Foreigners Want To Help Rebuild the Temple
1 The enemies of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin heard that the people had come back to rebuild the temple of the Lord God of Israel. 2 So they went to Zerubbabel and to the family leaders and said, “Let us help! Ever since King Esarhaddon of Assyria brought us here, we have worshiped your God and offered sacrifices to him.”
3 But Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the family leaders answered, “You cannot take part in building a temple for the Lord our God! We will build it ourselves, just as King Cyrus of Persia commanded us.”
4 Then the neighboring people began to do everything possible to frighten the Jews and to make them stop building. 5 During the time that Cyrus was king and even until Darius became king, they kept bribing government officials to slow down the work.
Trouble Rebuilding Jerusalem
6 In the first year that Xerxes was king, the neighboring people brought written charges against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
7 Later, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and their advisors got together and wrote a letter to Artaxerxes when he was king of Persia. It was written in Aramaic and had to be translated.
8-10 A letter was also written to Artaxerxes about Jerusalem by Governor Rehum, Secretary Shimshai, and their advisors, including the judges, the governors, the officials, and the local leaders. They were joined in writing this letter by people from Erech and Babylonia, the Elamites from Susa, and people from other foreign nations that the great and famous Ashurbanipal had forced to settle in Samaria and other parts of Western Province.
11 This letter said:
Your Majesty King Artaxerxes, we are your servants from everywhere in Western Province, and we send you our greetings.
12 You should know that the Jews who left your country have moved back to Jerusalem and are now rebuilding that rebellious city. In fact, they have almost finished rebuilding the walls and repairing the foundations. 13 You should also know that if the walls are completed and the city is rebuilt, the Jews won't pay any kind of taxes, and there will be less money in your treasury.
14 We are telling you this, because you have done so much for us, and we want everyone to respect you. 15 If you look up the official records of your ancestors, you will find that Jerusalem has constantly rebelled and has led others to rebel against kings and provinces. That's why the city was destroyed in the first place. 16 If Jerusalem is rebuilt and its walls completed, you will no longer have control over Western Province.
17 King Artaxerxes answered:
Greetings to Governor Rehum, Secretary Shimshai, and to your advisors in Samaria and other parts of Western Province.
18 After your letter was translated and read to me, 19 I had the old records checked. It is true that for years Jerusalem has rebelled and caused trouble for other kings and nations. 20 And powerful kings have ruled Western Province from Jerusalem and have collected all kinds of taxes.
21 I want you to command the people to stop rebuilding the city until I give further notice. 22 Do this at once, so that no harm will come to the kingdom.
23 As soon as this letter was read, Governor Rehum, Secretary Shimshai, and their advisors went to Jerusalem and forced everyone to stop rebuilding the city.
Work on the Temple Starts Again
24 The Jews were forced to stop work on the temple and were not able to do any more building until the year after Darius became king of Persia.
Tempeli di ǂnubihes ge ra mâǃoahe
1 Judab tsî Benjaminni tsîkha ǁaes di khākhoen ge ǃkhōsaben hîa ge oaǀkhīn, ǃKhūb Israeli di Elob di Tempela ǁkhawa ra omkhâi ǂgao ǃkhaisa ge ǁnâu. 2 On ge Serubabeli tsî ǃhaoǃnādi danakhoegu tsîgu tawa sī tsî ge mî: “A da Tempela ǂnubihui du re. Sida tsîn ge sadu ra ǀgoreǀî Elob ǁkhāba ra ǀgoreǀî, tsî da ge ǁîba Asiriab gao-aob Esarhadonni ge nēpa hā ǁan kai da ǁaeba xu ǁkhāti ǁguibade ra hā-ūba.”
3 O gu ge Serubabeli, Jesuab tsî ǃhaoǃnādi danagu tsîga ǁîn ǃoa ge mî: “Sida ge ǃKhūb sida Elob di Tempela ǂnubis ǃaroma, sadu hui-e ǂhâba tama hâ. Aitsama da nî om, Persiab gao-aob Koresi ge mîmā dase.”
4 On ge ǃhūb ǃnâ ge ǀnai ǁan hâ i khoena, Jodeǁîna ǂkhabuǂâi tsî ge ǃao kai, sîsenni ǀkha aiǃgûsa. 5 ǁÎn ge ǁkhāti Persiab di ǂamkhoega ge ǁamaǂgan, î gu ǁîn di sîsenna ǂhani. Tsîn ge nēs ǀkha Persiab gao-aob Koresi ǂgaeǂuis ǁaeba xu gao-aob Dariusi ǂgaeǂguis ǁaeb kōse ge aiǃgû.
Jerusalems di ǂnubihes ge ra mâǃoahe
6 Gao-aob Ahasverosi ǂgaeǂgui tsoatsoas ǃnân ge Judab tsî Jerusalems tsîra ǁanǂgāsaben di khākhoena, ǁîn ǃoagu ǀhapiǂgā-amde ge xoa.
7 Persiab gao-aob Artaxerxesi ǂgaeǂguis ǁaeb ǃnâ gu ge Bislammi, Mitredati, Tabeli tsî ǁîgu di sîsenǁare-aogu tsîga ǁkhawa sîǂkhanisa gao-aob ǁga ge xoa. Nē sîǂkhanis ge Aramiagowab ǃnâ ge xoasa i tsî khomaihes ka, os nî ǂnûiǃkhunihese ge ī i.
