عَزْرَا 6

١ 1 حِينَئِذٍ أَمَرَ دَارِيُوسُ ٱلْمَلِكُ فَفَتَّشُوا فِي بَيْتِ ٱلْأَسْفَارِ حَيْثُ كَانَتِ ٱلْخَزَائِنُ مَوْضُوعَةً فِي بَابِلَ،

Thus King Darius ordered a search of the archives stored in the treasury of Babylon.

٢ 2 فَوُجِدَ فِي أَحْمَثَا، فِي ٱلْقَصْرِ ٱلَّذِي فِي بِلَادِ مَادِي، دَرْجٌ مَكْتُوبٌ فِيهِ هَكَذَا: «تَذْكَارٌ.

And a scroll was found in the fortress of Ecbatana, in the province of Media, with the following written on it: Memorandum:

٣ 3 فِي ٱلسَّنَةِ ٱلْأُولَى لِكُورَشَ ٱلْمَلِكِ، أَمَرَ كُورَشُ ٱلْمَلِكُ مِنْ جِهَةِ بَيْتِ ٱللهِ فِي أُورُشَلِيمَ: لِيُبْنَ ٱلْبَيْتُ، ٱلْمَكَانُ ٱلَّذِي يَذْبَحُونَ فِيهِ ذَبَائِحَ، وَلْتُوضَعْ أُسُسُهُ، ٱرْتِفَاعُهُ سِتُّونَ ذِرَاعًا وَعَرْضُهُ سِتُّونَ ذِرَاعًا.

In the first year of King Cyrus, he issued a decree concerning the house of God in Jerusalem: Let the house be rebuilt as a place for offering sacrifices, and let its foundations be firmly laid. It is to be sixty cubits high and sixty cubits wide,

٤ 4 بِثَلَاثَةِ صُفُوفٍ مِنْ حِجَارَةٍ عَظِيمَةٍ، وَصَفٍّ مِنْ خَشَبٍ جَدِيدٍ. وَلْتُعْطَ ٱلنَّفَقَةُ مِنْ بَيْتِ ٱلْمَلِكِ.

with three layers of cut stones and one of timbers. The costs are to be paid from the royal treasury.

٥ 5 وَأَيْضًا آنِيَةُ بَيْتِ ٱللهِ، ٱلَّتِي مِنْ ذَهَبٍ وَفِضَّةٍ، ٱلَّتِي أَخْرَجَهَا نَبُوخَذْنَصَّرُ مِنَ ٱلْهَيْكَلِ ٱلَّذِي فِي أُورُشَلِيمَ وَأَتَى بِهَا إِلَى بَابِلَ، فَلْتُرَدَّ وَتُرْجَعْ إِلَى ٱلْهَيْكَلِ ٱلَّذِي فِي أُورُشَلِيمَ إِلَى مَكَانِهَا، وَتُوضَعْ فِي بَيْتِ ٱللهِ».

Furthermore, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and carried to Babylon, must also be returned to the temple in Jerusalem and deposited in the house of God.

٦ 6 «وَٱلْآنَ يَا تَتْنَايُ وَالِي عَبْرِ ٱلنَّهْرِ وَشَتَرْبُوزْنَايُ وَرُفَقَاءَكُمَا ٱلْأَفَرْسَكِيِّينَ ٱلَّذِينَ فِي عَبْرِ ٱلنَّهْرِ، ٱبْتَعِدُوا مِنْ هُنَاكَ.

Therefore Darius decreed: To Tattenai governor of the region west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and your associates and officials in the region: You must stay away from that place!

٧ 7 ٱتْرُكُوا عَمَلَ بَيْتِ ٱللهِ هَذَا. أَمَّا وَالِي ٱلْيَهُودِ وَشُيُوخُ ٱلْيَهُودِ فَلْيَبْنُوا بَيْتَ ٱللهِ هَذَا فِي مَكَانِهِ.

Leave this work on the house of God alone. Let the governor and elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its original site.

