Esdras 6
1 Entonces el rey Darío dio orden. Indagaron en la casa de los archivos, donde guardaban los tesoros en Babilonia.
[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 En Acmeta, en el palacio que está en la provincia de Media, fue hallado un rollo donde estaba escrito. Memoria:
[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 El año primero del rey Ciro, el mismo rey Ciro dio un decreto acerca del Templo de ʼElohim en Jerusalén: Que el Templo sea reedificado en el lugar donde se ofrecen los holocaustos, y sus cimientos sean colocados firmemente. Que su altura y su anchura sean de 27 metros,
“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 con tres hileras de piedras grandes y una hilera de madera nueva, y sean pagados los gastos por el tesoro del rey.
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 Sean restituidos al Templo de ʼElohim los utensilios de oro y plata que Nabucodonosor sacó del Templo de Jerusalén y transportó a Babilonia; que sean devueltos y llevados otra vez a su lugar, al Templo de Jerusalén, y sean puestos en el Templo de ʼElohim.
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 Por tanto: Tatnai, gobernador de Mas Allá del Río, Setar-boznai y sus compañeros, los gobernadores de Mas Allá del Río, apártense de allí.
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 Dejen que se haga la obra de ese Templo de ʼElohim, y que el gobernador y los ancianos de los judíos reconstruyan ese Templo de ʼElohim en su lugar.
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 Por mí es dada la orden de lo que deben hacer con esos ancianos de los judíos para la construcción de ese Templo de ʼElohim: Que del tesoro real, proveniente de los tributos de Mas Allá del Río, sean pagados los gastos a esos hombres puntualmente y sin interrupción.
“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 Y lo que sea necesario, tanto becerros como carneros y corderos para holocaustos al ʼElohim del cielo, como trigo, sal, vino y aceite, según lo que digan los sacerdotes que están en Jerusalén, les sea dado cada día sin falta,
“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 para que puedan ofrecer sacrificios de olor agradable al ʼElohim del cielo y oren por la vida del rey y de sus hijos.
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 También decreto que a cualquiera que infrinja este edicto, que se le arranque un madero de su casa, se clave y sea colgado en él, y su casa sea convertida en un montón de escombros.
“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 El ʼElah que determinó que su Nombre more allí, destruya a cualquier rey o pueblo que intente modificarlo para destruir ese Templo del ʼElohim que está en Jerusalén. Yo, Darío, promulgo el edicto. Sea ejecutado con toda diligencia.
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 Entonces Tatnai, gobernador de Mas Allá del Río, Setar-boznai y sus compañeros, cumplieron puntualmente según el rey Darío ordenó.
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 Los ancianos de los judíos construyeron y prosperaron, en conformidad con la profecía de los profetas Hageo y Zacarías, hijo de Iddo. Terminaron la edificación según el mandato del ʼElohim de Israel, al edicto de Ciro, al de Darío y al de Artajerjes, rey de Persia.
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 El Templo fue terminado el tercer día del mes de Adar del año sexto del reinado del rey Darío.
They finished building it on March 12, during the sixth year that King Darius [ruled].
16 Los hijos de Israel, los sacerdotes, los levitas y el resto de los hijos del cautiverio dedicaron ese Templo de ʼElohim con regocijo.
Then the priests and the Levites and all the other Israeli people who had returned from Babylon very joyfully dedicated the temple.
17 En la dedicación de ese Templo de ʼElohim ofrecieron 100 becerros, 200 carneros y 400 corderos, y 12 machos cabríos como sacrificios que apaciguan por todo Israel, según el número de las tribus de Israel.
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 Establecieron a los sacerdotes según sus clases y a los levitas según sus órdenes para el servicio de ʼElohim en Jerusalén, según lo escrito en el rollo de Moisés.
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 Los hijos de la cautividad celebraron la Pascua el 14 del mes primero,
On April 21, the Jews who had returned from Babylon celebrated the Passover Festival.
20 pues los sacerdotes y los levitas se purificaron como un solo hombre. Todos ellos estaban purificados. Luego sacrificaron el cordero pascual por todos los hijos del cautiverio, por sus hermanos sacerdotes y por ellos mismos.
[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 Los hijos de Israel que regresaron del cautiverio comieron, y todos los que se adhirieron a ellos se apartaron de la impureza de las naciones de la tierra para buscar a Yavé, el ʼElohim de Israel.
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 Celebraron con regocijo la fiesta de los Panes sin Levadura durante siete días, porque Yavé los alegró y dispuso en su favor el corazón del rey de Persia para fortalecer sus manos en la obra del Templo de ʼElohim, el ʼElohim de Israel.
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].
