Ezra 10
1 Wakati Ezra alipokuwa anaomba na kuungama, huku akilia na kujitupa chini mbele ya nyumba ya Mungu, umati mkubwa wa Waisraeli, wanaume, wanawake na watoto walikusanyika kumzunguka. Nao pia wakalia sana.
While I was kneeling down in front of the temple and praying and crying, I was confessing [the sins that the Israeli people had committed]. Many people, men and women and children, gathered around me and also cried very much.
2 Kisha Shekania mwana wa Yehieli, mmoja wa wazao wa Elamu, akamwambia Ezra, “Tumekosa uaminifu kwa Mungu wetu kwa kuoa wanawake wa kigeni kutoka mataifa yanayotuzunguka. Lakini pamoja na hili, bado liko tumaini kwa ajili ya Israeli.
Then Shecaniah, the son of Jehiel from the clan of Elam, said this to me: “We have disobeyed God. [Some of] us have married women who are not Israelis. But we can still confidently expect [Yahweh to be merciful to] us Israeli people.
3 Sasa na tufanye agano mbele za Mungu wetu kuwafukuza hawa wanawake wote pamoja na watoto wao, kulingana na maonyo ya bwana wangu pamoja na wale ambao wanaogopa amri za Mungu wetu. Hili na lifanyike sawasawa na hii Sheria.
We will do what you, and the others who have an awesome respect for what our God has commanded, tell us to do. We will do what God told us in his laws. We will make an agreement with our God, saying that we will divorce our wives who are not Israelis, and we will send them away with their children.
4 Inuka, suala hili lipo mikononi mwako. Sisi tutaungana nawe, uwe na ujasiri ukatende hili.”
(It is your responsibility to/Because you are our leader, you must) [tell us what to do]. So get up, and be courageous, and do [what is necessary]. We will (support you/tell people to do what you say).”
5 Basi Ezra akainuka na kuwaapisha makuhani viongozi, Walawi na Israeli yote kufanya lile lililokuwa limependekezwa. Nao wakaapa.
So I stood up and demanded that the leaders of the priests, the [other] descendants of Levi, and all [the other] Israeli people solemnly declare that they would do what Shecaniah said that they should do. So they all solemnly promised to do that.
6 Ndipo Ezra akaondoka hapo mbele ya nyumba ya Mungu akaenda kwenye chumba cha Yehohanani mwana wa Eliashibu. Wakati alipokuwa hapo, hakula chakula wala hakunywa maji, kwa sababu aliendelea kuomboleza kuhusu kukosa uaminifu kwa watu wa uhamishoni.
Then I went away from the front of the temple and went to the room where Jehohanan lived. I stayed there that night, but I did not eat or drink anything. I was still sad because some of the Israelis who had returned [from Babylonia] had not faithfully obeyed [God’s laws].
7 Ndipo lilipotolewa tangazo Yuda yote na Yerusalemu kwa watu wote waliokuwa uhamishoni kukusanyika Yerusalemu.
Then we sent a message to all [the people in] Jerusalem and [in other towns in] Judah, saying that all those who had returned [from Babylonia] should come to Jerusalem immediately.
8 Yeyote ambaye hangejitokeza kwa muda wa siku tatu angepoteza mali yake yote, kulingana na uamuzi wa maafisa na wazee, naye mtu huyo angefukuzwa kutoka kusanyiko la watu waliokuwa uhamishoni.
We said that if any of them did not arrive within three days, the leaders of the people would order that all the property of those people would be taken from them, and that they would no longer be considered to belong to the Israeli people; [they would be considered to be foreigners].
9 Katika muda wa siku tatu, watu wote wa Yuda na Benyamini wakawa wamekusanyika huko Yerusalemu. Kwenye siku ya ishirini ya mwezi wa tisa, watu wote walikuwa wameketi ndani ya uwanja mbele ya nyumba ya Mungu, wakiwa na majonzi mno kwa tukio hilo na kwa sababu ya mvua kubwa.
