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.
The enemies of the people of [the tribes of] Judah and Benjamin heard that the [Israeli] people who had returned from Babylonia were rebuilding a temple for Yahweh, the God whom the Israeli people [worshiped].
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.”
So they went to Zerubbabel [the governor] and the other leaders, and said [deceptively], “We want to help [you build the temple], because we worship that same God whom you worship, and we have been offering sacrifices to him since Esarhaddon, the King of Assyria, 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 [Israeli] leaders replied, “We will not allow you to help us build a temple for our(exc) God. We will build it (ourselves/without your help) for Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis worship, like Cyrus, the King of Persia, told us to do.”
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 who had been living in that land [before the Israelis returned] tried to cause the Jews to become discouraged and become afraid, and to cause them to stop building the temple.
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 bribed government officials to oppose what the Israelis were doing [and prevent them from continuing to work on the temple]. They did that all during the time that Cyrus was King of Persia. They continued to do it when Darius became the 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.
During the first year that [Darius’ son] Xerxes was king, the [enemies of the Jews] wrote a note [to the king] saying that the Jews [were planning to rebel against the government].
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.
Later, when [Xerxes’ son] Artaxerxes [became the King of Persia], Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and their colleagues/companions wrote a letter to him. They wrote the letter in the Aramaic language, and it was translated [into another language that the king knew].
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 high commissioner, and Shimshai, the provincial secretary, wrote the letter to King Artaxerxes concerning what was happening in Jerusalem.
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,
They stated that the letter was from Rehum the high commissioner/governor and Shimshai the provincial secretary and from their associates, the judges, and other government officials, who were from Erech [city], Babylon [city], and Susa [city] in Elam [district].
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.”
[They also wrote that they represented] the other people-groups whom [the army of] the great and glorious/famous [King] Ashurbanipal had (deported/forced to move from their homes) and taken to live in Samaria and in other cities in the province west of the Euphrates [River].
11 Pa inge kas in leta sac: “Nu sin Tokosra Fulat Artaxerxes, sin mwet kulansap lal, mwet Roto-in-Euphrates.
This is what they wrote in the letter: “To King Artaxerxes, From the officials who serve you who live in the province west of the Euphrates [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.
“Your majesty, we want you to know that the Jews who came here from your territories are rebuilding this city, [Jerusalem]. These people are wicked and want to rebel against you. Now they are repairing the foundations [of the walls/buildings] and building the walls [of the city].
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.
“It is important for you to know that if they rebuild the city and finish building the walls, they will stop paying any kind of taxes. As a result, there will be less money in your treasury.
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 loyal to [IDM] you, and because we do not want you to be humiliated [IDM], we are sending this information to you.
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.
And, we suggest that you order/tell [your officials] to search the records that your ancestors made/wrote. [If you do that], you will find out that the people in this city have always rebelled [against the government]. You will also find out that from long ago these people have caused trouble for kings and for rulers of provinces. They have always revolted [against those who ruled them]. That is the reason that this city was destroyed [by the Babylonian army].
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 want you to know that if they rebuild this city and finish building its walls, you will no longer be able to control/rule [the people in] this province west of the Euphrates [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.
[After] the king [read this letter, he] sent this reply to them: “To Rehum, the high commissioner, and Shimshai, the provincial secretary, and their colleagues in Samaria and in other parts of the province that is west of the [Euphrates] River: I (send you my greetings/wish that things will go well for you).
18 “Leta lowos ah sunyu. Lungasyukla ac ritiyuk nu sik tari.
The letter that you sent to me was translated and read to 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.
So then I ordered [my officials] to search the records. I have found out that [it is true that] the people of that city have always revolted against their rulers, and that the city is full of people who have rebelled and caused trouble.
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.
Powerful kings have ruled in Jerusalem, and they have also ruled over the whole province west of the [Euphrates] River. [The people in that province were] paying all kinds of taxes to those kings.
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.
So you must command that the people must stop rebuilding the city. Only if I tell them [that they may rebuild it] will they be allowed to continue.
22 Kowos in aksaye, tuh in tia sifil oasr mwe lokoalok nu ke ma luk ku acn sik.”
Do this immediately [LIT], because I do not want those people to do anything to harm the things/area about which I am concerned.”
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.
[Messengers took] that letter to Rehum and Shimshai and their colleagues and read it to them. Then Rehum and the others went quickly to Jerusalem, and they forced the Jews to stop [rebuilding the city wall].
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.
The result was that the Jews stopped rebuilding the temple. They did not do any more work to rebuild the temple until Darius became the King of Persia.
