Esdras 4
1 Y oyendo los enemigos de Judá y de Benjamín, que los venidos de la cautividad edificaban el templo del SEÑOR Dios de Israel,
Now the enemies of Judah and of Benjamin heard that the sons of the captivity were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel.
2 vinieron a Zorobabel, y a los cabezas de los padres, y les dijeron: Edificaremos con vosotros, porque como vosotros buscaremos a vuestro Dios, y a él sacrificamos desde los días de Esar-hadón rey de Asiria, que nos hizo subir aquí.
And so, drawing near to Zerubbabel and to the leaders of the fathers, they said to them: “Let us build with you, for we seek your God just as you do. Behold, we have immolated victims to him from the days of Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, who brought us here.”
3 Y les dijo Zorobabel, y Jesúa, y los demás cabezas de los padres de Israel: No nos conviene edificar con vosotros Casa a nuestro Dios, sino que nosotros solos la edificaremos al SEÑOR Dios de Israel, como nos mandó el rey Ciro, rey de Persia.
And Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the leaders of the fathers of Israel said to them: “It is not for you to build the house of our God with us. Instead, we alone shall build to the Lord our God, just as Cyrus, the king of the Persians, has commanded us.”
4 Mas el pueblo de la tierra debilitaba las manos del pueblo de Judá, y los perturbaban de edificar.
Therefore, it happened that the people of the land impeded the hands of the people of Judah, and they troubled them in building.
5 Contrataron además contra ellos consejeros para disipar su consejo, todo el tiempo de Ciro rey de Persia, y hasta el reinado de Darío rey de Persia.
Then they hired counselors against them, so that they might argue against their plan during all the days of Cyrus, king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius, king of the Persians.
6 Y en el reinado de Asuero, en el principio de su reinado, escribieron acusaciones contra los moradores de Judá y de Jerusalén.
And so, during the reign of Ahasuerus, at the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and of Jerusalem.
7 Y en días de Artajerjes escribieron Bislam, Mitrídates, Tabeel, y los demás compañeros suyos, a Artajerjes rey de Persia; y la escritura de la carta estaba hecha en siriaco, y declarada en siriaco.
And so, in the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, and Tabeel, and the others who were in their council wrote to Artaxerxes, king of the Persians. Now the letter of accusation was written in Syriac, and was being read in the Syrian language.
8 Rehum canciller, y Simsai escriba, escribieron una carta contra Jerusalén al rey Artajerjes, como se sigue.
Rehum, the commander, and Shimshai, the scribe, wrote one letter from Jerusalem to king Artaxerxes, in this manner:
9 Entonces Rehum canciller, y Simsai escriba, y los demás compañeros suyos, los dineos, y los afarsataceos, tefarleos, afarseos, los ercueos, los babilonios, susasceos, dieveos, y elamitas;
“Rehum, the commander, and Shimshai, the scribe, and the rest of their counselors, the judges, and rulers, the officials, those from Persia, from Erech, from Babylonia, from Susa, the Dehavites, and the Elamites,
10 y los demás pueblos que el grande y glorioso Asnapar ( Senacherib ) transportó, e hizo habitar en las ciudades de Samaria, y los demás del otro lado del río, y de Cheenet.
and the rest of the nations, whom the great and glorious Osnappar transferred and caused to live in the cities of Samaria and in the rest of the regions across the river in peace:
11 Este es el traslado de la carta que enviaron: Al rey Artajerjes: Tus siervos del otro lado del río, y de Cheenet.
to king Artaxerxes. (This is a copy of the letter, which they sent to him.) Your servants, the men who are across the river, send a greeting.
12 Sea notorio al rey, que los judíos que subieron de ti a nosotros, vinieron a Jerusalén; y edifican la ciudad rebelde y mala, y han acimentado los muros; y puesto los fundamentos.
Let it be known to the king, that the Jews, who ascended from you to us, have arrived in Jerusalem, a rebellious and most wicked city, which they are building, constructing its ramparts and repairing the walls.
13 Ahora, notorio sea al rey, que si aquella ciudad fuere reedificada, y los muros fueren fundados, no darán el tributo, pecho, y rentas, y el catastro de los reyes será menoscabado.
And now let be it known to the king, that if this city will have been built up, and its walls repaired, they will not pay tribute, nor tax, nor yearly revenues, and this loss will affect even the kings.
14 Ahora porque de la sal del palacio estamos salados, no nos es justo ver el menosprecio del rey; por tanto hemos enviado para hacerlo saber al rey,
But, remembering the salt that we have eaten in the palace, and because we are led to believe that it is a crime to see the king harmed, we have therefore sent and reported to the king,
15 para que busque en el libro de las historias de nuestros padres; y hallarás en el libro de las historias, y sabrás que esta ciudad es ciudad rebelde, y perjudicial a los reyes y a las provincias, y que de tiempo antiguo forman en medio de ella rebeliones; por lo que esta ciudad fue destruida.
so that you may search in the books of the histories of your fathers, and you may find written in the records, and you may know that this city is a rebellious city, and that it is harmful to the kings and the provinces, and that wars were incited within it from the days of antiquity. For which reason also, the city itself was destroyed.
16 Hacemos saber al rey, que si esta ciudad fuere edificada, y los muros fundados, la parte más allá del río no será tuya.
We report to the king that if this city will have been built, and its walls repaired, you will have no possession across the river.”
17 El rey envió esta respuesta a Rehum canciller, y a Simsai escriba, y a los demás de sus compañeros que habitan en Samaria, y a los demás del otro lado del río y a Cheenet:
The king sent word to Rehum, the commander, and to Shimshai, the scribe, and to the rest who were in their council, to the inhabitants of Samaria, and to the others across the river, offering a greeting and peace.
18 La carta que nos enviasteis claramente fue leída delante de mí.
“The accusation, which you have sent to us, has been read aloud before me.
19 Y por mí fue dado mandamiento, y buscaron; y hallaron que aquella ciudad de tiempo antiguo se levanta contra los reyes, y se rebela, y se forma en ella sedición;
And it was commanded by me, and they searched and found that this city, from the days of antiquity, has rebelled against the kings, and that seditions and battles have been incited within it.
20 y que reyes fuertes hubo en Jerusalén, y señores de todo lo que está al lado de allá del río; y que tributo, y pecho, y rentas se les daba.
Then too, there have been very strong kings in Jerusalem, who also ruled over the entire region which is across the river. They have also taken tribute, and tax, and revenues.
21 Ahora, pues, dad orden que cesen aquellos varones, y no sea esa ciudad edificada, hasta que por mí sea dada nueva orden.
Now therefore, hear the sentence: Prohibit those men, so that this city may be not built, until perhaps there may be further orders from me.
22 Y mirad bien que no hagáis error en esto, ¿por qué habrá de crecer el daño para perjuicio de los reyes?
See to it that you are not negligent in fulfilling this, otherwise, little by little, the evil may increase against the kings.”
23 Entonces, cuando el traslado de la carta del rey Artajerjes fue leído delante de Rehum, y de Simsai escriba, y sus compañeros, fueron prestamente a Jerusalén a los judíos, y les hicieron cesar con poder y fuerza.
And so a copy of the edict of king Artaxerxes was read before Rehum, the commander, and Shimshai, the scribe, and their counselors. And they went away hurriedly to Jerusalem, to the Jews. And they prohibited them by force and by strength.
24 Cesó entonces la obra de la Casa de Dios, la cual estaba en Jerusalén; y cesó hasta el año segundo del reinado de Darío rey de Persia.
Then the work of the house of the Lord in Jerusalem was interrupted, and it did not resume until the second year of the reign of Darius, the king of the Persians.
