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.
When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for 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 approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the families, saying, “Let us build with you because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to Him since the time of King Esar-haddon of Assyria, who brought us 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 other heads of the families of Israel replied, “You have no part with us in building a house for our God, since we alone must build it for the LORD, the God of Israel, as Cyrus 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 set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to build.
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 counselors against them to frustrate their plans throughout the reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to 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.
At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes, an accusation was lodged against the people 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.
And in the days of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. It was written in Aramaic and then translated.
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 commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote the letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes 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,
From Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates—the judges and officials over Tripolis, Persia, Erech and Babylon, the Elamites of Susa,
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 peoples whom the great and honorable Ashurbanipal deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and elsewhere west of the Euphrates.
11 Pa inge kas in leta sac: “Nu sin Tokosra Fulat Artaxerxes, sin mwet kulansap lal, mwet Roto-in-Euphrates.
(This is the text of the letter they sent to him.) To King Artaxerxes, From your servants, the men west of the Euphrates:
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.
Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came from you to us have returned to Jerusalem. And they are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city, restoring its walls, and repairing its 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.
Let it now be known to the king that if that city is rebuilt and its walls are restored, they will not pay tribute, duty, or toll, and the royal treasury will suffer.
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 are in the service of the palace and it is not fitting for us to allow the king to be dishonored, we have sent to inform 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 a search should be made of the record books of your fathers. In these books you will discover and verify that the city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces, inciting sedition from ancient times. 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 advise the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are restored, you will have no dominion west of the Euphrates.
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 this reply: To Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of your associates living in Samaria and elsewhere in the region west of the Euphrates: Greetings.
18 “Leta lowos ah sunyu. Lungasyukla ac ritiyuk nu sik tari.
The letter you sent us has been translated and read in my presence.
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 issued a decree, and a search was conducted. It was discovered that this city has revolted against kings from ancient times, engaging in rebellion and sedition.
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.
And mighty kings have ruled over Jerusalem and exercised authority over the whole region west of the Euphrates; and tribute, duty, and toll were 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.
Now, therefore, issue an order for these men to stop, so that this city will not be rebuilt until I so order.
22 Kowos in aksaye, tuh in tia sifil oasr mwe lokoalok nu ke ma luk ku acn sik.”
See that you do not neglect this matter. Why allow this threat to increase and the royal interests to suffer?
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.
When the text of the letter from King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their associates, they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and forcibly stopped them.
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.
Thus the construction of the house of God in Jerusalem ceased, and it remained at a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
