Kyila'baazii Ogo Obe Yekalu ro ro
1 Ondro kyila'baazii lidri Yuda ro ro ndi Benjamina robe keriyi tate ekye 'dise ärube midiro kegoyibe kai kayite Yekalu OPI Lu Yisaraele ro ro obena oko, 2 ànya ikyiyite Zerubabela ndi dri'bai käläsikalai robe re, ago atayite ànyari ekye: “Mì'de mabe Yekalu ami yibe tana mà Lu amiro mätu oso nyàbe mätuna ronye, ago mà'do rote tori olovoya ndäri ro kyeno tu Esaradona 'bädri'ba Asaria ro se kezi ama be noŋwa ana rosi.”
3 Oko Zerubabela, Jesua, ndi dri'bai käläsikalai Yisaraele ro robe atayite ànyari ekye: “Màle ŋgaopa koni ami rigyesi Yekalu se ono obevoya, oko màbena gini andivo amaro si Opi Lu Yisaraele ro ri oso se Sairasi 'bädri'ba Peresia ro kota ama be ronye.”
4 'Dooko lidri wari ana ro ozoyi mbaraako te lidri Yudai ro ri, ago 'bayi ànya te a'done turiro Yekalu obevoya, 5 ago ànya gyeyi mi dri'bai miri Peresia ro ro kpate losi ànyaro edrene. Ànya uguyi oyena te 'do ronye eto ro ni tu 'dimiri 'Bädri'ba Sairasi ro rosi sagwo le 'dimiri Dariyasi 'bädri'ba Peresia ro roya.
Kyila'baazii azaka Ogo Obe Yerusalema ro ro
6 Eto 'dimiri 'Bädri'ba Asuerosa ro rosi oko, kyila'baazii kicuyi lidri se koribe Yuda ndi Yerusalema be ya kai te taegyi si.
7 Ago tu 'bädri'ba Aretakerekesa ro rosi, Biselama, Miteredata, Tabela ndi 'dise cini kodro'berube ànya yibe kai, egyiyi waraga te Aretakerekesa 'bädri'ba Peresia ro ri; egyi waraga ana te kala Aramaika rosi, ago ologote logo uzivoya.
8 Ago wari'ba Reuma ndi Simesai egyi'ba wari robe egyiyi ta kpate 'Bädri'ba Aretakerekesa ri ta Yerusalema rota nonye ekye:
9 “Ta ono ni 'Bädri'ba Reuma resi, Simesai egyi'ba wari ro resi, 'dise cini kodro'berube ànya yibe resi, vureope'bai ndi dri'bai losi ro, Peresia'bai, lidri Ereka, Babelona ro ndi Susa ro se orivoya wari Elama roya ro, 10 ndi tro rukä lidri ro, se 'desi orooro ro Asurebanipala konja be se oyite, ago riyite 'bakicii Samaria roya, ago vo azaka wari Golo Eferata ro tasi ana be.” 11 Ono ni gyere waraga se ànya kozoyibe owo ekye:
“'Bädri'ba Aretakerekesa ri: ni ruindu'bai miro, lidri se wari Golo Eferata tasi roya resi. Mede tana mi.
12 “Mà ta ono o'bana unine mi 'bädri'ba ri nonye Yudai se kikyiyibe ni miresi amare ono oyiyite Yerusalema ya. Ànya go kayite 'bakici se ogbo ro takozi ekye ono obena; ànya kayite tiṛi obe onde ago kayite kotopai zo ro ondene. 13 Mà ta ono o'bana unine mi 'bädri'ba ri nonye. Ondro ka'do ago abe 'bakici ono bete ago ande obe tiṛi na ro bete, ànya uninayi kote parata driutwero ozone, ago äduro oko parata se nyabe usuna amba 'do egona ro pari giṛiŋwa. 14 Tana yauono ama orivoya drikaca miri 'desi miro ro zele ago màle ko ta nonye ono ri a'done, ta'doro mà lazo ozo ago ta iti miri, 15 tana äṛi tase egyibe buku zutui miro roya robe. Nyusuna ta 'da ni tase egyibe yasi ago minina ndi anjioko 'bakici ono ni 'bakici ogbo ro, se kyeno ozo rriti te amba 'bädri'bai ri ndi miri'bai wari robe. 'Bakici ono ṛo vo ogbo ro 'bädri'bai lomvo ṛoni tu kyeno kai si 'bani a'degwo 'bakici ono perene wo. 16 Mà ta ono o'bana unine mi 'bädri'ba ri ondro ka'do ago abe 'bakici ono bete ago ande tiṛina bete, 'dooko miri mi 'Desi ro a'dona te mbaraako wari Golo Eferata ro tasisi ana ya.”
