Ἔσδρας Αʹ 5

1 καὶ ἐπροφήτευσεν Αγγαιος ὁ προφήτης καὶ Ζαχαριας ὁ τοῦ Αδδω προφητείαν ἐπὶ τοὺς Ιουδαίους τοὺς ἐν Ιουδα καὶ Ιερουσαλημ ἐν ὀνόματι θεοῦ Ισραηλ ἐπ’ αὐτούς

Now the prophets, Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem. They prophesied to them in the name of the God of Israel.

2 τότε ἀνέστησαν Ζοροβαβελ ὁ τοῦ Σαλαθιηλ καὶ Ἰησοῦς ὁ υἱὸς Ιωσεδεκ καὶ ἤρξαντο οἰκοδομῆσαι τὸν οἶκον τοῦ θεοῦ τὸν ἐν Ιερουσαλημ καὶ μετ’ αὐτῶν οἱ προφῆται τοῦ θεοῦ βοηθοῦντες αὐτοῖς

Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build God’s house which is at Jerusalem; and with them were the prophets of God, helping them.

3 ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ καιρῷ ἦλθεν ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς Θανθαναι ἔπαρχος πέραν τοῦ ποταμοῦ καὶ Σαθαρβουζανα καὶ οἱ σύνδουλοι αὐτῶν καὶ τοῖα εἶπαν αὐτοῖς τίς ἔθηκεν ὑμῖν γνώμην τοῦ οἰκοδομῆσαι τὸν οἶκον τοῦτον καὶ τὴν χορηγίαν ταύτην καταρτίσασθαι

At the same time Tattenai, the governor beyond the River, came to them, with Shetharbozenai and their companions, and asked them, “Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this wall?”

4 τότε ταῦτα εἴποσαν αὐτοῖς τίνα ἐστὶν τὰ ὀνόματα τῶν ἀνδρῶν τῶν οἰκοδομούντων τὴν πόλιν ταύτην

They also asked for the names of the men who were making this building.

5 καὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν Ιουδα καὶ οὐ κατήργησαν αὐτούς ἕως γνώμη τῷ Δαρείῳ ἀπηνέχθη καὶ τότε ἀπεστάλη τῷ φορολόγῳ ὑπὲρ τούτου

But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they didn’t make them cease until the matter should come to Darius, and an answer should be returned by letter concerning it.

6 διασάφησις ἐπιστολῆς ἧς ἀπέστειλεν Θανθαναι ὁ ἔπαρχος τοῦ πέραν τοῦ ποταμοῦ καὶ Σαθαρβουζανα καὶ οἱ σύνδουλοι αὐτῶν Αφαρσαχαῖοι οἱ ἐν τῷ πέραν τοῦ ποταμοῦ Δαρείῳ τῷ βασιλεῖ

The copy of the letter that Tattenai, the governor beyond the River, and Shetharbozenai, and his companions the Apharsachites who were beyond the River, sent to Darius the king follows.

7 ῥῆσιν ἀπέστειλαν πρὸς αὐτόν καὶ τάδε γέγραπται ἐν αὐτῷ Δαρείῳ τῷ βασιλεῖ εἰρήνη πᾶσα

They sent a letter to him, in which was written: To Darius the king, all peace.

8 γνωστὸν ἔστω τῷ βασιλεῖ ὅτι ἐπορεύθημεν εἰς τὴν Ιουδαίαν χώραν εἰς οἶκον τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ μεγάλου καὶ αὐτὸς οἰκοδομεῖται λίθοις ἐκλεκτοῖς καὶ ξύλα ἐντίθεται ἐν τοῖς τοίχοις καὶ τὸ ἔργον ἐκεῖνο ἐπιδέξιον γίνεται καὶ εὐοδοῦται ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτῶν

Be it known to the king that we went into the province of Judah, to the house of the great God, which is being built with great stones and timber is laid in the walls. This work goes on with diligence and prospers in their hands.

9 τότε ἠρωτήσαμεν τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους ἐκείνους καὶ οὕτως εἴπαμεν αὐτοῖς τίς ἔθηκεν ὑμῖν γνώμην τὸν οἶκον τοῦτον οἰκοδομῆσαι καὶ τὴν χορηγίαν ταύτην καταρτίσασθαι

Then we asked those elders, and said to them thus, “Who gave you a decree to build this house, and to finish this wall?”

