ʻEsela 5

1 Pea koe ongo palōfita, ko Hakeai ko e palōfita, mo Sakalia ko e foha ʻo Ito, naʻa na lea ki he kakai Siu naʻe ʻi Siuta mo Selūsalema ʻi he huafa ʻoe ʻOtua ʻo ʻIsileli, ʻio, kiate kinautolu.

At that time two prophets gave messages from God to the Jews in Jerusalem and [other cities in] Judah. The prophets were Haggai and Zechariah, who was a descendant of Iddo. They spoke those messages representing God, whom the Israelis [worshiped/belonged to], the one who was their true king.

2 Pea naʻe tuʻu hake ʻa Selupepeli ko e foha ʻo Sialiteli, mo Sesua ko e foha ʻo Sosataki, pea kamata langa ʻae fale ʻoe ʻOtua ʻaia ʻoku ʻi Selūsalema; pea naʻe ʻiate kinautolu ʻae kau palōfita ʻoe ʻOtua ke tokoniʻi ʻakinautolu.

Then Zerubbabel and Shealtiel [led many other people] as they started [again] to rebuild the temple of God in Jerusalem. And God’s prophets [Haggai and Zechariah] were with them and helped them.

3 Pea naʻe haʻu kiate kinautolu ʻi he kuonga ko ia ʻa Tatinei, ko e pule ʻi he potu kauvai ni ʻoe vaitafe, mo Sita-Posinei, mo hona ngaahi kaumeʻa, ʻonau lea pehē kiate kinautolu, “Ko hai kuo ne fekau ʻakimoutolu ke langa ʻae fale ni, pea ke fakamaʻopoʻopo ʻae ʻā maka ni?”

Then Tattenai the governor of the province west of the [Euphrates] River and Shethar-Bozenai his assistant and [some of] their officials went to Jerusalem and said to the people, “Who has permitted you to rebuild this temple and put furnishings in it?”

4 Pea naʻa mau tala kiate kinautolu ʻo pehē ni, “Ko e hā ʻae hingoa ʻae kau tangata, ʻoku fai ʻae langa fale ni?

They also requested the people to tell them the names of the men who were working [at the temple]. [But the people refused].

5 Ka ko e fofonga ʻo honau ʻOtua naʻe ʻi he kau mātuʻa ʻoe kakai Siu, ko ia naʻe ʻikai te nau faʻa fai ke taʻofi, kaeʻoua ke hoko atu ia kia Talaiasi: pea naʻa nau toki ʻave hono tali tohi ki he meʻa ni.

However, God was taking care of the Jewish leaders, so their enemies were not able to prevent the people from continuing [to rebuild the temple]. [They continued to work while their enemies] sent a report to King Darius, and asked him [what he wanted them to do] about it.

6 “Ko hono hiki eni ʻoe tohi ʻaia naʻe fai mo ʻatu kia Talaiasi ko e tuʻi, ʻe Tatinei ko e pule ʻi he potu kauvai ni ʻoe vaitafe, mo Sita-Posinei, mo hono kaumeʻa ko e kau ʻAfasatikai, ʻaia naʻe ʻi he potu kauvai ni ʻoe vaitafe.

So Tattenai and Shethar-Bozenai and their officials sent a report to King Darius.

7 “Naʻa nau ʻave ʻae tohi kiate ia, ʻaia naʻe tohi ʻi ai ʻo pehē; Ke ʻia Talaiasi ko e tuʻi ʻae fiemālie lahi.

This is what they wrote: “King Darius, we hope that things are going well for you!

8 “Ke ʻilo ʻe he tuʻi, naʻa mau ʻalu ki he fonua ko Siuta, ki he fale ʻoe ʻOtua lahi, ʻaia ʻoku langa ʻaki ʻae ngaahi maka lalahi, pea kuo ʻai ʻae ngaahi ʻakau ʻi he ngaahi ʻā maka, pea ʻoku fai fakavave ʻae ngāue ni, pea ʻoku monūʻia ia ʻi honau nima.

[“We want you to know that] we went to Judah Province, where the temple of the great God is being rebuilt. The people are building it with huge stones, and they are putting wooden beams in the walls. The work is being done very carefully, and they are progressing well.

9 “Pea naʻa mau fehuʻi ai ki he kau mātuʻa ko ia, ʻo mau pehē kiate kinautolu, Ko hai naʻa ne fekau kiate kimoutolu ke langa ʻae fale ni, pea ke fakamaʻopoʻopo ʻae ngaahi ʻā maka ni?

“We asked the Jewish leaders, ‘Who has permitted you to rebuild this temple and put furnishings in it?’

