Ezra 5
1 Ndipo Hagai nabii na Zakaria mtoto wa Ido nabii wakatabiri kwa jina la Mungu wa Israel kwa wayahudi wa Yuda na Yerusalem.
The prophets Haggai and Zechariah, son of Iddo, gave messages to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem from the God of Israel, their ruler.
2 Zerubabeli mtoto wa Shealtieli na Yoshua mtoto wa Yosadaki wakainuka na kuanza kujenga nyumba ya Mungu Yerusalem pamoja na manabii ambao waliwahamasisha wao.
Then Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua, son of Jozadak, decided to start work on rebuilding God's Temple in Jerusalem. The prophets of God encouraged them and helped them.
3 Ndipo Tatenai Mkuu wa mji ngambo ya mto, Shethar - Bozenai, na mshirika wao, wakaja na kusema kwao, “Nani aliyewapa agizo la kujenga nyumba hii na kukamilisha ukuta?”
Almost immediately Tattenai, the governor of the province west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their fellow officials arrived and asked, “Who gave you permission to rebuild this Temple and finish it?”
4 Vilevile walisema, “Ni majina ya watu gani wanaoshughulika na ujenzi huu?”
Then they asked, “What are the names of the men who are working on this building?”
5 Lakini jicho la Mungu lilikuwa pamoja na viongozi wa Wayahudi na maadui wao hawakuweza kuwazuia. Walikuwa wakisubiri barua kutumwa kwa mfalme na amri kurudi kwao kwa ajili ya suala hili.
But their God was watching over the Jewish leaders, so that they were not prevented from working until a report could be sent to Darius and a written reply with instructions was received.
6 Hii ni nakala ya barua kwa Tatenai, mkuu wa mji ngambo ya mto, na Shethar - Bozenai na wenzao katika mji ngambo ya Mto, ambao waliwatuma kwa mfalme Dario.
The following is a copy of the letter that Tattenai, the governor of the province west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their fellow officials, officials of the province, sent to King Darius.
7 Wakatuma ujumbe, wakiandika kwa mfalme Dario, “Amani tele iwe kwako”
The report they sent him read went like this: “To King Darius: Greetings.
8 Mfalme atambue kwamba tulikwenda Yuda kwenye nyumba ya Mungu Mkuu. Imeshajengwa kwa mawe makubwa na mbao zimewekwa katika kuta. Hii kazi inafanyika kwa utaratibu na inaendelea vizuri kwa mikono yao.
We wish to inform Your Majesty that we went to the province of Judah, to the Temple of the great God. It is being built with large stones, with timber beams being placed on the walls. This work is being done properly and is progressing well.
9 Tukawauliza wazee, ni nani aliyewapa agizo la kujenga nyumba na ukuta?'
We questioned the leaders, asking them, ‘Who gave you permission to rebuild this Temple and finish it?’
10 Pia tuliwauliza majina yao ili kwamba ujue majina ya kila mtu ambaye aliwaongoza.
We also asked for their names, so that we could write them down and let you know the names of their leaders.
11 Nao wakatujibu na kusema, “Sisi tu watumishi wa Mungu wa mbingu na nchi na sisi tunaijenga nyumba hii ambayo ilijengwa miaka mingi iliyopita wakati mfalme mkuu wa Israel alijenga na kuikamisha.
This is the answer they gave us. ‘We are servants of the God of heaven and earth. We are rebuilding the Temple built and completed many years ago by a great king of Israel.
12 Ingawa, watangulizi wetu walipomchukiza Mungu wa mbinguni, Mungu akawatia katika mikono ya mfalme wa Babeli Nebukadineza, ambaye alivunja nyumba na kuwachukua watu mateka Babeli.
But our forefathers made the God of heaven angry, so he handed them over to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this Temple and deported the people to Babylon.
13 Pia, katika mwaka wa kwanza wa kutawala Koreshi mfalme wa Babeli, Koreshi aliamuru nyumba ya Mungu kujengwa.
However, Cyrus, king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, issued a decree to rebuild this Temple of God.
14 Mfalme Koreshi pia alirudisha vitu vya dhahabu na fedha vya nyumba ya Mungu ambavyo Nebukadineza alivichukua kwenye hekalu Yerusalem na kuvipeleka kwenye hekalu Babeli. Naye akavitunza kwa Sheshbaza, ambaye alimchagua kuwa kiongozi.
He even gave back the gold and silver items belonging to God's Temple, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem and placed in his temple in Babylon. King Cyrus gave them to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he had appointed governor,
15 Naye akamwambia, “Chukua hivi vitu. Uondoke na kuviweka kwenye Hekalu Yerusalem. Na nyumba ya Mungu ijengwe kule.”
telling him, Take these items and place them in the Temple in Jerusalem. Rebuild God's Temple on its original site.
16 Ndipo huyu Sheshbaza akaja na kuweka msingi kwa nyumba ya Mungu katika Yerusalem: na ikaendelea kujengwa, lakini bado haijakamilika
So Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of God's Temple in Jerusalem. It has been under construction since then, but hasn't yet been completed.’
17 Sasa ikiwa itampendeza mfalme, na uchunguzi ufanyike kwenye nyumba ya ukumbusho Babeli Ikiwapo hukumu ya mfalme wa Koreshi ya kujenga nyumba ya Mungu Yerusalem. Na mfalme anaweza kutuma uamuzi wake kwetu.
So, if Your Majesty wishes, authorize a search to be made of the royal archives in Babylon to discover if there is a record that King Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild God's Temple in Jerusalem. Then please let us know Your Majesty's decision in this matter.”