So within three days, on December 19, all the people of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin gathered in Jerusalem. They were there, sitting in the courtyard in front of the temple. They were trembling because it was raining hard and because they were worried [that they would be punished for what they had done].
10 Ndipo Kuhani Ezra aliposimama akawaambia, “Mmekosa uaminifu, mmeoa wanawake wa kigeni, mkaongezea hatia ya Israeli.
Then I stood up and said to them, “[Some of] you men have committed a very bad sin. You have married women who are not Israelis. By doing that, you have made us Israeli people more guilty [than we were before].
11 Sasa tubuni kwa Bwana, Mungu wa baba zenu mkafanye mapenzi yake. Jitengeni na mataifa wanaowazunguka na wake zenu wa kigeni.”
So now you must confess to Yahweh, the God whom your ancestors [worshiped/belonged to], the sin which you have committed, and you must do what he wants. Separate yourselves from the people of other nations and from the women from those nations whom you have married.”
12 Kusanyiko lote likajibu kwa sauti kubwa: “Uko sawa kabisa! Ni lazima tufanye kama unavyosema.
The whole group answered, shouting loudly, “Yes, what you have said is right! We will do what you have said.”
13 Lakini hapa pana watu wengi na ni wakati wa mvua, hivyo hatuwezi kusimama nje. Hata hivyo, shauri hili haliwezi kumalizika kwa siku moja au mbili, kwa sababu tumefanya dhambi kubwa katika jambo hili.
But then [one of] them said, “But we are a very large group, and it is raining hard. Also, there are many of us who have committed this bad sin. This is something that we cannot (take care of/handle) in one or two days, and we cannot stand here in this rain.
14 Maafisa wetu na wafanye kwa niaba ya kusanyiko lote. Kisha kila mmoja katika miji yetu ambaye ameoa mwanamke wa kigeni aje kwa wakati uliopangwa, akiwa pamoja na wazee na waamuzi wa kila mji, hadi hasira kali ya Mungu wetu katika shauri hili itakapoondolewa kwetu.”
So allow our leaders to decide for all of us what we should do. Tell everyone who has married a woman who is not Israeli to come at a time that you decide. They should come with the elders and judges from each city. If we do that, our God will stop being angry with us [because of what we have done].”
15 Yonathani mwana wa Asaheli na Yazeya mwana wa Tikwa peke yao, wakiungwa mkono na Meshulamu na Shabethai Mlawi, ndio waliopinga jambo hili.
Jonathan the son of Asahel, Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah, Meshullam, and Shabbethai, a descendant of Levi, were the only ones who objected to this.
16 Basi watu wa uhamishoni wakafanya kama ilivyokuwa imependekezwa. Kuhani Ezra akachagua wanaume waliokuwa viongozi wa jamaa, mmoja kutoka kila mgawanyo wa jamaa, nao wote wakachaguliwa kwa majina. Katika siku ya kwanza ya mwezi wa kumi waliketi kuchunguza mashauri hayo.
All the others who had returned from Babylonia said that they would do it. So I chose leaders of each of the clans, and I wrote down their names. On December 29, these men came and sat down to investigate the matter.
17 Katika siku ya kwanza ya mwezi wa kwanza wakawa wamemaliza kushughulikia wanaume wote waliokuwa wameoa wanawake wa kigeni.
By March 27 of the next year they finished determining which men had married women who were not Israelis.
18 Miongoni mwa wazao wa makuhani, wafuatao walikuwa wameoa wanawake wa kigeni: Kutoka wazao wa Yeshua mwana wa Yosadaki na ndugu zake: Maaseya, Eliezeri, Yaribu na Gedalia.
This is a list of the names of the priests who had married non-Israeli women, and the clans to which they belonged. From the clan of Jeshua and his brothers, who were sons of Jehozadak, there were Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah.
