Add parallel Print Page Options

Abalabe ba Yuda

Awo abalabe ba Yuda ne Benyamini[a] bwe baawulira ng’abaana ba Isirayiri abaali mu buwaŋŋanguse batandise okuddaabiriza yeekaalu ya Mukama, Katonda wa Isirayiri, (A)ne bagenda eri Zerubbaberi n’abakulu b’ebika ne boogera nti, “Mutukkirize tubayambeko okuzimba, kubanga tuli nga mmwe, era tusinza Katonda wammwe, era okuva ku mirembe gya Esaludaddoni kabaka w’e Bwasuli, eyatuleeta wano tuwaayo ssaddaaka eri Katonda wammwe.”

(B)Naye Zerubbaberi ne Yesuwa n’abakulu b’ebika bya Isirayiri abalala ne babaddamu nti, “Temulina mugabo naffe mu kuddaabiriza yeekaalu ya Katonda waffe. Tuligizimbira Mukama Katonda wa Isirayiri ffekka, nga kabaka Kuulo kabaka w’e Buperusi bwe yatulagira.”

(C)Awo abantu be baalimu ne bamalirira okulemesa abantu ba Yuda, ne babatiisatiisa okuzimba. Ne bagulirira abantu okubawakanya n’okulemesa enteekateeka yaabwe, ebbanga lyonna Kuulo kabaka w’e Buperusi lye yafuga, okutuusa Daliyo kabaka w’e Buperusi lwe yalya obwakabaka. (D)Awo ku mirembe gya Akaswero[b] nga ky’ajje alye obwakabaka, abalabe baabwe ne baawandiika ebintu eby’obulimba ne baloopa abantu ba Yuda ne Yerusaalemi. (E)Awo mu biro bya Alutagizerugizi, Bisulamu ne Misuledasi ne Tabeeri ne bannaabwe abalala ne bawandiikira Alutagizerugizi ebbaluwa mu nnukuta ez’Aramayika ne mu lulimi Olwaramayika. Lekumu ow’essaza, ne Simusaayi omuwandiisi ne bawandiikira Alutagizerugizi ebbaluwa ekwata ku Yerusaalemi.

(F)Lekumu ow’essaza ne Simusaayi omuwandiisi awamu ne bannaabwe abalala, abalamuzi n’abakungu, n’Abaperusi, n’Abalukevi, n’Abababulooni, n’Abasusanuki, n’Abaweramu, 10 (G)n’amawanga amalala, omukungu Osunappali be yakomyawo, n’abateeka mu bibuga bya Samaliya ne mu bitundu ebirala ebiri emitala w’omugga Fulaati ne bawandiika nti:

11 Ebbaluwa gye baawandiikira kabaka yali egamba nti,

Eri kabaka Alutagizerugizi,

Okuva eri abaddu bo abasajja ab’omu ssaza eriri emitala w’omugga Fulaati.

12 (H)Kabaka asaanye ategeere nti Abayudaaya abaava gy’oli ne bajja gye tuli bagenze e Yerusaalemi okuddaabiriza ekibuga ekyo ekijeemu eky’abantu abakozi b’ebibi. Batandise okuddaabiriza emisingi n’okuzaawo bbugwe.

13 (I)Ne nsonga endala, kabaka asaanye akimanye ng’ekibuga ekyo bwe kirizimbibwa ne bbugwe bw’aliggwa okukola, tebalisasula misolo nate, newaakubadde okuwa empooza, era ekiriva mu ekyo bwe bwakabaka okufiirwa. 14 Kale nno, olw’okuba nga tulina obuvunaanyizibwa eri obwakabaka, ate nga tetwandiyagadde kulaba nga kabaka aswazibwa, kyetuvudde tuweereza obubaka buno eri kabaka, 15 (J)banoonye mu bitabo eby’okujjukiza ebya bajjajjaabo. Mu bitabo ebyo ojja kuzuula ng’ekibuga ekyo kibuga kijeemu, ekyalumya emitwe gya bakabaka n’abaamasaza, era nga kifo ekimanyiddwa ng’ekijeemu okuva mu biro eby’edda. Era kyekyava kizikirizibwa. 16 Tukakasa kabaka nti ekibuga kino bwe kirizimbibwa ne bbugwe waakyo n’azzibwawo, tolibaako ne ky’osigaza emitala w’omugga Fulaati.

