Ezra 4

1 Mwet lokoalok lun mwet Judah ac mwet Benjamin lohngak lah mwet su foloko liki sruoh elos sifil musai Tempul lun LEUM GOD lun Israel.

Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity were building a temple to the LORD, the God of Israel,

2 Ouinge elos som nu yorol Zerubbabel ac sifen sou uh ac fahk, “Fuhlela kut in wi kowos musai Tempul. Kut alu nu sin God se na kowos alu nu se an, ac kut nuna orek kisa nu sel oe in pacl se Tokosra Fulat Esarhaddon lun Assyria el tuh supwekutme in muta yenu ah nwe misenge.”

they came near to Zerubbabel, and to the heads of fathers’ households, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have been sacrificing to him since the days of Esar Haddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here.”

3 Zerubbabel, Joshua, ac sifen sou elos fahk nu selos, “Kut tia enenu kasru lowos in musai sie Tempul nu sin LEUM GOD lasr. Kut ac sifacna musai, oana ke Tokosra Fulat Cyrus lun Persia el sapkin nu sesr.”

But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers’ households of Israel said to them, “You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves together will build to the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”

4 Na mwet ma muta fin acn ah elos tuh srike in akmunasye mwet Jew ac aksangengyalos tuh elos in tia musa.

Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building.

5 Elos oayapa eyeinse nu sin mwet fulat lun Persia tuh elos in wi pac lainulos. Elos oru na ouiya se inge in pacl lal Tokosra Fulat Cyrus ah nwe ke pacl lal Tokosra Fulat Darius.

They hired counsellors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

6 Ke mutaweyen we lal Tokosra Fulat Ahasuerus, mwet lokoalok lun mwet su muta Judah ac Jerusalem elos som nu yorol tokosra ac us pwepu in alein lalos.

In the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

7 Sifilpa ke pacl se Artaxerxes el tokosra fulat fin acn Persia, na Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, ac mwet wialos elos simusla sie leta nu sel Tokosra Fulat Artaxerxes. Leta sac sim ke kas Aramaic, na tufah lungasyukla ke pacl ritiyuk.

In the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his companions wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in Syrian and delivered in the Syrian language.

8 Oayapa Rehum, su governor, ac Shimshai, su mwet sim lun polo acn sac, eltal simusla pac leta se inge nu sel Tokosra Fulat Artaxerxes, ac sramsram ke acn Jerusalem:

Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows.

9 “Leta se inge ma sel Rehum, governor, oayapa sel Shimshai, mwet sim lun acn uh, ac sin mwet wialos, mwet nununku, ac mwet pwapa nukewa saya su in pacl meet elos tuh muta in acn Erech in facl Babylon, oayapa Susa in facl Elam,

Then Rehum the chancellor, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions, the Dinaites, and the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Shushanchites, the Dehaites, the Elamites,

10 weang pac mwet nukewa su leum fulat Ashurbanipal el tuh moklela liki acn selos ac oakelosi in siti Samaria ac acn saya pac ke acn Roto-in-Euphrates.”

and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar brought over and settled in the city of Samaria, and in the rest of the country beyond the River, and so forth, wrote.

11 Pa inge kas in leta sac: “Nu sin Tokosra Fulat Artaxerxes, sin mwet kulansap lal, mwet Roto-in-Euphrates.

This is the copy of the letter that they sent: To King Artaxerxes, from your servants, the people beyond the River.

12 “Kut lungse tuh Tokosra Fulat lasr elan etu lah mwet Jew su tuku nu yenu liki acn saya pac lom elos oakwuki in Jerusalem, ac inge elos sifilpa musai siti koluk ac tunyuna sac. Elos mutawauk tari in sifil musai pot uh, na tia paht ac safla.

Be it known to the king that the Jews who came up from you have come to us to Jerusalem. They are building the rebellious and bad city, and have finished the walls and repaired the foundations.

13 O Tokosra Fulat, siti se inge fin sifil musaiyuk, ac pot la uh aksafyeyukla, mwet we uh ac tia sifil moli tax lalos nu sum, na kasrup lom ac fah srikeni.

Be it known now to the king that if this city is built and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and in the end it will be hurtful to the kings.

14 Inge, ke sripen kut muta ye poum in kulansupwekom, kut tia lungse ma inge in sikyak. Ke ma inge kut srukak nunak in kasru lasr,

Now because we eat the salt of the palace and it is not appropriate for us to see the king’s dishonour, therefore we have sent and informed the king,

15 tuh kom in sapkin in sukok ke book in sramsram matu lun mwet lom somla meet. Kom fin oru ouinge, kom ac konauk lah siti se inge nuna utuk na. Oemeet me, mwet we elos oru na elya nu sin tokosra pus ac mwet kol pus lun acn uh. Pacl nukewa mwet we uh elos lain na mwet liyalosyang. Pa ingan sripa se pwanang kunausyukla siti sac.

that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. You will see in the book of the records, and know that this city is a rebellious city, and hurtful to kings and provinces, and that they have started rebellions within it in the past. That is why this city was destroyed.

16 Ke ma inge kut nunak sela mu siti se inge fin sifilpa musa ac aksafyeyukla pot we uh, ac fah wanginla ku lom fin acn Roto-in-Euphrates.”

We inform the king that if this city is built and the walls finished, then you will have no possession beyond the River.

17 Na tokosra fulat el topuk ouinge: “Nu sum, Governor Rehum, ac nu sum, Shimshai, mwet sim lun acn, ac nu sin mwet wiowos su muta Samaria ac acn saya ke acn Roto-in-Euphrates. Paing kowos.

Then the king sent an answer to Rehum the chancellor, and to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their companions who live in Samaria, and in the rest of the country beyond the River: Peace.

18 “Leta lowos ah sunyu. Lungasyukla ac ritiyuk nu sik tari.

The letter which you sent to us has been plainly read before me.

19 Nga sapkakin tuh mwet luk in suk aklohya ke ma simusla, na koneyukyak lah pwaye, oemeet me acn Jerusalem lungse lain ku lun tokosra, ac acn we sessesla ke mwet koluk ac mwet orek lokoalok.

I decreed, and search has been made, and it was found that this city has made insurrection against kings in the past, and that rebellion and revolts have been made in it.

20 Tokosra na ku puspis elos tuh leumi acn we oayapa nununku acn nukewa in acn Roto-in-Euphrates, ac eisani tax ac mani in kasru saya.

There have also been mighty kings over Jerusalem who have ruled over all the country beyond the River; and tribute, custom, and toll was paid to them.

21 Ke ma inge kowos in sapla ac fahk tuh mwet ingan in tui ke musaiyen siti sacn nu ke pacl se nga sifil fahk ma in orek.

Make a decree now to cause these men to cease, and that this city not be built until a decree is made by me.

22 Kowos in aksaye, tuh in tia sifil oasr mwe lokoalok nu ke ma luk ku acn sik.”

Be careful that you not be slack doing so. Why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings?

23 Ke leta se lal Tokosra Fulat Artaxerxes rityak nu sel Rehum, Shimshai, ac mwet wialos, elos sulaklak na som nu Jerusalem ac ikol mwet Jew in tui, tia sifil musai siti sac.

Then when the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went in haste to Jerusalem to the Jews, and made them to cease by force of arms.

24 Orekma ke Tempul ah tui na, ac wanginna ma orek nu kac nwe ke yac se akluo ke Darius el Tokosra Fulat lun Persia.

Then work stopped on God’s house which is at Jerusalem. It stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.