to Rehum and Shimshai and their companions in Samaria and the rest who were in the Province Beyond the River: “May peace be yours.

18 तिमीहरूले पठाएका चिट्ठी अनुवाद गरियो र मेरो सामु पढियो ।

The letter that you sent me has been translated and read to me.

19 त्यसैले मैले छानविन गर्न आदेश दिएँ, रपहिलौक दिनहरूमा तिनीहरू राजाहरूका विरुद्धमा बागी भएका र विद्रोह गरेका रहेछन् भनी पत्ता लगाइयो ।

So I ordered an investigation and discovered that in previous days they had rebelled and revolted against kings.

20 शक्तिशाली राजाहरूले यरूशलेममा राज्‍य गरेका रहेछन्, र यूफ्रेटिस नदीपारिको प्रान्तका हरेक कुरामा अधिकार जमाएका रहेछन् । तिनीहरूलाई करहरू र महसुलहरू तिरिएका रहेछन् ।

Mighty kings have ruled over Jerusalem and had power over everything in the Province Beyond the River. Tribute and taxes were paid to them.

21 अब मैले आज्ञा नदिएसम्म यी मानिहरूले यो सहर निर्माण गर्न रोक्‍नुपर्छ भनी एउटा आज्ञा जारी गर्नू ।

Now, make a decree for these men to stop and not build this city until I make a decree.

22 यसलाई बेवास्ता नगर्न होसियार हुनु । यस खतरालाई बढ्न दिने र राजकीय हितको बढी क्षति हुन किन दिने?

Be careful not to neglect this. Why allow this threat to grow and cause more loss for the royal interests?

23 जब राजा अर्तासास्तको आदेश रेहूम, शिम्शै र तिनीहरूका सहयोगीहरूका सामु पढियो, तिनीहरू तुरुन्‍तै यरूशलेममा गए, र यहूदीहरूलाई जबरदस्तसाथ निर्माण रोक्‍न लगाए ।

When King Artaxerxes' decree was read before Rehum, Shimshai, and their companions, they went out quickly to Jerusalem and forced the Jews to stop building.

24 यसरी फारसका राजा दाराको शासनकालको दोस्रो वर्षसम्म यरूशलेममा परमेश्‍वरको मन्दिरको काम रोकियो ।

So the work on the house of God in Jerusalem stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.