Emperor Cyrus' Order Is Rediscovered
1 So Emperor Darius issued orders for a search to be made in the royal records that were kept in Babylon. 2 But it was in the city of Ecbatana in the province of Media that a scroll was found, containing the following record:
3 “In the first year of his reign Emperor Cyrus commanded that the Temple in Jerusalem be rebuilt as a place where sacrifices are made and offerings are burned. The Temple is to be ninety feet high and ninety feet wide. 4 The walls are to be built with one layer of wood on top of each three layers of stone. All expenses are to be paid by the royal treasury. 5 Also the gold and silver utensils which King Nebuchadnezzar brought to Babylon from the Temple in Jerusalem are to be returned to their proper place in the Jerusalem Temple.”
Emperor Darius Orders the Work to Continue
6 Then Emperor Darius sent the following reply:
“To Tattenai, governor of West-of-Euphrates, Shethar Bozenai, and your fellow officials in West-of-Euphrates.
“Stay away from the Temple 7 and do not interfere with its construction. Let the governor of Judah and the Jewish leaders rebuild the Temple of God where it stood before. 8 I hereby command you to help them rebuild it. Their expenses are to be paid promptly out of the royal funds received from taxes in West-of-Euphrates, so that the work is not interrupted. 9 Day by day, without fail, you are to give the priests in Jerusalem whatever they tell you they need: young bulls, sheep, or lambs to be burned as offerings to the God of Heaven, or wheat, salt, wine, or olive oil. 10 This is to be done so that they can offer sacrifices that are acceptable to the God of Heaven and pray for his blessing on me and my sons. 11 I further command that if any disobey this order, a wooden beam is to be torn out of their houses, sharpened on one end, and then driven through their bodies. And their houses are to be made a rubbish heap. 12 May the God who chose Jerusalem as the place where he is to be worshiped overthrow any king or nation that defies this command and tries to destroy the Temple there. I, Darius, have commanded. My command is to be fully obeyed.”
The Temple Is Dedicated
13 Then Governor Tattenai, Shethar Bozenai, and their fellow officials did exactly as the emperor had commanded. 14 The Jewish leaders made good progress with the building of the Temple, encouraged by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. They completed the Temple as they had been commanded by the God of Israel and by Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, emperors of Persia. 15 They finished the Temple on the third day of the month Adar in the sixth year of the reign of Emperor Darius. 16 Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites, and all the others who had returned from exile—joyfully dedicated the Temple. 17 For the dedication they offered 100 bulls, 200 sheep, and 400 lambs as sacrifices, and 12 goats as offerings for sin, one for each tribe of Israel. 18 They also organized the priests and the Levites for the Temple services in Jerusalem, according to the instructions contained in the book of Moses.
The Passover
19 The people who had returned from exile celebrated Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month of the following year. 20 All the priests and the Levites had purified themselves and were ritually clean. The Levites killed the animals for the Passover sacrifices for all the people who had returned, for the priests, and for themselves. 21 The sacrifices were eaten by all the Israelites who had returned from exile and by all those who had given up the pagan ways of the other people who were living in the land and who had come to worship the Lord God of Israel. 22 For seven days they joyfully celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread. They were full of joy because the Lord had made the emperor of Assyria favorable to them, so that he supported them in their work of rebuilding the Temple of the God of Israel.
Etungululo lotembeli tali xulifwa
1 Opo nee ohamba Darius ye va lombwela ndele va konakona melimba lomambo makula, omo hava ongele mo omamona muBabilon. 2 Ndele mohotengulu yaAhmeta yomomukunda waMedia, va mona omushangwatonywa, omo mwa shangelwa:Ohamba Darius ye va lombwela ndele va konakona melimba lomambo makula, omo hava ongele mo omamona muBabilon.
3 “Aa omadimbulukoshangwa: momudo wotete wohamba Kores, ohamba Kores ya yandja elombwelo: Ongulu yaKalunga yomuJerusalem, ongulu oyo i nokutungululwa i ninge onhele yokuyambela; nomakanghameno ayo e nokutungwa. Oule wayo wopombada eemeta omilongo hamano, nounene wayo eemeta omilongo hamano; 4 momutameno wayo mu nokukala omamanya manene momikweyo nhatu, nomiti dipe omukweyo umwe. Neefuto tadi ka futwa kongulu yohamba. 5 Nosho yo oinima oingoldo noisiliveli yotembeli yaKalunga, oyo ya kufwa kuNebukadnesar motembeli yomuJerusalem nokwe i twala kuBabilon, i nokushunifwa i kale meenhele dayo motembeli yomuJerusalem, ndele mu noku i tula mongulu yaKalunga.”
