Esra te ya kuJerusalem
1 Konima yomimvo odhindji, Artakserkses sho a li omupangeli gwaPersia, okwa li ku na omulumentu edhina lye Esra. Oohekulu oya za momuyambimukuluntu Aaron, ngaashi tashi landula mpaka: Esra olyaSeraia yaAzaria yaHilkia 2 yaShallum yaSadok yaAhitub 3 yaAmaria gaAzaria yaMeraiot 4 gaSerahia yaUssi waBukki 5 yaAbishua yaPinehas yaEleasar lyaAaron.
6-7 Esra okwa li omunongompango a tseya ompango ndjoka Omuwa, Kalunga kaIsrael, a pe Moses. Omupangeli okwe mu pe ashihe a li a pula, oshoka okwa li e na eyambeko lyOmuwa, Kalunga ke. Momumvo omutiheyali gwepangelo lyaArtakserkses, Esra okwa zi muBabilonia u uka kuJerusalem e li nongundu yAaisraeli mu na aayambi, Aalevi, aayimbi motempeli, aalangeli yotempeli naayakuli yomotempeli. 8-9 Oya thigi po Babilonia mesiku lyotango lyomwedhi gwotango, nokekwatho lyaKalunga oya thiki muJerusalem mesiku lyotango lyomwedhi omutitano. 10 Esra okwa li i igandjela okwiilonga ompango yOmuwa, oku yi landula nokulonga Aaisraeli iipango nomautho gayo agehe.
Ontumwafo ya pewa Esra
11 Ndjika oyo ontumwafo Artakserkses e yi pe omuyambi nomunongompango Esra, ngoka a tseya iipango nomautho ngoka Omuwa e ga pe Israel. Ontumwafo otayi ti ngeyi:
12 “Ya zi kuArtakserkses omupangeli, kuEsra omuyambi nomunongompango yaKalunga komegulu.
13 “Ote utha moshilongo shandje ashihe kutya Aaisraeli ayehe, aayambi nAalevi mboka ya hala okuya nangoye kuJerusalem, naa pewe epitikilo. 14 Ngame, pamwe naagandjindunge yandje yaheyali, otatu ku tumu, u konakone onkalo muJerusalem naJuda, opo u mone, nkene ompango yaKalunga koye, ndjoka ye ku inekelelwa, tayi gwanithwa. 15 Faalela ko omayambo goshingoli noshisiliveli ngoka tse naagandjindunge yandje twa hala okupa Kalunga kaIsrael, ngoka otempeli ye yi li muJerusalem. 16 Faalela ko wo oshisiliveli noshingoli ashihe shoka to shi gongele moshitopolwa Babilon nomayambo ngoka oshigwana shaIsrael naayambi yawo taye ga gandjele otempeli yaKalunga kawo muJerusalem.
17 “Dhiginina nawa iimaliwa mbika, u lande oongombe, oonzi oondumentu noonzigona, iilya nomaviinu u yi yambele koshiyambelo shotempeli muJerusalem. 18 Longitha oshihupe shoshisiliveli noshingoli kushoka ngoye nooyakweni tamu tala olyo ehalo lyaKalunga keni. 19 Iikwaniipangitho ayihe mbyoka we yi pewa, u yi longithe melongelokalunga, yi tula motempeli muJerusalem. 20 Ashihe shilwe to shi pumbwa motempeli yaKalunga koye, oto shi pewa moshiketha shuuwa.
21 “Otandi lombwele omalenga agehe gomaliko moshitopolwa shokuuninginino waEufrat, ya pe Esra, omuyambi nomunongompango mompango yaKalunga komegulu, ashihe shoka ta pula, 22 ihe inashi konda ookilograma 3400 dhoshisiliveli, ookilograma 10 000 dhiilya, oolita 2000 dhomaviinu, oolita 2000 dhomagadhi gooholivi nomongwa gwa gwana nawa. 23 Ashihe shoka tashi pumbiwa motempeli yaKalunga komegulu, nashi tsakanithwe naanaa, opo kaa geele ndje nenge mboka taa landula ndje mepangelo. 24 Tseyeni wo kutya omwi indikwa okupula aayambi, Aalevi, aaimbi, aalangeli, aayakuli nenge aaniilonga yalwe motempeli oompale.
