< Ezra 5 >

1 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.
爰に預言者ハガイおよびイドの子ゼカリヤの二人の預言者ユダとヱルサレムに居るユダヤ人に向ひてイスラエルの神の名をもて預言する所ありければ
2 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.
シヤルテルの子ゼルバベルおよびヨザダクの子ヱシュア起あがりてヱルサレムなる神の室を建ることを始む 神の預言者等これと共に在て之を助く
3 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?”
その時に河外の總督タテナイといふ者セタルボズナイおよびその同僚とともにその所に來り誰が汝らに此室を建て此石垣を築きあぐることを命ぜしやと斯言ひ
4 They also requested the people to tell them the names of the men who were working [at the temple]. [But the people refused].
また此建物を建る人々の名は何といふやと斯これに問り
5 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.
然るにユダヤ人の長老等の上にはその神の目そそぎゐたれば彼等これを止むること能はずして遂にその事をダリヨスに奏してその返答の來るを待り
6 So Tattenai and Shethar-Bozenai and their officials sent a report to King Darius.
河外ふの總督タテナイおよびセタルボズナイとその同僚なる河外ふのアパルサカイ人がダリヨス王に上まつりし書の稿は左のごとし
7 This is what they wrote: “King Darius, we hope that things are going well for you!
即ち其上まつりし書の中に書しるしたる所は是のごとし 云く願くはダリヨス王に大なる平安あれ
8 [“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.
王知りたまへ我儕ユダヤ州に往てかの大神の室に至り視しに巨石をもて之を建て材木を組て壁を作り居り其工事おほいに捗りてその手を下すところ成ざる無し
9 “We asked the Jewish leaders, ‘Who has permitted you to rebuild this temple and put furnishings in it?’
是に於て我儕その長老等に問てこれに斯いへり 誰が汝らに此室を建てこの石垣を築きあぐることを命ぜしやと
10 And we requested them to tell us the names of their leaders, in order that we could tell you who they were.
我儕またその首長たる人々の名を書しるして汝に奏聞せんがためにその名を問り
11 “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.
時に彼等かく我らに答へて言り 我儕は天地の神の僕にして年久しき昔に建おかれし殿を再び建るなり 是は素イスラエルの大なる王 某の建築きたる者なしりが
12 “'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.
我らの父等天の神の震怒を惹起せしに縁てつひに之をカルデヤ人バビロンの王ネブカデネザルの手に付したまひければ彼この殿を毀ち民をバビロンに擄へゆけり
13 “'However, during the first year that Cyrus the King of Babylon started to rule, he decreed that the temple of God should be rebuilt.
然るにバビロンの王クロスの元年にクロス王神のこの室を建べしとの詔言を下したまへり
14 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.
然のみならず ヱルサレムの殿よりネブカデネザルが取いだしてバビロンの殿に携へいれし神の室の金銀の器皿もクロス王これをバビロンの殿より取いだし其立たる總督セシバザルと名くる者に之を付し
15 “'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.
而して彼に言けらく是等の器皿を取り往て之をヱルサレムの殿に携へいれ神の室をその本の處に建よと
16 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.’
是において其セシバザル來りてヱルサレムなる神の室の石礎を置たりき 其時よりして今に至るまで之を建つつありしが猶いまだ竣らざるなりと
17 “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.”
然ば今王もし善となされなば請ふ御膝下バビロンにある所の王の寳蔵を査べたまひて神のこの室を建べしとの詔言のクロス王より出しや否を稽へ而して王此事につきて御旨を我らに諭したまえ

< Ezra 5 >