٨ 8 وَقَدْ صَدَرَ مِنِّي أَمْرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ مَعَ شُيُوخِ ٱلْيَهُودِ هَؤُلَاءِ فِي بِنَاءِ بَيْتِ ٱللهِ هَذَا. فَمِنْ مَالِ ٱلْمَلِكِ، مِنْ جِزْيَةِ عَبْرِ ٱلنَّهْرِ، تُعْطَ ٱلنَّفَقَةُ عَاجِلًا لِهَؤُلَاءِ ٱلرِّجَالِ حَتَّى لَا يَبْطُلُوا.

I hereby decree what you must do for these elders of the Jews who are rebuilding this house of God: The cost is to be paid in full to these men from the royal treasury out of the taxes of the provinces west of the Euphrates, so that the work will not be hindered.

٩ 9 وَمَا يَحْتَاجُونَ إِلَيْهِ مِنَ ٱلثِّيرَانِ وَٱلْكِبَاشِ وَٱلْخِرَافِ مُحْرَقَةً لِإِلَهِ ٱلسَّمَاءِ، وَحِنْطَةٍ وَمِلْحٍ وَخَمْرٍ وَزَيْتٍ حَسَبَ قَوْلِ ٱلْكَهَنَةِ ٱلَّذِينَ فِي أُورُشَلِيمَ، لِتُعْطَ لَهُمْ يَوْمًا فَيَوْمًا حَتَّى لَا يَهْدَأُوا

Whatever is needed—young bulls, rams, and lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, as well as wheat, salt, wine, and oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem—must be given to them daily without fail.

١٠ 10 عَنْ تَقْرِيبِ رَوَائِحِ سُرُورٍ لِإِلَهِ ٱلسَّمَاءِ، وَٱلصَّلَاةِ لِأَجْلِ حَيَاةِ ٱلْمَلِكِ وَبَنِيهِ.

Then they will be able to offer sacrifices of a sweet aroma to the God of heaven and to pray for the lives of the king and his sons.

١١ 11 وَقَدْ صَدَرَ مِنِّي أَمْرٌ أَنَّ كُلَّ إِنْسَانٍ يُغَيِّرُ هَذَا ٱلْكَلَامَ تُسْحَبُ خَشَبَةٌ مِنْ بَيْتِهِ وَيُعَلَّقُ مَصْلُوبًا عَلَيْهَا، وَيُجْعَلُ بَيْتُهُ مَزْبَلَةً مِنْ أَجْلِ هَذَا.

I also decree that if any man interferes with this directive, a beam is to be torn from his house and raised up, and he is to be impaled on it. And his own house shall be made a pile of rubble for this offense.

١٢ 12 وَٱللهُ ٱلَّذِي أَسْكَنَ ٱسْمَهُ هُنَاكَ يُهْلِكُ كُلَّ مَلِكٍ وَشَعْبٍ يَمُدُّ يَدَهُ لِتَغْيِيرِ أَوْ لِهَدْمِ بَيْتِ ٱللهِ هَذَا ٱلَّذِي فِي أُورُشَلِيمَ. أَنَا دَارِيُوسُ قَدْ أَمَرْتُ فَلْيُفْعَلْ عَاجِلًا».

May God, who has caused His Name to dwell there, overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to alter this decree or to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued the decree. Let it be carried out with diligence.

١٣ 13 حِينَئِذٍ تَتْنَايُ وَالِي عَبْرِ ٱلنَّهْرِ وَشَتَرْبُوزْنَايُ وَرُفَقَاؤُهُمَا عَمِلُوا عَاجِلًا حَسْبَمَا أَرْسَلَ دَارِيُوسُ ٱلْمَلِكُ.

In response, Tattenai the governor of the region west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates diligently carried out what King Darius had decreed.

١٤ 14 وَكَانَ شُيُوخُ ٱلْيَهُودِ يَبْنُونَ وَيَنْجَحُونَ حَسَبَ نُبُوَّةِ حَجَّيِ ٱلنَّبِيِّ وَزَكَرِيَّا بْنِ عِدُّو. فَبَنَوْا وَأَكْمَلُوا حَسَبَ أَمْرِ إِلَهِ إِسْرَائِيلَ وَأَمْرِ كُورَشَ وَدَارِيُوسَ وَأَرْتَحْشَشْتَا مَلِكِ فَارِسَ.