6 “Hano, Tattenai, ove omupangeli wombinga yokouninginino waEufrat, naSetar-Bosenai novakwanepangelo vakwao vokouninginino waEufrat: nye paife kaleni kokule noshilonga osho. 7 Efeni okukelela oshilonga shetungululo longulu yaKalunga. Omupangeli wOvajuda novakulunhu vOvajuda nava tunge ongulu yaKalunga ponhele yayo. 8 Naame ohandi mu lombwele, osho mu noku shi ningila ovakulunhu vOvajuda fimbo tava tungu ongulu yaKalunga, nokutya: Moimaliwa yefendelo lohamba moshilongo shokouninginino waEufrat namu dje diva ofuto yovanhu venya paha xupe sha nande, nokweendelela. 9 Ndele osho tashi pumbiwa keshe efiku paindilo lovapristeli vomuJerusalem nave shi pewe vaha lumbulwe nande sha: eengobe deemhedi eenhumba needi deemhedi noudjona omolwomaxwikiloyambo aKalunga komeulu, ndele mu noku va twaalela oilya, omongwa, omaviinyu nomaadi, inamu ongaonga, 10 opo va yambele Kalunga komeulu omayambo mawa ndele va ilikanene omwenyo wohamba novana vaye ovalumenhu. 11 Ndele pashipango shange, keshe umwe, te shi tauluka, omuti nau kandulwe mo mongulu yaye, ndele ye e nokweendjelelifwa muwo ndele ta ka valelwa mo, neumbo laye nali ninge oshala. 12 Ndele Kalunga ou a tula mo edina laye, na hanaune po ohamba keshe noshiwana keshe osho tashi nane eke lasho oku shi tauluka, nokutya okuhanauna po ongulu ei yaKalunga muJerusalem. Ame Darius nde shi tya. Nashi wanifwe shili!” 13 Opo nee Tattenai, omupangeli wombinga yokouninginino waEufrat, Setar-Bosenai naava va ama kuvo, va longa naanaa ngaashi ohamba Darius ye va shiivifila. 14 Novakulunhu vOvajuda va tunga ndele va ehenifa etungo nawa komesho omolweyakulo lomaxunganeko ovaxunganeki Haggai naSakaria yaIddo. Ndele va tunga ndele etungo ve li xulifa kelombwelo laKalunga kaIsrael nokelombwelo laKores nolaDarius nolaArtasasta, ohamba yaPersia. 15 Nongulu ei oya pwa okutungwa mefiku etitatu mohani yaAdar, momudo omutihamano wepangelo lohamba Darius.
Eyapulo lotembeli noshivilo shaPaasa
16 Novana vaIsrael, ovapristeli nOvalevi novakwao ava va dja moukwatwa, va dana nehafo oshivilo sheyapulo longulu yaKalunga. 17 Ndele moshivilo sheyapulo longulu ei yaKalunga va yamba: eengobe efele limwe deemhedi, eedi omafele avali deemhedi oudjona omafele ane, ndele etimbayambo oikombo omulongo naivali omolwOvaisraeli aveshe pamuvalo womapata aIsrael. 18 Ndele va tula po ovapristeli paengudu davo nOvalevi paengudu davo va longele Kalunga muJerusalem ngaashi sha shangwa membo laMoses.
19 Neenghwate da dana Opaasa mefiku etimulongo netine mohani yotete. 20 Osheshi ovapristeli nOvalevi ve liyapula ngaashi omunhu umwe. Vo aveshe va yela. Ndele va dipaela eenghwate adishe novapristeli vakwao navo vene odi yaPaasa. 21 Novana vaIsrael ava va aluka va dja moukwatwa, ove i lya, nosho yo aveshe ovo ve liyelifa keenyata doiwana yomoshilongo, va konge Omwene Kalunga kaIsrael pamwe navo. 22 Vo ova dana yo nehafo omafiku aheyali oshivilo shomingome dihe nonhafi. Osheshi Omwene e va hafifa nokwa pungululila omutima wohamba yaAsiria kuvo, ya pameka omake avo moshilonga shongulu yaKalunga, Kalunga kaIsrael.