17 'Bädri'ba logo tate wari'ba Reuma ndi Simesai egyi'ba wari robe ndi 'dise cini kodro'beruyibe ànya yibe se kayibe ori Samaria ya ago telesi wari Golo Eferata ro yasi ri ekye:
“Mede ämiri:
18 “Waraga se nyèzobe ono äzite ago ologote märi. 19 Mozo ota te ago äṛivote, ago usu tana te anjioko tuse kyeno kai si Yerusalema ogbote drikaca 'bädri'bai robe, ago ta ogbo ro ndi ta ya eŋga robe ayete kigye. 20 'Bädri'bai mbaraekyero miriyi Yerusalema te ago miriyi wari se cini kogobe Golo Eferata ro tasi ana te, ago lidri sa parata driutwero ndi drî gyini ro utwero be te ànyari. 21 Ka'do inye nyòzo ota, beṛo lidri kwoi ri edrene, ago ko ogone 'bakici ono obene, madale mozona ota na ni. 22 Mìye ta ono ndriro, ukyi aye ŋgakozi aza 'da ori kado maro ono ya.”
23 Ondro äzi gyere waraga se 'Bädri'ba Aretakerekesa kegyibe ana rote Reuma, Simesai ndi 'dise cini kodro'beruyibe ànya yibe ri oko, ànya oyiyite ndrindri Yerusalema ya ago edreyi Yudai te mbarasi ni 'bakici obevoya.
Ago Eto Losi Yekalu rote Kpa To'di
24 'Dooko losi Yekalu obero Yerusalema ya edrete madale ndroa ṛiri vomiri Dariyasi 'bädri'ba Peresia ro rosi.
Foreigners Want To Help Rebuild the Temple
1 The enemies of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin heard that the people had come back to rebuild the temple of the Lord God of Israel. 2 So they went to Zerubbabel and to the family leaders and said, “Let us help! Ever since King Esarhaddon of Assyria brought us here, we have worshiped your God and offered sacrifices to him.”
3 But Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the family leaders answered, “You cannot take part in building a temple for the Lord our God! We will build it ourselves, just as King Cyrus of Persia commanded us.”
4 Then the neighboring people began to do everything possible to frighten the Jews and to make them stop building. 5 During the time that Cyrus was king and even until Darius became king, they kept bribing government officials to slow down the work.
Trouble Rebuilding Jerusalem
6 In the first year that Xerxes was king, the neighboring people brought written charges against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
7 Later, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and their advisors got together and wrote a letter to Artaxerxes when he was king of Persia. It was written in Aramaic and had to be translated.
8-10 A letter was also written to Artaxerxes about Jerusalem by Governor Rehum, Secretary Shimshai, and their advisors, including the judges, the governors, the officials, and the local leaders. They were joined in writing this letter by people from Erech and Babylonia, the Elamites from Susa, and people from other foreign nations that the great and famous Ashurbanipal had forced to settle in Samaria and other parts of Western Province.
11 This letter said:
Your Majesty King Artaxerxes, we are your servants from everywhere in Western Province, and we send you our greetings.
12 You should know that the Jews who left your country have moved back to Jerusalem and are now rebuilding that rebellious city. In fact, they have almost finished rebuilding the walls and repairing the foundations. 13 You should also know that if the walls are completed and the city is rebuilt, the Jews won't pay any kind of taxes, and there will be less money in your treasury.
14 We are telling you this, because you have done so much for us, and we want everyone to respect you. 15 If you look up the official records of your ancestors, you will find that Jerusalem has constantly rebelled and has led others to rebel against kings and provinces. That's why the city was destroyed in the first place. 16 If Jerusalem is rebuilt and its walls completed, you will no longer have control over Western Province.
17 King Artaxerxes answered:
Greetings to Governor Rehum, Secretary Shimshai, and to your advisors in Samaria and other parts of Western Province.
18 After your letter was translated and read to me, 19 I had the old records checked. It is true that for years Jerusalem has rebelled and caused trouble for other kings and nations. 20 And powerful kings have ruled Western Province from Jerusalem and have collected all kinds of taxes.
21 I want you to command the people to stop rebuilding the city until I give further notice. 22 Do this at once, so that no harm will come to the kingdom.
23 As soon as this letter was read, Governor Rehum, Secretary Shimshai, and their advisors went to Jerusalem and forced everyone to stop rebuilding the city.
Work on the Temple Starts Again
24 The Jews were forced to stop work on the temple and were not able to do any more building until the year after Darius became king of Persia.