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.”
Ezra Comes to Jerusalem
1-6 Much later, when Artaxerxes was king of Persia, Ezra came to Jerusalem from Babylonia. Ezra was the son of Seraiah and the grandson of Azariah. His other ancestors were Hilkiah, Shallum, Zadok, Ahitub, Amariah, Azariah, Meraioth, Zerahiah, Uzzi, Bukki, Abishua, Phinehas, Eleazar, and Aaron, the high priest.
Ezra was an expert in the Law that the Lord God of Israel had given to Moses, and the Lord made sure that the king gave Ezra everything he asked for.
7 Other Jews, including priests, Levites, musicians, the temple guards, and servants, came to Jerusalem with Ezra. This happened during the seventh year that Artaxerxes was king.
8-9 God helped Ezra, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month of that seventh year, after leaving Babylonia on the first day of the first month. 10 Ezra had spent his entire life studying and obeying the Law of the Lord and teaching it to others.
Artaxerxes Gives a Letter to Ezra
11 Ezra was a priest and an expert in the laws and commands that the Lord had given to Israel. One day King Artaxerxes gave Ezra a letter which said:
12 Greetings from the great King Artaxerxes to Ezra the priest and expert in the teachings of the God of heaven.
13-14 Any of the people of Israel or their priests or Levites in my kingdom may go with you to Jerusalem if they want to. My seven advisors and I agree that you may go to Jerusalem and Judah to find out if the laws of your God are being obeyed.
15 When you go, take the silver and gold that I and my advisors are freely giving to the God of Israel, whose temple is in Jerusalem. 16 Take the silver and gold that you collect from everywhere in Babylonia. Also take the gifts that your own people and priests have so willingly contributed for the temple of your God in Jerusalem.
17 Use the money carefully to buy the best bulls, rams, lambs, grain, and wine. Then sacrifice them on the altar at God's temple in Jerusalem. 18 If any silver or gold is left, you and your people may use it for whatever pleases your God. 19 Give your God the other articles that have been contributed for use in his temple. 20 If you need to get anything else for the temple, you may have the money you need from the royal treasury.
21 Ezra, you are a priest and an expert in the laws of the God of heaven, and I order all treasurers in Western Province to do their very best to help you. 22 They will be allowed to give as much as 3.4 tons of silver, 10 tons of wheat, 2,000 liters of wine, 2,000 liters of olive oil, and all the salt you need.
23 They must provide whatever the God of heaven demands for his temple, so that he won't be angry with me and with the kings who rule after me. 24 We want you to know that no priests, Levites, musicians, guards, temple servants, or any other temple workers will have to pay any kind of taxes.
25 Ezra, use the wisdom God has given you and choose officials and leaders to govern the people of Western Province. These leaders should know God's laws and have them taught to anyone who doesn't know them. 26 Everyone who fails to obey God's Law or the king's law will be punished without pity. They will either be executed or put in prison or forced to leave their country, or have all they own taken away.
Ezra Praises God
27 Because King Artaxerxes was so kind, Ezra said:
Praise the Lord God of our ancestors! He made sure that the king honored the Lord's temple in Jerusalem. 28 God has told the king, his advisors, and his powerful officials to treat me with kindness. The Lord God has helped me, and I have been able to bring many Jewish leaders back to Jerusalem.
