Ezra 6
1 Kaya si Haring Dario ay nag-utos ng isang imbestigasyon sa tahanan ng mga talaan sa 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 Sa tanggulang lungsod ng Ecbatana sa Media natagpuan ang isang kasulatang binalumbon; ito ang nakasulat sa talaan:
[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 Sa unang taon ni Haring Ciro, naglabas siya ng isang utos tungkol sa tahanan ng Diyos sa Jerusalem: 'Maitayo nawa ang tahanan para sa paghahandog. Maitayo nawa ang mga pader nito na may animnapung siko ang taas at animnapung siko ang lapad,
“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 na may tatlong patong ng malalaking bato at isang patong ng bagong troso. At ang tahanan ng hari ang magbabayad ng gastusin.
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 Ibalik din ninyo ang ginto at pilak na nabibilang sa tahanan ng Diyos na dinala ni Nebucadnezar mula sa templo ng Jerusalem patungo sa templo ng Babilonia. Ipadala ninyo ang mga iyon sa templo ng Jerusalem at ilagay ang mga iyon sa tahanan ng Diyos.'
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 Ngayon, Tatenai, Setar Bozenai, at ang iyong mga kapwa opisyal na nasa ibayo ng Eufrates, lumayo kayo sa lugar na iyon.
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 Pabayaan ninyo ang paggawa sa tahanan ng Diyos. Ang gobernador at ang mga nakatatandang Judio ay itatayo ang tahanang ito ng Diyos sa lugar na iyon.
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 Ipinag-uutos ko sa inyo na dapat ninyong gawin ito para sa mga nakatatandang Judiong nagtatayo ng tahanan ng Diyos: Ang mga pondo mula sa pagkilala sa hari sa ibayo ng Eufrates ay gagamitin para bayaran ang mga lalaking ito na hindi tumitigil sa kanilang paggawa.
“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 Anuman ang kakailanganin—mga batang toro, mga lalaking tupa, o mga batang tupa para sa mga alay na susunugin sa Diyos ng Kalangitan, butil, asin, alak, o langis ayon sa utos ng mga pari sa Jerusalem—ibigay ninyo ang mga bagay na ito sa kanila araw-araw nang walang palya.
“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 Gawin ninyo ito para sila ay makapagdala ng handog sa Diyos ng Kalangitan at ipanalangin ako, ang hari, at ang aking mga anak.
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 Ipinag-uutos ko na kung sinuman ang lalabag sa utos na ito, isang barakilan ang dapat hilahin mula sa kaniyang bahay at dapat siyang ituhog dito. Dahil dito, ang kaniyang tahanan ay dapat gawing isang tambak ng gumuhong mga bato.
“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 Nawa ang Diyos na nabubuhay doon ay ibabagsak ang sinumang hari at mga tao na lalabag sa tahanang ito ng Diyos sa Jerusalem. Akong, si Dario, ang siyang nag-uutos nito. Gawin ninyo ito nang lubusan!”
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 At ginawa nina Tatenai, Setar Bozenai, at ng kanilang mga kasamahan ang lahat ng bagay na inutos ni Haring Dario.
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 Kaya ang mga nakatatandang Judio ay nagtayo sa paraang ipinagbilin nina Hagai at Zacarias sa pamamagitan ng pagpropesiya. Itinayo nila ito ayon sa utos ng Diyos ng Israel at ni Ciro, ni Dario, at ni Artaxerxes, mga hari ng 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 Ang tahanan ay natapos sa ikatlong araw ng buwan ng Adar, sa ikaanim na taon ng paghahari ni Haring Dario.
They finished building it on March 12, during the sixth year that King Darius [ruled].
16 Itinalaga ng mga Israelita, mga pari, mga Levita, at ng iba pang nalalabing mga bihag ang tahanan ng Diyos nang may kagalakan.
Then the priests and the Levites and all the other Israeli people who had returned from Babylon very joyfully dedicated the temple.
17 Naghandog sila ng isandaang toro, isandaang lalaking tupa, at apatnaraang batang tupa para sa pagtatalaga sa tahanan ng Diyos. Ladindalawang lalaking kambing ay inialay din bilang isang handog para sa kasalanan ng lahat ng Israelita, isa para sa bawat tribu ng 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 Itinalaga rin nila ang mga pari at mga Levita na gumawa ng kaniya-kaniyang gawain para sa paglilingkod sa Diyos sa Jerusalem, gaya ng nasusulat sa Aklat ni Moises.
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 Kaya ang mga galing sa pagkakatapon ay nagdiwang ng Paskua sa ikalabing-apat na araw ng unang buwan.
On April 21, the Jews who had returned from Babylon celebrated the Passover Festival.
20 Nilinis ng mga pari at mga Levita ang kanilang mga sarili at kinatay ang mga Pampaskua na mga alay para sa lahat ng mga nanggaling sa pagkakatapon, kasama ang mga pari at Levita.
[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 Ang mga Israelitang kumain nang ilan sa karne ng Paskua ay ang mga bumalik galing sa pagkakatapon at ihiniwalay ang kanilang mga sarili mula sa karumihan ng mga tao sa lupain at hinanap si Yahweh, ang Diyos ng 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 Buong kagalakan nilang ipinagdiwang ang Pista ng Tinapay na Walang Pampaalsa nang pitong araw, dahil binigyan sila ni Yahweh ng kagalakan at binago ang puso ng hari ng Asiria upang palakasin ang kanilang mga kamay sa gawain ng kaniyang tahanan, ang tahanan ng Diyos ng 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].
