< 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.
Prophetaverunt autem Aggæus Propheta, et Zacharias filius Addo prophetantes ad Iudæos, qui erant in Iudæa et Ierusalem, in nomine Dei Israel.
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.
Tunc surrexerunt Zorobabel filius Salathiel, et Iosue filius Iosedec, et cœperunt ædificare templum Dei in Ierusalem, et cum eis prophetæ Dei adiuvantes eos.
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?”
In ipso autem tempore venit ad eos Thathanai, qui erat dux trans Flumen, et Stharbuzanai, et consiliarii eorum: sicque dixerunt eis: Quis dedit vobis consilium ut domum hanc ædificaretis, et muros eius instauraretis?
4 They also requested the people to tell them the names of the men who were working [at the temple]. [But the people refused].
Ad quod respondimus eis, quæ essent nomina hominum auctorum ædificationis illius.
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.
Oculus autem Dei eorum factus est super senes Iudæorum, et non potuerunt inhibere eos. Placuitque ut res ad Darium referretur, et tunc satisfacerent adversus accusationem illam.
6 So Tattenai and Shethar-Bozenai and their officials sent a report to King Darius.
Exemplar epistolæ, quam misit Thathanai dux regionis trans Flumen, et Stharbuzanai, et consiliatores eius Arphasachæi, qui erant trans Flumen, ad Darium regem.
7 This is what they wrote: “King Darius, we hope that things are going well for you!
Sermo, quem miserant ei, sic scriptus erat: Dario regi pax omnis.
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.
Notum sit regi, isse nos ad Iudæam provinciam, ad domum Dei magni, quæ ædificatur lapide impolito, et ligna ponuntur in parietibus: opusque illud diligenter extruitur, et crescit in manibus eorum.
9 “We asked the Jewish leaders, ‘Who has permitted you to rebuild this temple and put furnishings in it?’
Interrogavimus ergo senes illos, et ita diximus eis: Quis dedit vobis potestatem ut domum hanc ædificaretis, et muros hos instauraretis?
10 And we requested them to tell us the names of their leaders, in order that we could tell you who they were.
Sed et nomina eorum quæsivimus ab eis, ut nunciaremus tibi: scripsimusque nomina eorum virorum, qui sunt principes in eis.
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.
Huiuscemodi autem sermonem responderunt nobis, dicentes: Nos sumus servi Dei cæli et terræ, et ædificamus templum, quod erat extructum ante hos annos multos, quodque rex Israel magnus ædificaverat, et extruxerat.
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.
Postquam autem ad iracundiam provocaverunt patres nostri Deum cæli, tradidit eos in manus Nabuchodonosor regis Babylonis Chaldæi, domum quoque hanc destruxit, et populum eius transtulit in Babylonem.
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.
Anno autem primo Cyri regis Babylonis, Cyrus rex proposuit edictum ut domus Dei hæc ædificaretur.
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.
Nam et vasa templi Dei aurea et argentea, quæ Nabuchodonosor tulerat de templo, quod erat in Ierusalem, et asportaverat ea in templum Babylonis, protulit Cyrus rex de templo Babylonis, et data sunt Sassabasar vocabulo, quem et principem constituit,
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.
dixitque ei: Hæc vasa tolle, et vade, et pone ea in templo, quod est in Ierusalem, et domus Dei ædificetur in loco suo.
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.’
Tunc itaque Sassabasar ille venit et posuit fundamenta templi Dei in Ierusalem, et ex eo tempore usque nunc ædificatur, et necdum completum est.
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.”
Nunc ergo, si videtur regi bonum, recenseat in bibliotheca regis, quæ est in Babylone, utrumnam a Cyro rege iussum fuerit ut ædificaretur domus Dei in Ierusalem, et voluntatem regis super hac re mittat ad nos.

< Ezra 5 >