8 Gowoniab Rehummi tsî xoa-aob Simsaib tsîkha ge Jerusalems ǃoagu sao ra sîǂkhanisa Artaxerxesi ǁga ge xoa:
9 “Gowoniab Rehummi tsî xoa-aob Simsai tsîkhom tsî nau sîsenǁare-aogu, ǀgoraǃgâ-aogu tsî ǂamkhoegu tsîge, Ereks, Babilons tsî Susas, Elammi ǃnâ ǁgoes tsîdi dige xu, 10 tsî ǁkhāti nau ǁaedi, kai tsî ǀgaisa Asnapari xa ge ǁîdi hâǃkhaiga xu doeǁgabēhe tsî Samariab di ǃādi ǃnâ tsî Eufratǃāb huriǂoasǀkhāb ai hā a ǁande xu.”
11 Nēs ge sîǂkhanis di ǂhôasa:
“Gao-aob Artaxerxesa ǃoa, ǁîb di ǃgāge Eufrati huriǂoasǀkhāb dige xu.
12 “ǃGôahesa gao-aots nî ǂansa ge ge ra ǂgao, nau ǀkharigu saga xu ge doeǀkhī Jodeǁîn ge Jerusalems ǃnâ ǁan, tsî ǁnā ǂkhaba tsî mâǃoaxa ǃāsa ra ǂnubikhâi. ǀNain ge ǂnubiǂgoaga go omkhâitsoatsoa tsî ǀase nî dītoa. 13 ǃGôahesatse, nē ǃāsa omkhâihe tsî gu ga ǂnubiǂgoagu âsa dītoahe, on ge khoena ǁgui-aimarisa nî matareǀû tsîs ge sa hōǂgāsa nî ǀoro. 14 Sige ge gao-aots ǂama ǁgui-aisa ūhâ tsî ge ge nēs nî ī ǃkhaisa ǂgao tama hâ. ǁNā-amaga ge ge gao-aotsa ra ǂgan, 15 îts ǃnaeǃkhaidi xoaǁguigu sa aboxagu digu ǃnâs ôaǃnâsa nî dīhe ǃkhaisa mîmā. ǁNāsats ga dī, ots nî mû ǃkhais ge nē ǃās ge hugaǀgui mâǃoaxa i, tsî ǀoro ǁaeba xu gao-aogu tsî ǀkharisi ǂgaeǂgui-aogu tsîga ǃgomsina gere māsa. ǁÎs di ǁanǂgāsabena ǂgaeǂguis ge hoaǁae ge ǃgom i. ǁNā ǃkhais ǃaromas ge nē ǃās ge hîkākāhesa. 16 ǁNā-amaga ge ge ra ǂanǂan tsi, nē ǃāsa omkhâihe tsî gu ga ǁîs di ǂnubiǂgoaga dītoahe, ots gao-aotsa Eufratǃāb huriǂoasǀkhāb di ǃhūǃâs ǂama ǃaruǀî ǀgai-e ūhâ tidesa.”
17 Ob ge gao-aoba nē ǃereamsa ge sî:
“Gowoniab Rehummi, xoa-aob Simsaib tsî ǁîkha di sîsenǁare-aogu Samarias ǃnâ tsî nau ǃâb Eufrati huriǂoasǀkhāb dib ǃnâ ǁan hâgu ǃoa, tawedes.
18 “Sago ge sî sîǂkhanisa ta ge ǂnûiǃkhunihe tsî go khomaibahe. 19 Ôaǃnâdi nî dīhe ǃkhaisa ta ge mîmā, o i ge ge ǂanǂuihe Jerusalems ge ǀnai ǀoro ǁaeba xu gao-aogu ǃoagu khâikhâisenxa i tsîn ge mâǃoaxa tsî ǂkhabadī-aona ǁîs ǃnâ ǁan hâ isa. 20 ǀGaisa gao-aogu ge Jerusalemsa ǂgaeǂgui, Eufrati huriǂoasǀkhāb hoaba gaoǂam tsî ǁgui-aimaris tsî hōǂgās tsîna gere ǀhaoǀhao. 21 ǁNā-amaga mîmā, î gu ǁnā aoga ǁnā ǃāsa ǂnubisa ǂkhāhe, tita ǁkhawa nî mîmā gus kōse. 22 ǁNāsa nēsi dī, îs ti hōǂgābasensa tā ǂkhôahe.”
23 Nē sîǂkhanis Artaxerxesi dis ge Rehummi, Simsaib tsî ǁîkha sîsenǁare-aogu tsîga khomaibaheo, o gu ge ǁnātimîsi Jerusalems ǁga ǃgû tsî Jodeǁîna ge ǃkhâi, în ǃāsa ǂnubiǀû.
Tempela ǂnubis ge ǁkhawa ra aiǃgû
24 Tempela ǂnubis ge ge ǀûhe tsîb ge sîsenna ǀgamǁî ǂgaeǂguis kurib Persiab gao-aob Dariusi dib kōse ge mâ.
