Ezra 6
1 Kisha Mfalme Dario alitoa amri, nao wakafanya uchunguzi katika kumbukumbu zilizohifadhiwa katika hazina huko Babeli.
So King Darius ordered an investigation in the house of archives in Babylon.
2 Karatasi moja ndefu ya maandishi ilipatikana huko Ekbatana katika jimbo la Umedi. Haya ndiyo yaliyokuwa yameandikwa humo: Kumbukumbu:
In the fortified city of Ecbatana in Media a scroll was found; this was its record:
3 Katika mwaka wa kwanza wa kutawala Mfalme Koreshi, mfalme alitoa amri kuhusu Hekalu la Mungu katika Yerusalemu: Hekalu na lijengwe tena mahali palepale Wayahudi walipokuwa wakitoa dhabihu, kwenye msingi ule ule. Iwe na kimo cha mikono sitini, upana wa mikono sitini,
“In the first year of King Cyrus, Cyrus issued a decree about the house of God in Jerusalem: 'Let the house be rebuilt as a place for sacrifice, let its foundations be laid, let its height be sixty cubits, and its width sixty cubits,
4 kuta zijengwe kwa safu tatu za mawe makubwa kisha ifuate safu moja ya mbao. Gharama zitalipwa kutoka hazina ya mfalme.
with three rows of large stones and a row of new timber, and let the cost be paid by the king's house.
5 Pia, vyombo vya dhahabu na vya fedha vya nyumba ya Mungu, ambavyo Nebukadneza alivichukua kutoka kwenye Hekalu huko Yerusalemu akavileta Babeli, yapasa virudishwe mahali pake ndani ya Hekalu huko Yerusalemu, yapasa viwekwe ndani ya nyumba ya Mungu.
Now bring back the gold and silver objects belonging to the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar brought to Babylon from the temple in Jerusalem and send them back to the temple in Jerusalem. You are to put them in the house of God.'
6 Sasa basi, Tatenai, mtawala wa Ngʼambo ya Mto Frati na Shethar-Bozenai pamoja na ninyi, maafisa wenzao wa jimbo hilo kaeni mbali na mahali hapo.
Now Tattenai, the governor of the Province Beyond the River, Shethar-Bozenai, and associates who are in the Province Beyond the River, keep away!
7 Msiingilie kazi ya Hekalu hili la Mungu. Mwacheni mtawala wa Wayahudi na viongozi Wayahudi wajenge upya nyumba hii ya Mungu mahali pake.
Leave the work of this house of God alone. The governor and Jewish elders will build this house of God at that place.
8 Zaidi ya hayo, hapa natoa amri kuhusu mtakalofanya kwa ajili ya wazee wa Wayahudi katika ujenzi wa nyumba hii ya Mungu: Gharama za watu hawa zitalipwa kikamilifu kutoka hazina ya mfalme, kutoka kwenye mapato ya Ngʼambo ya Mto Frati, ili ujenzi usisimame.
I am ordering that you must do this for these Jewish elders who build this house of God: Funds from the king's tribute beyond the River will be used to pay these men so they do not have to stop their work.
9 Chochote kinachohitajika kama mafahali wachanga, kondoo dume, wana-kondoo kwa ajili ya sadaka za kuteketezwa kwa Mungu wa mbinguni, ngano, chumvi, divai na mafuta kama vitakavyohitajika na makuhani huko Yerusalemu, lazima wapewe kila siku pasipo kukosa,
Whatever is needed—young bulls, rams, or lambs for the burnt offerings to the God of Heaven, grain, salt, wine, or oil according to the command of the priests in Jerusalem—give these things to them every day without fail.
10 ili waweze kutoa dhabihu inayompendeza Mungu wa mbinguni na kumwombea mfalme na wanawe hali njema.
Do this so they will bring the offering in to the God of Heaven and pray for me, the king, and my sons.
11 Zaidi ya hayo, ninaamuru kwamba mtu yeyote atakayebadilisha amri hii, boriti itangʼolewa kutoka nyumba yake, ichongwe upande mmoja na atumbuliwe nayo. Kwa ajili ya kosa hili nyumba yake ifanywe lundo la taka.
I am ordering that if anyone violates this decree, a beam must be pulled from his house and he must be impaled on it. His house must then be turned into a rubbish heap because of this.