So the Jewish elders built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo. They finished building according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia.

١٥ 15 وَكَمِلَ هَذَا ٱلْبَيْتُ فِي ٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلثَّالِثِ مِنْ شَهْرِ أَذَارَ فِي ٱلسَّنَةِ ٱلسَّادِسَةِ مِنْ مُلْكِ دَارِيُوسَ ٱلْمَلِكِ.

And this temple was completed on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.

١٦ 16 وَبَنُو إِسْرَائِيلَ ٱلْكَهَنَةُ وَٱللَّاوِيُّونَ وَبَاقِي بَنِي ٱلسَّبْيِ دَشَّنُوا بَيْتَ ٱللهِ هَذَا بِفَرَحٍ.

Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the exiles—celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy.

١٧ 17 وَقَرَّبُوا تَدْشِينًا لِبَيْتِ ٱللهِ هَذَا: مِئَةَ ثَوْرٍ وَمِئَتَيْ كَبْشٍ وَأَرْبَعَ مِئَةِ خَرُوفٍ وَٱثْنَيْ عَشَرَ تَيْسَ مِعْزًى، ذَبِيحَةَ خَطِيَّةٍ عَنْ جَمِيعِ إِسْرَائِيلَ، حَسَبَ عَدَدِ أَسْبَاطِ إِسْرَائِيلَ.

For the dedication of the house of God they offered a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and a sin offering for all Israel of twelve male goats, one for each tribe of Israel.

١٨ 18 وَأَقَامُوا ٱلْكَهَنَةَ فِي فِرَقِهِمْ وَٱللَّاوِيِّينَ فِي أَقْسَامِهِمْ عَلَى خِدْمَةِ ٱللهِ ٱلَّتِي فِي أُورُشَلِيمَ، كَمَا هُوَ مَكْتُوبٌ فِي سِفْرِ مُوسَى.

They also appointed the priests by their divisions and the Levites by their groups to the service of God in Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses.

١٩ 19 وَعَمِلَ بَنُو ٱلسَّبْيِ ٱلْفِصْحَ فِي ٱلرَّابِعَ عَشَرَ مِنَ ٱلشَّهْرِ ٱلْأَوَّلِ.

On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles kept the Passover.

٢٠ 20 لِأَنَّ ٱلْكَهَنَةَ وَٱللَّاوِيِّينَ تَطَهَّرُوا جَمِيعًا. كَانُوا كُلُّهُمْ طَاهِرِينَ، وَذَبَحُوا ٱلْفِصْحَ لِجَمِيعِ بَنِي ٱلسَّبْيِ وَلِإِخْوَتِهِمِ ٱلْكَهَنَةِ وَلِأَنْفُسِهِمْ.

All the priests and Levites had purified themselves and were ceremonially clean. And the Levites slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their priestly brothers, and for themselves.

٢١ 21 وَأَكَلَهُ بَنُو إِسْرَائِيلَ ٱلرَّاجِعُونَ مِنَ ٱلسَّبْيِ مَعَ جَمِيعِ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱنْفَصَلُوا إِلَيْهِمْ مِنْ رَجَاسَةِ أُمَمِ ٱلْأَرْضِ، لِيَطْلُبُوا ٱلرَّبَّ إِلَهَ إِسْرَائِيلَ.

The Israelites who had returned from exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the uncleanness of the peoples of the land to seek the LORD, the God of Israel.

٢٢ 22 وَعَمِلُوا عِيدَ ٱلْفَطِيرِ سَبْعَةَ أَيَّامٍ بِفَرَحٍ، لِأَنَّ ٱلرَّبَّ فَرَّحَهُمْ وَحَوَّلَ قَلْبَ مَلِكِ أَشُّورَ نَحْوَهُمْ لِتَقْوِيَةِ أَيْدِيهِمْ فِي عَمَلِ بَيْتِ ٱللهِ إِلَهِ إِسْرَائِيلَ.

For seven days they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread with joy, because the LORD had made them joyful and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them to strengthen their hands in the work on the house of the God of Israel.