Ɛsra 7
1 Persiahene Artasasta ahennie mu mfeɛ bebree akyi no, na ɔbarima bi wɔ hɔ a ne din de Ɛsra. Na ɔyɛ Seraia babarima a ɔyɛ Asaria babarima, na ɔno nso yɛ Hilkia babarima
Now after these things, when Artaxerxes was king of Persia, Ezra, the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,
2 na ɔno nso yɛ Salum babarima a ɔyɛ Sadok babarima a ɔyɛ Ahitub babarima
The son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub,
3 na ɔno nso yɛ Amaria babarima a ɔyɛ Asaria babarima na ɔno nso yɛ Meraiot babarima
The son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth,
4 a ɔyɛ Serahia babarima a ɔyɛ Usi babarima a ɔno nso yɛ Buki babarima
The son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki,
5 a ɔno yɛ Abisua babarima, a ɔyɛ Pinehas babarima, a ɔno nso yɛ Eleasa babarima, a ɔyɛ Aaron a ɔyɛ ɔsɔfopanin no babarima.
The son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest:
6 Na saa Ɛsra yi yɛ mmara no kyerɛkyerɛni a ɔnim Mose mmara no a Awurade, Israel Onyankopɔn, de ama Israelfoɔ no yie. Ɔfiri Babilonia baa Yerusalem na biribiara a ɔbisaa ɔhene no, ɔde maa no, ɛfiri sɛ, na Awurade ahummɔborɔ nsa no wɔ ne so.
This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a scribe, expert in the law of Moses which the Lord, the God of Israel, had given: and the king, moved by the Lord his God, gave him whatever he made request for.
7 Israelhene no ne asɔfoɔ, Lewifoɔ, nnwomtofoɔ, aponoanohwɛfoɔ ne asɔredan mu asomfoɔ ne no kɔɔ Yerusalem, ɔhene Artasasta ahennie mfeɛ nson so.
And some of the children of Israel went up, with some of the priests and the Levites and the music-makers and the door-keepers and the Nethinim, to Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king.
8 Saa afe no, Ab bosome (bɛyɛ Ɔsannaa) mu na Ɛsra kɔɔ Yerusalem.
And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, in the seventh year of the king's rule.
9 Ɔfirii Babilonia Abib bosome (bɛyɛ Oforisuo) da a ɛtɔ so nwɔtwe, na ɔkɔɔ Yerusalem Ab bosome (bɛyɛ Ɔsannaa) da a ɛtɔ so ɛnan. Na Onyankopɔn ahummɔborɔ nsa wɔ ne so.
For, starting his journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, he came to Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, by the good help of his God.
10 Ɛfiri sɛ, na Ɛsra asi nʼadwene pi sɛ, ɔbɛsua, na wadi Awurade mmara so, na wakyerɛ Israelfoɔ saa mmara no.
For Ezra had given his mind to learning the law of the Lord and doing it, and to teaching his rules and decisions in Israel.
11 Na ɔhene Artasasta de krataa no sɛso ama ɔsɔfoɔ Ɛsra, a ɔyɛ mmara no kyerɛni a ɔsuaeɛ, na ɔkyerɛɛ Israelfoɔ Awurade mmara no. Ɔtwerɛɛ sɛ:
Now this is a copy of the letter which King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra, the priest and the scribe, who put into writing the words of the orders of the Lord, and of his rules for Israel:
12 Me ahene mu ɔhene Artasasta, nkyea a merekyea ɔsɔfoɔ Ɛsra ne Awurade a ɔte sorosoro no mmarakyerɛni no nie:
Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, scribe of the law of the God of heaven, all peace;
13 Mahyɛ mmara sɛ, Israelni biara a ɔte mʼahemman mu a asɔfoɔ ne Lewifoɔ ka ho no nyinaa mfiri wɔn pɛ mu ne wo nkɔ Yerusalem.
And now it is my order that all those of the people of Israel, and their priests and Levites in my kingdom, who are ready and have a desire to go to Jerusalem, are to go with you.
14 Me ne mʼagyinatufoɔ baason no ahyɛ wo sɛ, gyina wo Onyankopɔn mmara a ɛhyɛ wo nsam no so yɛ nhwehwɛmu fa Yuda ne Yerusalem tebea ho.
Because you are sent by the king and his seven wise men, to get knowledge about Judah and Jerusalem, as you are ordered by the law of your God which is in your hand;
15 Yɛbɔ wʼaba so nso sɛ, fa dwetɛ ne sikakɔkɔɔ bi a yɛde rema wo sɛ afɔrebɔdeɛ a yɛrebɔ ama Israel Onyankopɔn a ɔte Yerusalem no kɔ.
And to take with you the silver and gold freely offered by the king and his wise men to the God of Israel, whose Temple is in Jerusalem,
16 Ɛno akyi, gye dwetɛ anaa sikakɔkɔɔ biara a wobɛnya afiri Babilonia ne deɛ wɔde bɛkyɛ wo biara afiri ɔmanfoɔ ne asɔfoɔ nkyɛn a wɔde ama sɛ, wɔmfa nkɔ wɔn Onyankopɔn asɔredan a ɛwɔ Yerusalem no ho.