10 Pea naʻa mau fehuʻi ki honau hingoa foki, koeʻuhi ke fakapapau kiate koe, pea ke mau tohi ʻae hingoa ʻoe kau tangata ʻoku tuʻukimuʻa ʻiate kinautolu.

And we requested them to tell us the names of their leaders, in order that we could tell you who they were.

11 Pea naʻa nau tali mai, ʻo pehē, ‘Ko e kau tamaioʻeiki ʻakimautolu ʻoe ʻOtua ʻoe langi mo māmani, pea ʻoku mau langa ʻae fale ʻaia naʻe langa ʻi he taʻu lahi kuo hili, ʻaia naʻe langa ʻe he tuʻi lahi ʻo ʻIsileli pea fokotuʻu.

“But [instead of telling us their leaders’ names, ] what they said was, ‘We serve the God [who created] the heaven and the earth. Many years ago a great king [who ruled] us Israeli people [told our ancestors to] build a temple here, and now we are rebuilding it.

12 Kae hili ʻae fakatupu ʻe heʻemau ngaahi tamai ʻae houhau lahi ʻoe ʻOtua ʻoe langi, naʻa ne tuku ʻakinautolu ki he nima ʻo Nepukanesa ko e tuʻi ʻo Papilone, ko e tangata Kalitia, ʻaia naʻa ne maumauʻi ʻae fale ni, pea ne fetuku ʻae kakai ki he mamaʻo ki Papilone.

“'But God, [who rules] in heaven, allowed [the armies of] Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylonia, to destroy that temple, because our ancestors did things that caused God to become very angry. Nebuchadnezzar’s army took [many of] the [Israeli] people to Babylonia.

13 Ka ʻi he ʻuluaki taʻu ʻo Kolesi ko e tuʻi ʻo Papilone ko e tuʻi ko ia ko Kolesi naʻa ne fai ʻae fono ke langa ʻae fale ni ʻoe ʻOtua.

“'However, during the first year that Cyrus the King of Babylon started to rule, he decreed that the temple of God should be rebuilt.

14 Pea ko e ngaahi ipu koula foki mo e siliva ʻoe fale ʻoe ʻOtua, ʻaia naʻe toʻo ʻo ʻave ʻe Nepukanesa mei he faletapu ʻaia naʻe ʻi Selūsalema, pea ʻomi ki he faletapu ʻo Papilone, naʻe toʻo ia ʻe Kolesi ko e tuʻi mei he faletapu ʻo Papilone, pea naʻe tuku ia ki he nima ʻoe tokotaha ko hono hingoa ko Sesipasa, ʻaia naʻa ne fakanofo ko e pule.

Cyrus returned [to the Jewish leaders] all the gold and silver cups that had been taken from the temple in Jerusalem and which had been put in the temple in Babylon. Those cups were given to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom King Cyrus had appointed to be the governor in Judah.

15 ‌ʻO ne pehē kiate ia, Toʻo ʻae ngaahi nāunau ni, pea ʻalu, ʻo fetuku ia ki he faletapu ʻaia ʻoku ʻi Selūsalema, pea tuku ke langa ʻae fale ʻoe ʻOtua ʻi hono potu.

“'The king instructed him to take the cups back to Jerusalem, to the place [from which they had previously been taken]. He also decreed that they should rebuild the temple at the place where it had been before. So Cyrus appointed Sheshbazzar to be the governor in Judah. He also sent all those things made of gold and silver, for Sheshbazzar to put in the new temple.

16 Pea naʻe haʻu ai ʻae Sesipasa ko ia, pea ne ʻai hono tuʻunga ʻoe fale ʻo Sihova ʻaia ʻoku ʻi Selūsalema: pea talu ʻae kuonga ko ia ʻo fai mai kuo langa ia, ka ʻoku teʻeki ai ʻosi ia.’

So Sheshbazzar did that. He came here to Jerusalem, and [supervised the men who] laid the foundation of the temple. And since that time, the people have been working on the temple, but it is not finished yet.’

17 “Pea ko eni, kapau ʻoku matalelei ki he tuʻi, tuku ke kumi ʻi he fale koloa ʻoe tuʻi, ʻaia ʻoku ʻi Papilone, pe kuo pehē pe, [pe ʻikai], pe naʻe fai ha fono ʻo Kolesi ke langa ʻae fale ni ʻoe ʻOtua ʻi Selūsalema, pea ke fekau ʻe he tuʻi ʻaia ʻoku lelei hono loto ki ai ʻi he meʻa ni.”

“Therefore, your majesty, please order someone to search in the place in Babylon where the important records are kept, to find out whether [it is true that] King Cyrus decreed that God’s temple should be rebuilt in Jerusalem. Then you can tell us what you want us to do about this matter.”