< Ezira 3 >

1 Mwedzi wechinomwe wakati wasvika uye vana veIsraeri vakanga vagara mumaguta avo, vanhu vakaungana pamwe chete somunhu mumwe chete muJerusarema.
After the Israeli people [returned to Israel, and] had begun to live in their towns, (in the autumn of/after the hot season ended in) that year, they all gathered together in Jerusalem.
2 Ipapo Jeshua mwanakomana waJozadhaki navamwe vake vaprista naZerubhabheri mwanakomana waShearitieri neshamwari dzake vakatanga kuvaka aritari yaMwari weIsraeri kuti vabayirepo zvipiriso zvinopiswa, maererano nezvakanyorwa muMurayiro waMozisi, munhu waMwari.
Then Jeshua, the son of Jehozadak, and his fellow priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his friends, all began to rebuild the altar of God, the one whom the Israeli people [worshiped]. They did that in order that they could sacrifice burned offerings on it, according to what the prophet Moses had written in the laws [that God gave to him].
3 Vakavakira aritari pahwaro uye vakabayirapo kuna Jehovha zvipiriso zvinopiswa, zvose zvipiriso zvinopiswa zvamangwanani nezvamadekwana, zvisinei kuti vaitya vanhu vakanga vakavapoteredza.
Even though they were afraid of the people who were already living in that area, they rebuilt the altar at the same place [where the previous altar had been]. Before they started to lay the foundation of Yahweh’s temple, [the priests] started to burn sacrifices to Yahweh [on the altar]. They offered sacrifices every morning and every evening. Fifteen days after [they started to offer these sacrifices], the people celebrated the Festival of [Living in Temporary] Shelters, as [Moses] had commanded them to do in the laws [that God gave to him]. Each day the priests offered the sacrifices [that were required] for that day. In addition, they presented the regular burned offerings and the offerings [that were required] for the New Moon Festivals and the other festivals that they celebrated each year to [honor] Yahweh. They also brought other offerings only because they desired to bring them, [not because they were required to bring them].
4 Ipapo vakapemberera Mutambo waMatumba sezvazvakanga zvakanyorwa, nouwandu hwaidikanwa hwezvipiriso zvinopiswa hwakanga hwakanyorwa, hwezuva rimwe nerimwe.
5 Mushure maizvozvo, vakapa chipiriso chinopiswa chenguva dzose, nezvibayiro zvapaKugara kwoMwedzi uye nezvibayiro zvemitambo yose mitsvene yaJehovha yakanga yakatarwa, pamwe chetewo neizvo zvakauyiswa sezvipo zvokuzvisarudzira kuna Jehovha.
6 Pazuva rokutanga romwedzi wechinomwe vakatanga kupa zvipiriso zvinopiswa kuna Jehovha, kunyange zvazvo nheyo dzetemberi yaJehovha dzakanga dzichigere kuteyiwa.
7 Ipapo vakapa mari kuvavezi vamabwe navavezi vamatanda, uye vakapa zvokudya nezvokunwa namafuta kuvanhu veSidhoni neveTire, kuitira kuti vatore matanda emisidhari kubva kuRebhanoni vagoayeredza nemvura yegungwa kuti aende kuJopa, sezvakanga zvatenderwa naSirasi mambo wePezhia.
Then the Israelis hired masons and carpenters, and they bought [logs from] cedar trees from the people of Tyre and Sidon [cities], and they gave those people food and wine and olive oil for the logs. They brought the logs down from [the mountains in] Lebanon [to the Mediterranean seacoast and then floated them along the coast of the Sea, ] to Joppa. King Cyrus permitted them to do that. [Then the logs were brought from Joppa inland up to Jerusalem].
8 Mumwedzi wechipiri wegore rechipiri mushure mokunge vasvika paimba yaMwari muJerusarema, Zerubhabheri mwanakomana waShearitieri, naJeshua mwanakomana waJozadhaki nedzimwe hama dzavo dzose (vaprista navaRevhi uye navose vakanga vadzokera kuJerusarema vachibva kuutapwa) vakatanga kushanda vakagadza vaRevhi vana makore makumi maviri kana anopfuura kuti vave vatariri vokuvakwa kweimba yaJehovha.
The Israelis started to rebuild the temple in the (spring/time before the hot season) of the second year after they returned to Jerusalem. Zerubbabel and Jeshua and all the people who had returned to Jerusalem worked on the building. All the (Levites/men who did work in the temple) supervised this work.
9 Jeshua navanakomana vake nehama dzake naKadhimieri navanakomana vake (zvizvarwa zvaHodhavhia) navanakomana vaHenadhadhi navanakomana vavo nehama dzavo, navaRevhi vose vakabatana pamwe chete navo pakutarira vaishanda paimba yaMwari.
Jeshua and his sons and his other relatives, and Kadmiel and his sons, who were descendants of Hodaviah, also helped to supervise the work. The family of Henadad, who were also all Levites, joined with them in supervising this work.
10 Zvino vavaki vakati vateya nheyo dzetemberi yaJehovha, vaprista vakapfeka nguo dzavo, uye vakabata hwamanda, navaRevhi (vanakomana vaAsafi) vakabata makandira, vakamira munzvimbo dzavo kuti varumbidze Jehovha, sezvakanga zvarayirwa naDhavhidhi mambo weIsraeri.
When the builders finished laying the foundation of the temple, the priests put on their robes and stood in their places, blowing their trumpets. Then the Levites, who were descendants of Asaph, clashed/banged their cymbals to praise Yahweh, just as King David had [many years previously] told [Asaph and the other musicians] to do.
11 Vakaimba kuna Jehovha vachirumbidza nokutenda, vachiti: “Jehovha akanaka; rudo rwake kuna Israeri runogara nokusingaperi.” Uye vanhu vose vakadanidzira nenzwi guru rokurumbidza kuna Jehovha, nokuti nheyo dzeimba yaJehovha dzakanga dzateyiwa.
They praised Yahweh and thanked him, and they sang this song about him: “He is very good [to us]! He faithfully loves us Israeli people, and he will love us forever.” Then all the people shouted loudly, praising Yahweh because they had finished laying the foundation of Yahweh’s temple.
12 Asi vazhinji vavaprista navaRevhi vakanga vakwegura navakuru vedzimba dzavo, avo vakanga vaona temberi yokutanga, vakachema nenzwi guru pavakaona nheyo dzetemberi iyi dzichiteyiwa, asi vamwe vazhinji vaipururudza nomufaro.
Many of the [old] priests, Levites, and leaders of families remembered [what] the first temple [was like], and they cried aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid [because they knew that the new temple would not be as beautiful as the first temple]. But the other people shouted joyfully.
13 Hapana aigona kutsaura inzwi rokudanidzira kwomufaro kubva kuinzwi rokuchema kwavanhu, nokuti vanhu vakaita ruzha rukuru kwazvo. Uye ruzha urwu rwakanzwika kure kure.
The shouting and the crying was very loud; [even people] far away could hear it.

< Ezira 3 >