10 καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα αὐτῶν ἠρωτήσαμεν αὐτοὺς γνωρίσαι σοι ὥστε γράψαι σοι τὰ ὀνόματα τῶν ἀνδρῶν τῶν ἀρχόντων αὐτῶν

We asked them their names also, to inform you that we might write the names of the men who were at their head.

11 καὶ τοιοῦτο ῥῆμα ἀπεκρίθησαν ἡμῖν λέγοντες ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν δοῦλοι τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ οἰκοδομοῦμεν τὸν οἶκον ὃς ἦν ᾠκοδομημένος πρὸ τούτου ἔτη πολλά καὶ βασιλεὺς τοῦ Ισραηλ μέγας ᾠκοδόμησεν αὐτὸν καὶ κατηρτίσατο αὐτὸν

Thus they returned us answer, saying, “We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth and are building the house that was built these many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished.

12 αὐτοῖς ἀφ’ ὅτε δὲ παρώργισαν οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν τὸν θεὸν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἔδωκεν αὐτοὺς εἰς χεῖρας Ναβουχοδονοσορ βασιλέως Βαβυλῶνος τοῦ Χαλδαίου καὶ τὸν οἶκον τοῦτον κατέλυσεν καὶ τὸν λαὸν ἀπῴκισεν εἰς Βαβυλῶνα

But after our fathers had provoked the God of heaven to wrath, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and carried the people away into Babylon.

13 ἀλλ’ ἐν ἔτει πρώτῳ Κύρου τοῦ βασιλέως Κῦρος ὁ βασιλεὺς ἔθετο γνώμην τὸν οἶκον τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦτον οἰκοδομηθῆναι

But in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree to build this house of God.

14 καὶ τὰ σκεύη τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ θεοῦ τὰ χρυσᾶ καὶ τὰ ἀργυρᾶ ἃ Ναβουχοδονοσορ ἐξήνεγκεν ἀπὸ οἴκου τοῦ ἐν Ιερουσαλημ καὶ ἀπήνεγκεν αὐτὰ εἰς ναὸν τοῦ βασιλέως ἐξήνεγκεν αὐτὰ Κῦρος ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀπὸ ναοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ ἔδωκεν τῷ Σασαβασαρ τῷ θησαυροφύλακι τῷ ἐπὶ τοῦ θησαυροῦ

The gold and silver vessels of God’s house, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that was in Jerusalem and brought into the temple of Babylon, those Cyrus the king also took out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered to one whose name was Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor.

15 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ πάντα τὰ σκεύη λαβὲ καὶ πορεύου θὲς αὐτὰ ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τῷ ἐν Ιερουσαλημ εἰς τὸν ἑαυτῶν τόπον

He said to him, ‘Take these vessels, go, put them in the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let God’s house be built in its place.’

16 τότε Σασαβασαρ ἐκεῖνος ἦλθεν καὶ ἔδωκεν θεμελίους τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἐν Ιερουσαλημ καὶ ἀπὸ τότε ἕως τοῦ νῦν ᾠκοδομήθη καὶ οὐκ ἐτελέσθη

Then the same Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of God’s house which is in Jerusalem. Since that time even until now it has been being built, and yet it is not completed.

17 καὶ νῦν εἰ ἐπὶ τὸν βασιλέα ἀγαθόν ἐπισκεπήτω ἐν οἴκῳ τῆς γάζης τοῦ βασιλέως Βαβυλῶνος ὅπως γνῷς ὅτι ἀπὸ βασιλέως Κύρου ἐτέθη γνώμη οἰκοδομῆσαι τὸν οἶκον τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκεῖνον τὸν ἐν Ιερουσαλημ καὶ γνοὺς ὁ βασιλεὺς περὶ τούτου πεμψάτω πρὸς ἡμᾶς

Now therefore, if it seems good to the king, let a search be made in the king’s treasure house, which is there at Babylon, whether it is so that a decree was made by Cyrus the king to build this house of God at Jerusalem; and let the king send his pleasure to us concerning this matter.”