1 Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, 2 The son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, 3 The son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, 4 The son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, 5 The son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest: 6 This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him. 7 And there went up some of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, unto Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king. 8 And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. 9 For upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him. 10 For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it , and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.
11 ¶ Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a scribe of the words of the commandments of the LORD, and of his statutes to Israel. 12 Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace , and at such a time. 13 I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee. 14 Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king, and of his seven counsellors, to enquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy God which is in thine hand; 15 And to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellors have freely offered unto the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem, 16 And all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill offering of the people, and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem: 17 That thou mayest buy speedily with this money bullocks, rams, lambs, with their meat offerings and their drink offerings, and offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem. 18 And whatsoever shall seem good to thee, and to thy brethren, to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do after the will of your God. 19 The vessels also that are given thee for the service of the house of thy God, those deliver thou before the God of Jerusalem. 20 And whatsoever more shall be needful for the house of thy God, which thou shalt have occasion to bestow, bestow it out of the king’s treasure house. 21 And I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers which are beyond the river, that whatsoever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it be done speedily, 22 Unto an hundred talents of silver, and to an hundred measures of wheat, and to an hundred baths of wine, and to an hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much . 23 Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven: for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons? 24 Also we certify you, that touching any of the priests and Levites, singers, porters, Nethinims, or ministers of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose toll, tribute, or custom, upon them. 25 And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that is in thine hand, set magistrates and judges, which may judge all the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God; and teach ye them that know them not. 26 And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether it be unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.
27 ¶ Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem: 28 And hath extended mercy unto me before the king, and his counsellors, and before all the king’s mighty princes. And I was strengthened as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me.
Esra te uya kuJerusalem
1 Ndele konima yoinima oyo mepangelo laArtasasta, ohamba yaPersia, Esra yaSeraja yaAsaria yaHilkia 2 yaSallum yaSadok yaAhitub 3 yaAmarja yaAsaria yaMerajot 4 yaSerahia yaUssi yaBukki 5 yaAbisua yaPinehas yaEliaser yaAron, omupristeli omukulunhu, 6 Esra oye tuu ou, a fikama a dja muBabilon. Ye okwa li omunongo womishangwa, omukoneki womhango yaMoses, oyo ya yandjwa kOmwene, Kalunga kaIsrael. Nohamba ye mu pa ashishe ye e shi hala, shaashi eke lOmwene, Kalunga kaye, la li kombada yaye. 7 Movana vaIsrael yo nomovapristeli nomOvalevi nomovaimbi nomovanangeli vopoivelo nomovayakuli votembeli mwa fikama vamwe okuya kuJerusalem momudo omutiheyali wohamba Artasasta. 8 Nove uya muJerusalem mohani onhinhano momudo omutiheyali wohamba. 9 Osheshi va dja muBabilon mefiku lotete mohani yotete, ndele mefiku lotete mohani onhinhano ova fika muJerusalem, shaashi eke liwa laKalunga kaye la li kombada yaye. 10 Osheshi Esra a paka omutima waye mokukonakona omhango yOmwene noku i shikula nokulonga Ovaisraeli eenghedimhango nomalombwelo ayo.
Onhumwafo yohamba Artasasta
11 Neshangululo lonhumwafo oyo ohamba Artasasta ya yandja kuEsra, omupristeli nomunongo womishangwa, ou a li omukoneki weendjovo doipango neenghedimhango dOmwene e di pa Ovaisraeli, olo ngaha: 12 “Artasasta, ohamba yeehamba, komupristeli Esra, omunongo womishangwa womhango yaKalunga komeulu. 13 Pashipango shange keshe umwe womoshiwana shaIsrael novapristeli vasho nOvalevi, ovo ve li moshilongo shange ndele va hala okuya kuJerusalem, nava ye pamwe naave; 14 osheshi ohamba novapukululi vayo vaheyali tave ku tumu, u konakone Juda naJerusalem pamhango yaKalunga i li meke loye; 15 ndele u twale ko oisiliveli noingoldo oyo ya yandjwa kehalo liwa kohamba nokovapukululi vayo ve i pa Kalunga kaIsrael, ongulu yaye i li muJerusalem. 16 Nosho yo oisiliveli noingoldo aishe to i mono moshitukulwalongo ashishe shaBabilon neeshali dehalo liwa, ovanhu novapristeli tave i yandje kongulu yaKalunga kavo muJerusalem. 17 Onghee hano noimaliwa ei paliudo loye u nokulanda eengobe deemhedi, eedi deemhedi, oudjona, neendjayambo noikunwayambo yado noku i yamba koaltari yongulu yaKalunga muJerusalem. 18 Oisiliveli noingoldo oyo tai xupu ko nye novakweni tamu i longifa pahalo laKalunga keni. 19 Ndelenee oinima we i pewa i longifwe moshilonga shomongulu yaKalunga koye, u noku i yandja moipafi yaKalunga muJerusalem. 20 Neemhumbwe dimwe dongulu yaKalunga ove to pumbwa vali oku di yandja, ove to dulu oku di pewa kelimba lomamona ohamba.
21 “Ndele ame ohamba Artasasta, ohandi lombwele ovapashukili aveshe vomalimba omamona vombinga yokouninginino waEufrat, nokutya, ashishe osho omupristeli Esra, omunongo womishangwa domhango yaKalunga komeulu, te mu pula, osho shi nokuwanifwa shili, 22 shi fike peekilograma omayovi atatu nomafele ane doshisiliveli neekilograma omayovi omulongo doilya, neelita omayovi avali domaviinyu, neelita omayovi avali domaadi, nomongwa itau valwa. 23 Ashishe Kalunga komeulu te shi mu lombwele, shi nokuwanifilwa shili naanaa ongulu yaKalunga komeulu, osheshi omolwashike ehandu li uye ngeno kombada yoshilongo shohamba novana vayo ovalumenhu. 24 Ndele ohatu mu shiivifile nokutya kaku na ou ta dulu okufendelifa ovapristeli nOvalevi aveshe novaimbi novanangeli poivelo novayakuli votembeli ile ovapiya vongulu ei yaKalunga: oimaliwa ile oilya ile efuto longaba.
25 “Ndele ove Esra, paunongo waKalunga ou u li meke loye, tula ovapashukili novatokoli okutokola ovanhu aveshe vokombinga yokouninginino waEufrat, aveshe ovo va shiiva omhango yaKalunga koye. Ndele ovo vehe i shii, ve noku i longwa. 26 Ndele keshe umwe, ou ita wanifa omhango yaKalunga, ye e nokuhokololifwa, nokutokolelwa efyo ile okutewa mo ile okufuta oimaliwa ile odolongo.”
27 Ndele Esra a tya: “Omwene Kalunga kootate na hambelelwe, ou e shi tula momutima wohamba nokutya, yo i nokuwapaleka ongulu yOmwene muJerusalem, 28 ou a fila nge onghenda koshipala shohamba nomoipafi yovakulunhu vayo nomoipafi yomalenga aeshe omanaenghono ohamba.
“Ndele ame onde linyatipaleka, shaashi eke laKalunga kange la li kombada yange, ndele ame nda ongela ovakulunhu vomuIsrael va ende pamwe naame.”
