1 At that time two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo, began to speak in the name of the God of Israel to the Jews who lived in Judah and Jerusalem. 2 When Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Joshua son of Jehozadak heard their messages, they began to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, and the two prophets helped them.
3 Almost at once Governor Tattenai of West-of-Euphrates, Shethar Bozenai, and their fellow officials came to Jerusalem and demanded: “Who gave you orders to build this Temple and equip it?” 4 They also asked for the names of all the men who were helping build the Temple. 5 But God was watching over the Jewish leaders, and the Persian officials decided to take no action until they could write to Emperor Darius and receive a reply. 6 This is the report that they sent to the emperor:
7 “To Emperor Darius, may you rule in peace.
8 “Your Majesty should know that we went to the province of Judah and found that the Temple of the great God is being rebuilt with large stone blocks and with wooden beams set in the wall. The work is being done with great care and is moving ahead steadily.
9 “We then asked the leaders of the people to tell us who had given them authority to rebuild the Temple and to equip it. 10 We also asked them their names so that we could inform you who the leaders of this work are.
11 “They answered, ‘We are servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the Temple which was originally built and equipped many years ago by a powerful king of Israel. 12 But because our ancestors made the God of Heaven angry, he let them be conquered by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia, a king of the Chaldean dynasty. The Temple was destroyed, and the people were taken into exile in Babylonia. 13 Then in the first year of the reign of King Cyrus as emperor of Babylonia, Cyrus issued orders for the Temple to be rebuilt. 14 He restored the gold and silver Temple utensils which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem and had placed in the temple in Babylon. Emperor Cyrus turned these utensils over to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he appointed governor of Judah. 15 The emperor told him to take them and return them to the Temple in Jerusalem, and to rebuild the Temple where it had stood before. 16 So Sheshbazzar came and laid its foundation; construction has continued from then until the present, but it is still not finished.’
17 “Now, if it please Your Majesty, have a search made in the royal records in Babylon to find whether or not Emperor Cyrus gave orders for this Temple in Jerusalem to be rebuilt, and then inform us what your will is in this matter.”
1 ǁNā ǁaeb ǃnâ kha ge ǀgam kēbo-aokha, Hagaib tsî Idob ôab Saxariab hâkha, Israeli di Elob di ǀons ǃnâ, Judab tsî Jerusalems tsîra Jodeǁîna ge mîba. 2 O kha ge Sealtieli ôab Serubabeli tsî Josadaki ôab Josuab tsîkha nē ǂhôasa kha ge ǁnâuo, Jerusalems ǃnâ Tempela ǂnubis ǀkha ǁkhawa ge tsoatsoa, tsî kha ge ǁnā kēbo-aokha ǁîkha gere hui.
3 ǁNā ǁaeb ǂûb ai gu ge Eufrati huriǂoasǀkhāb di gowoniab Tatenaib, Setar-Bosnaib tsî ǁîkha di sîsenǁare-aogu tsîga Jerusalems tawa hā tsî Jodeǁîna ge dî: “Tari-i xa du nē Tempela du ǂnubikhâi tsî nî ǀgaiǀgai ǃkhaisa ge mîmāhe?” 4 ǁÎgu ge ǁkhāti Tempela ǂnubis ǀkha ra hui aogu di ǀonde ge dî. 5 Xawes ge Elob di mûsa Jodeǁîn ǂgaeǂgui-aogu ai ge hâ i, tsî gu ge Persiab ǂamkhoega, Dariusi ǃoa xoa tsî gu ǃereamsa nî hōs kōse, ǁîga omma ǂnubis ǀkha aiǃgûsa ǂkhā kai tama ge i. 6 Nēs ge ǁîgu ge gao-aob Dariusa sîba ǂhôasa:
7 “Gao-ao Dariusi ǃoa. Hoa ǃgâina ge ge ra ǁkhoreba tsi.
8 “Gao-aotsa ge ge ra ǂanǂan, Judab di ǃhūǃâs ǁga ge ge ǃgû hâ i ǃkhaisa. Tsî ge ge ǁnāpa kai Elob di Tempeli, kai ǀuidi ǀkha ra ǂnubikhâihe tsî gu ǃnaoga ǂnubiǂgoagu ǃnâ ra ǁguihe ǃkhaisa ge mû. Nē sîsenni ge kai ǃûiǃgâs ǀkha ra dīhe tsî ǃgâise ra aiǃgû.
9 “Sige ge tari-i xan ge nē Tempela ǂnubikhâi tsî ǀgaiǀgaisa mā-amhe ǃkhaisa ǂgaeǂgui-aogu ai ge dî. 10 ǁKhāti ge ge ǁîga ǁîgu ǀonde ge dî, î ge satsa tarigu nē sîsenna ra ǂgaeǂgui ǃkhaisa ǂanǂan.
11 “O gu ge ǁîga nēti ge ǃeream: ‘Sige ge ǀhommi tsî ǃhūbaib tsîkha Elob di ǃgāge tsî ge ge Tempeli, ǂgui kurigu ǃkharu hâse ge kai gao-aob Israeli dib xa nēpa ǂnubihe tsî dītoahe hâ iba ǁkhawa ra omkhâi. 12 Sida aboxan ge ǀhommi di Eloba ǁaiǁai, xui-aob ge ǁîba ǁîna Babiloniab di gao-aob Nebukadnesari, Xaldeaǁîb di ǀgaib ǃnâ ge māǁnâ. Tsîb ge Tempela hîkākāhe tsî ǁaesa ǃkhōsabese Babiloniab ǃoa ge ǃgû-ūhe. 13 ǁNās khaoǃgâb ge Babiloniab gao-aob Koresa, ǂguro kurib ǁîb ǂgaeǂguis dib ǃnâ, Tempeli ǁkhawa nî ǂnubikhâihe ǃkhaisa ge mîmā. 14 ǁÎb ge ǁkhāti ǃhuniǀuri tsî ǀhaiǀuri xapan, Nebukadnesari ge Jerusalems ǃnâ mâ Tempela xu ū tsî Babilons di tempeli tawa sī-ū hâ ina ge ǁkhaeǁnâ. ǁÎdeb ge Babilons di tempela xu ūǂui tsî Sesbasari, Judab di gowoniaseb ge mâi hâ ib ǃomǁae ge mā. 15 Tsîb ge ǁîba ge mîba, îb ǁîna Jerusalems ǃnâ mâ Tempela ǃoa oa-ū tsî Tempela ǀnaib ge mâ i ǃkhaib ai ǁkhawa ǂnubikhâi. 16 Ob ge Sesbasara Tempeli ǃgaoǃgaoba Jerusalems ǃnâ hā ge ǁgui. ǁNā ǁaeba xu tsoatsoa tsî nēsis kōseb ge Tempela ra ǂnubihe, xaweb ge noxopa toa tama hâ.’
17 “ǃGôahesa gao-aotse, ǁnās xats ga ǃgâibaheo, as gao-aogu ǃnaeǃkhaidi xoaǁguigu, Babilons ǃnâ hâgu ǃnâ ôaǃnâsa dīhe, ǂanǂuihe i nîse, iseb ge gao-aob Koresa nē Tempeli Jerusalems ǃnâ nî ǂnubikhâihe ǃkhaisa mîmāsa; ǁnās khaoǃgâ gao-aots di mîǁguiba ǂanǂan ge re.”
