Opposition to the Rebuilding of the Temple
1 The enemies of the people of Judah and Benjamin heard that those who had returned from exile were rebuilding the Temple of the Lord, the God of Israel. 2 So they went to see Zerubbabel and the heads of the clans and said, “Let us join you in building the Temple. We worship the same God you worship, and we have been offering sacrifices to him ever since Emperor Esarhaddon of Assyria sent us here to live.”
3 Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the heads of the clans told them, “We don't need your help to build a temple for the Lord our God. We will build it ourselves, just as Emperor Cyrus of Persia commanded us.”
4 Then the people who had been living in the land tried to discourage and frighten the Jews and keep them from building. 5 They also bribed Persian government officials to work against them. They kept on doing this throughout the reign of Emperor Cyrus and into the reign of Emperor Darius.
Opposition to the Rebuilding of Jerusalem
6 At the beginning of the reign of Emperor Xerxes, the enemies of the people living in Judah and Jerusalem brought written charges against them.
7 Again in the reign of Emperor Artaxerxes of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and their associates wrote a letter to the emperor. The letter was written in Aramaic and was to be translated when read.
8 Also Rehum, the governor, and Shimshai, the secretary of the province, wrote the following letter to Emperor Artaxerxes about Jerusalem:
9 “From Rehum, the governor, from Shimshai, secretary of the province, from their associates, the judges, and from all the other officials, who are originally from Erech, Babylon, and Susa in the land of Elam, 10 together with the other peoples whom the great and powerful Ashurbanipal moved from their homes and settled in the city of Samaria and elsewhere in West-of-Euphrates Province.”
11 This is the text of the letter:
“To Emperor Artaxerxes from his servants who live in West-of-Euphrates.
12 “We want Your Majesty to know that the Jews who came here from your other territories have settled in Jerusalem and are rebuilding that evil and rebellious city. They have begun to rebuild the walls and will soon finish them. 13 Your Majesty, if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, the people will stop paying taxes, and your royal revenues will decrease. 14 Now, because we are under obligation to Your Majesty, we do not want to see this happen, and so we suggest 15 that you order a search to be made in the records your ancestors kept. If you do, you will discover that this city has always been rebellious and that from ancient times it has given trouble to kings and to rulers of provinces. Its people have always been hard to govern. This is why the city was destroyed. 16 We therefore are convinced that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, Your Majesty will no longer be able to control West-of-Euphrates Province.”
17 The emperor sent this answer:
“To Rehum, the governor, to Shimshai, secretary of the province, and to their associates who live in Samaria and in the rest of West-of-Euphrates, greetings.
18 “The letter which you sent has been translated and read to me. 19 I gave orders for an investigation to be made, and it has indeed been found that from ancient times Jerusalem has revolted against royal authority and that it has been full of rebels and troublemakers. 20 Powerful kings have reigned there and have ruled over the entire province of West-of-Euphrates, collecting taxes and revenue. 21 Therefore you are to issue orders that those men are to stop rebuilding the city until I give further commands. 22 Do this at once, so that no more harm may be done to my interests.”
23 As soon as this letter from Emperor Artaxerxes was read to Rehum, Shimshai, and their associates, they hurried to Jerusalem and forced the Jews to stop rebuilding the city.
Work on the Temple Begins Again
24 Work on the Temple had been stopped and had remained at a standstill until the second year of the reign of Emperor Darius 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.