As well as all the silver and gold which you get from the land of Babylon, together with the offering of the people and of the priests, freely given for the house of their God, which is in Jerusalem:
17 Saa akyɛdeɛ yi, deɛ ɛsɛ sɛ wɔde tɔ ara yɛ anantwinini, nnwennini, nnwammaa ne atokoɔ afɔrebɔdeɛ a ɛfata ne nsã afɔrebɔdeɛ a wɔde ne nyinaa bɛbɔ afɔdeɛ wɔ Onyankopɔn asɔredan a ɛwɔ Yerusalem no afɔrebukyia so.
So with this money get with care oxen, sheep, and lambs, with their meal offerings and their drink offerings, to be offered on the altar of the house of your God, which is in Jerusalem.
18 Sika biara a ɛbɛka no, wo ne wʼafɛfoɔ mfa nni dwuma biara a mogye di sɛ ɛyɛ mo Onyankopɔn pɛ.
And whatever seems right to you and to your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and gold, that do, as may be pleasing to your God.
19 Na nkuku ne nkaka a yɛde rehyɛ wo nsa de adi mo Onyankopɔn asɔredan no ho dwuma no, fa ne nyinaa ma Onyankopɔn a ɔwɔ Yerusalem no.
And the vessels which have been given to you for the uses of the house of your God, you are to give to the God of Jerusalem.
20 Sɛ mo sika sa wɔ biribi a ɛho hia mo Onyankopɔn asɔredan ho anaa biribi a ɛte saa ho a, mommisa sika mfiri adehyeɛ fotoɔ mu.
And whatever more is needed for the house of your God, and which you may have to give, take it from the king's store-house.
21 Me ɔhene Artasasta, hyɛ mmara de kɔ agyapadeɛ akoraeɛ a ɛwɔ asuo Eufrate apueeɛ fam sɛ: Biribiara a Ɛsra bisa no, momfa mma no, ɛfiri sɛ, ɔyɛ ɔsɔfoɔ ne ɔsorosoro Onyankopɔn no mmara kyerɛkyerɛni.
And I, even I, Artaxerxes the king, now give orders to all keepers of the king's money across the river, that whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, may have need of from you, is to be done with all care,
22 Ɛsɛ sɛ moma no kɔsi dwetɛ nkariboɔ kilogram mpem mmiɛnsa ne ahanan, atokoɔ susukora ahanum, nsã gyare ahanum aduonum, ngo gyare ahanum aduonum ne nkyene a wɔbu ano a ɛnyɛ yie.
Up to a hundred talents of silver, a hundred measures of grain, a hundred measures of wine, and a hundred measures of oil, and salt without measure.
23 Monhwɛ yie, na biribiara a Onyankopɔn a ɔte ɔsorosoro abisa ama nʼasɔredan no, momfa mmra. Adɛn enti na ɛsɛ sɛ yɛma Onyankopɔn abufuo ba ɔhene ne ne mmammarima so?
Whatever is ordered by the God of heaven, let it be done completely for the house of the God of heaven; so that there may not be wrath against the kingdom of the king and his sons.
24 Mesane hyɛ sɛ, ɛnsɛ sɛ ɔsɔfoɔ, Lewini, dwomtofoɔ, ɛpono ano sohwɛfoɔ, asɔredan mu ɔsomfoɔ anaa obiara a ɔyɛ adwuma wɔ asɔredan mu tua toɔ biara.
In addition, we make it clear to you, that it will be against the law to put any tax or payment in goods or forced payment on any of the priests or Levites, the music-makers, door-keepers, Nethinim, or any servants of this house of God.
25 Na wo Ɛsra, ɛsɛ sɛ wode nyansa a Onyankopɔn de ama wo no yi asɛnnifoɔ ne atemmufoɔ a wɔnim mo Onyankopɔn mmara no, na wɔdi nnipa a wɔwɔ asuo Eufrate atɔeɛ fam no nyinaa so. Sɛ nnipa nnim saa mmara no a, ɛsɛ sɛ wokyerɛkyerɛ wɔn.
And you, Ezra, by the wisdom of your God which is in you, are to put rulers and judges to have authority over all the people across the river who have knowledge of the laws of your God; and you are to give teaching to him who has no knowledge of them.
26 Obiara a ɔbɛbu mo Onyankopɔn, ne ɔhene mmara so no, wɔbɛkum no, wɔbɛtwa no asuo, wɔbɛfa nʼagyapadeɛ anaa wɔde no bɛto afiase sɛ asotwe.
And if anyone does not keep the law of your God and the law of the king, take care that punishment is given to him, by death or by driving him from his country or by taking away his goods or by putting him in prison.
27 Ayɛyie nka Awurade, yɛn agyanom Onyankopɔn a ɔmaa ɔhene adwene sɛ ɔnsiesie Awurade asɔredan a ɛwɔ Yerusalem no.
Praise be to the Lord, the God of our fathers, who has put such a thing into the heart of the king, to make fair the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem;
28 Na ayɛyie nka no sɛ, ɔdaa ne dɔ kann adi kyerɛɛ me, hyɛɛ me animuonyam wɔ ɔhene, nʼagyinatufoɔ ne nʼahenemma atumfoɔ no anim. Ɛhyɛɛ me nkuran, ɛfiri sɛ, na Awurade, me Onyankopɔn nsa wɔ me so. Na meboaboaa Israel ntuanofoɔ no bi ano sɛ, wɔnka me ho na yɛnkɔ Yerusalem.
And has given mercy to me before the king and his government and before all the king's great captains. And I was made strong by the hand of the Lord my God which was on me, and I got together out of Israel chief men to go up with me.