19 (Wote walitoa nadhiri kwa kuandika kwa mikono yao kuwafukuza wake zao, kwa hatia yao, kila mmoja akatoa kondoo dume kutoka kundini mwake kama sadaka ya hatia.)
They solemnly promised to divorce their wives, and they each sacrificed a ram to be an offering [to atone] for their sins.
20 Kutoka wazao wa Imeri: Hanani na Zebadia.
From the clan of Immer there were Hanani and Zebadiah.
21 Kutoka wazao wa Harimu: Maaseya, Eliya, Shemaya, Yehieli na Uzia.
From the clan of Harim there were Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah.
22 Kutoka wazao wa Pashuri: Elioenai, Maaseya, Ishmaeli, Nethaneli, Yozabadi na Elasa.
From the clan of Pashhur there were Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
23 Miongoni mwa Walawi: Yozabadi, Shimei, Kelaya (ndiye Kelita), Pethahia, Yuda na Eliezeri.
The [other] descendants of Levi [who had married non-Israeli women] were Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (whose other name was Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.
24 Kutoka waimbaji: Eliashibu. Kutoka mabawabu: Shalumu, Telemu na Uri.
There was Eliashib the musician. From the temple guards there were Shallum, Telem, and Uri.
25 Miongoni mwa Waisraeli wengine: Kutoka wazao wa Paroshi: Ramia, Izia, Malkiya, Miyamini, Eleazari, Malkiya na Benaya.
This is a list of the names of the other Israelis who had married foreign wives: From the clan of Parosh there were Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Hashabiah, and Benaiah.
26 Kutoka wazao wa Elamu: Matania, Zekaria, Yehieli, Abdi, Yeremothi na Eliya.
From the clan of Elam there were Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah.
27 Kutoka wazao wa Zatu: Elioenai, Eliashibu, Matania, Yeremothi, Zabadi na Aziza.
From the clan of Zattu there were Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza.
28 Kutoka uzao wa Bebai: Yehohanani, Hanania, Zabai na Athlai.
From the clan of Bebai there were Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.
29 Kutoka wazao wa Bani: Meshulamu, Maluki, Adaya, Yashubu, Sheali na Yeremothi.
From the clan of Bani there were Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth.
30 Kutoka wazao wa Pahath-Moabu: Adna, Kelali, Benaya, Maaseya, Matania, Bezaleli, Binui na Manase.
From the clan of Pahath-Moab there were Adna, Kelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh.
31 Kutoka wazao wa Harimu: Eliezeri, Ishiya, Malkiya, Shemaya, Shimeoni,
From the clan of Harim there were Eliezer, Ishijah, Malkijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,
32 Benyamini, Maluki, na Shemaria.
Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah.
33 Kutoka wazao wa Hashumu: Matenai, Matata, Zabadi, Elifeleti, Yeremai, Manase na Shimei.
From the clan of Hashum there were Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei.
34 Kutoka wazao wa Bani: Maadai, Amramu, Ueli,
From the clan of Bigvai there were Maadai, Amram, Uel,
35 Benaya, Bedeya, Keluhi,
Benaiah, Bedeiah, Keluhi,
36 Vania, Meremothi, Eliashibu,
Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,
37 Matania, Matenai na Yaasu.
Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu.
38 Kutoka wazao wa Binui: Shimei,
From the clan of Binnui there were Shimei,
39 Shelemia, Nathani, Adaya,
Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah,
40 Maknadebai, Shashai, Sharai,
Macnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,
41 Azareli, Shelemia, Shemaria,
Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah,
42 Shalumu, Amaria na Yosefu.
Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.
43 Kutoka wazao wa Nebo: Yeieli, Matithia, Zabadi, Zebina, Yadai, Yoeli na Benaya.
From the clan of Nebo there were Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah.
44 Hawa wote walikuwa wameoa wanawake wa kigeni, na baadhi yao walikuwa wamezaa nao watoto.
Each of those men had married a woman who was not an Israeli. [But immediately] they divorced those women and sent them and their children away.