12 Naye Mungu, aliyeliweka Jina lake huko, amwangushe mfalme yeyote au watu watakaoinua mikono kubadili amri hii au kuharibu Hekalu hili lililoko Yerusalemu. Mimi Dario nimetoa amri hii. Nayo itekelezwe kwa bidii na kwa makini.
May the God who has caused his name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to change this decree, or to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, am ordering this. Let it be done with diligence!”
13 Kwa sababu ya amri aliyotoa Mfalme Dario, Tatenai mtawala wa Ngʼambo ya Mto Frati na Shethar-Bozenai na wenzao wakaitekeleza kwa bidii na kwa makini.
Then because of the decree sent by Darius the king, Tattenai, the governor of the Province Beyond the River, and Shethar-Bozenai and his associates, did everything that King Darius had ordered.
14 Hivyo wazee wa Wayahudi waliendelea kujenga na kustawi kutokana na mahubiri ya manabii Hagai na Zekaria, mwana wa Ido. Wakakamilisha ujenzi wa Hekalu kulingana na agizo la Mungu wa Israeli na amri ya Koreshi, Dario na Artashasta wafalme wa Uajemi.
So the Jewish elders built and prospered under the teaching of Haggaithe prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo. They completed their buildings according to the decree of the God of Israel and by the decree of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes the king of Persia.
15 Hekalu lilikamilika siku ya kumi na mbili ya mwezi wa Adari, ndio mwezi wa tatu, katika mwaka wa sita wa utawala wa Mfalme Dario.
The house was completed on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of King Darius' reign.
16 Kisha watu wa Israeli: makuhani, Walawi na wengine wote waliohamishwa, wakaadhimisha kule kuwekwa wakfu nyumba ya Mungu kwa shangwe.
The Israelite people, priests, Levites, and the rest of the captives celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy.
17 Kwa ajili ya kuwekwa wakfu nyumba hii ya Mungu walitoa mafahali mia moja, kondoo dume mia mbili, wana-kondoo mia nne, sadaka kwa ajili ya dhambi ya Israeli yote walitoa mbuzi dume kumi na wawili, mmoja kwa ajili ya kila kabila la Israeli.
They offered one hundred bulls, one hundred rams, and four hundred lambs for the dedication of God's house. Twelve male goats were also offered as a sin offering for all Israel, one for each tribe in Israel.
18 Wakawaweka makuhani katika nafasi zao na Walawi wakawekwa katika makundi yao ya huduma kwa Mungu huko Yerusalemu, kulingana na ilivyoandikwa katika Kitabu cha Mose.
They also assigned the priests and Levites to work divisions for the service of God in Jerusalem, as it was written in the Book of Moses.
19 Katika siku ya kumi na nne ya mwezi wa kwanza, waliorudi kutoka uhamishoni wakaadhimisha Pasaka.
So those who had been in exile celebrated the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.
20 Makuhani na Walawi walikuwa wamekwisha kujitakasa nao wamekuwa safi kwa kufuata kawaida za ibada. Walawi wakachinja kondoo wa Pasaka kwa ajili ya wana wa waliorudi kutoka utumwani uhamishoni, kwa ajili ya ndugu zao makuhani na wao wenyewe.
The priests and Levites all purified themselves and slaughtered the Passover sacrifices for all those who had been in exile, including themselves.
21 Hivyo Waisraeli waliokuwa wamerudi kutoka utumwani uhamishoni wakaila Pasaka, pamoja na wale waliokuwa wamejitenga na matendo ya unajisi wa Mataifa ya jirani ili kumtafuta Bwana, Mungu wa Israeli.
The Israelite people who ate some of the Passover meat were those who had returned from exile and had separated themselves from the uncleanness of the people of the land and sought Yahweh, the God of Israel.
22 Kwa muda wa siku saba waliiadhimisha Sikukuu ya Mikate Isiyotiwa Chachu kwa furaha, kwa sababu Bwana alikuwa amewajaza furaha kwa kubadilisha nia ya mfalme wa Ashuru kwamba awasaidie ujenzi wa nyumba ya Mungu, Mungu wa Israeli.
They joyfully celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days, for Yahweh had brought them joy and turned the heart of Assyria's king to strengthen their hands in the work of his house, the house of the God of Israel.