25 “Ngoye Esra, longitha owino mboka Kalunga koye e wu ku pa, wu langeke aakwanepangelo naatokolihapu, ya lele aantu ayehe mboka ya tseya ompango yaKalunga koye moshitopolwa shokuuninginino waEufrat. Mboka inaaye yi tseya, yi ya longeni. 26 Ngele oku na ngoka itaa vulika kompango yaKalunga koye nenge kompango yoshilongo, oku na okugeelwa mbalambala: na dhipagwe nenge ta pongekwa nenge eliko lye tali kwatwa po nenge ta tulwa mondjedhililo.”
Esra ta hambelele Kalunga
27 Esra okwa ti: “Omuwa, Kalunga kootatekulu, na hambelelelwe! Okwa tula ehalo momupangeli, opo a simaneke ngeyi otempeli yOmuwa muJerusalem. 28 Kesilohenda lyaKalunga onda mono ohokwe komupangeli, aagandjindunge ye nomalenga ge agehe omanankondo. Omuwa, Kalunga kandje, okwa pe ndje omukumo, nonda vulu okugongela aakuluntu oyendji yomaludhi gaIsrael, ya ye pamwe nangame.”
Ezra Arrives in Jerusalem
1 Many years later, when Artaxerxes was emperor of Persia, there was a man named Ezra. He traced his ancestors back to Aaron, the High Priest, as follows: Ezra was the son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, 2 son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub, 3 son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth, 4 son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki, 5 son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron.
6-7 Ezra was a scholar with a thorough knowledge of the Law which the Lord, the God of Israel, had given to Moses. Because Ezra had the blessing of the Lord his God, the emperor gave him everything he asked for. In the seventh year of the reign of Artaxerxes, Ezra set out from Babylonia for Jerusalem with a group of Israelites which included priests, Levites, Temple musicians, Temple guards, and workers. 8-9 They left Babylonia on the first day of the first month, and with God's help they arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month. 10 Ezra had devoted his life to studying the Law of the Lord, to practicing it, and to teaching all its laws and regulations to the people of Israel.
The Document Which Emperor Artaxerxes Gave to Ezra
11 Emperor Artaxerxes gave the following document to Ezra, the priest and scholar, who had a thorough knowledge of the laws and commands which the Lord had given to Israel:
12 “From Emperor Artaxerxes to the priest Ezra, scholar in the Law of the God of Heaven.
13 “I command that throughout my empire all the Israelite people, priests, and Levites that so desire be permitted to go with you to Jerusalem. 14 I, together with my seven counselors, send you to investigate the conditions in Jerusalem and Judah in order to see how well the Law of your God, which has been entrusted to you, is being obeyed. 15 You are to take with you the gold and silver offerings which I and my counselors desire to give to the God of Israel, whose Temple is in Jerusalem. 16 You are also to take all the silver and gold which you collect throughout the province of Babylon and the offerings which the Israelite people and their priests give for the Temple of their God in Jerusalem.
17 “You are to spend this money carefully and buy bulls, rams, lambs, grain, and wine and offer them on the altar of the Temple in Jerusalem. 18 You may use the silver and gold that is left over for whatever you and your people desire, in accordance with the will of your God. 19 You are to present to God in Jerusalem all the utensils that have been given to you for use in the Temple services. 20 And anything else which you need for the Temple, you may get from the royal treasury.
21 “I command all the treasury officials in West-of-Euphrates Province to provide promptly for Ezra, the priest and scholar in the Law of the God of Heaven, everything he asks you for, 22 up to a limit of 7,500 pounds of silver, 500 bushels of wheat, 550 gallons of wine, 550 gallons of olive oil, and as much salt as needed. 23 You must be careful to provide everything which the God of Heaven requires for his Temple, and so make sure that he is never angry with me or with those who reign after me. 24 You are forbidden to collect any taxes from the priests, Levites, musicians, guards, workers, or anyone else connected with this Temple.
25 “You, Ezra, using the wisdom which your God has given you, are to appoint administrators and judges to govern all the people in West-of-Euphrates who live by the Law of your God. You must teach that Law to anyone who does not know it. 26 If any disobey the laws of your God or the laws of the empire, they are to be punished promptly: by death or by exile or by confiscation of their property or by imprisonment.”
Ezra Praises God
27 Ezra said, “Praise the Lord, the God of our ancestors! He has made the emperor willing to honor in this way the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. 28 By God's grace I have won the favor of the emperor, of his counselors, and of all his powerful officials; the Lord my God has given me courage, and I have been able to persuade many of the heads of the clans of Israel to return with me.”