17 (K)Awo kabaka n’abaddamu bw’ati nti:

Eri Lekumu ow’essaza, ne Simusaayi omuwandiisi ne bannaabwe abalala abaabeeranga mu Samaliya, ne mu bifo ebirala ebiri mu ssaza eriri emitala w’omugga Fulaati,

Mbalamusizza.

18 Ebbaluwa gye mwatuweereza esomeddwa mu maaso gange ne ngitegeera. 19 (L)Nalagira, okunoonyereza ne kukolebwa, era ne kizuulibwa ng’ekibuga ekyo, okuva edda kijeemera bakabaka[c], era ng’obujeemu n’ekyejo byakolebwanga omwo. 20 (M)Yerusaalemi kyalina bakabaka ab’amaanyi abaafuganga essaza lyonna eriri emitala w’omugga Fulaati, era baaweebwanga emisolo, n’empooza okuva mu kitundu ekyo. 21 Kaakano muweereze ekiragiro eri abasajja abo bakomye omulimu ogw’okuddaabiriza ekibuga ekyo okutuusa ate bwe ndibalagira. 22 (N)Musseeyo nnyo omwoyo okulaba nga temutenguwa mu nsonga eyo. Lwaki tukkiriza ensonga eyo okugenda mu maaso, okuleeta okufiirwa eri obwakabaka?

23 (O)Amangwago ebbaluwa eyava ewa kabaka Alutagizerugizi bwe yasomerwa Lekumu ne Simusaayi omuwandiisi ne bannaabwe, ne bayanguwa okugenda eri Abayudaaya e Yerusaalemi, ne babalekesaayo n’amaanyi okugenda mu maaso.

24 (P)Awo omulimu ku nnyumba ya Katonda mu Yerusaalemi ne guyimirira okutuusa omwaka ogwokubiri ogw’omulembe gwa Daliyo kabaka w’e Buperusi.

Footnotes

  1. 4:1 Ababenyamini baali Basamaliya
  2. 4:6 Akaswero ye Alutagizerugizi
  3. 4:19 Ekyo kyogera ku bujeemu bwa Keezeekiya ne Yekoyakimu, ne Zeddekiya

Opposition to the Rebuilding

When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building(A) a temple for the Lord, the God of Israel, they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families and said, “Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon(B) king of Assyria, who brought us here.”(C)

But Zerubbabel, Joshua and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel answered, “You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us.”(D)

Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building.[a](E) They bribed officials to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Later Opposition Under Xerxes and Artaxerxes

At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes,[b](F) they lodged an accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.(G)

And in the days of Artaxerxes(H) king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. The letter was written in Aramaic script and in the Aramaic(I) language.[c][d]

Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows:

Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary, together with the rest of their associates(J)—the judges, officials and administrators over the people from Persia, Uruk(K) and Babylon, the Elamites of Susa,(L) 10 and the other people whom the great and honorable Ashurbanipal(M) deported and settled in the city of Samaria and elsewhere in Trans-Euphrates.(N)

11 (This is a copy of the letter they sent him.)

To King Artaxerxes,

From your servants in Trans-Euphrates:

12 The king should know that the people who came up to us from you have gone to Jerusalem and are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are restoring the walls and repairing the foundations.(O)

13 Furthermore, the king should know that if this city is built and its walls are restored, no more taxes, tribute or duty(P) will be paid, and eventually the royal revenues will suffer.[e] 14 Now since we are under obligation to the palace and it is not proper for us to see the king dishonored, we are sending this message to inform the king, 15 so that a search may be made in the archives(Q) of your predecessors. In these records you will find that this city is a rebellious city, troublesome to kings and provinces, a place with a long history of sedition. That is why this city was destroyed.(R) 16 We inform the king that if this city is built and its walls are restored, you will be left with nothing in Trans-Euphrates.

17 The king sent this reply:

To Rehum the commanding officer, Shimshai the secretary and the rest of their associates living in Samaria and elsewhere in Trans-Euphrates:(S)

Greetings.

18 The letter you sent us has been read and translated in my presence. 19 I issued an order and a search was made, and it was found that this city has a long history of revolt(T) against kings and has been a place of rebellion and sedition. 20 Jerusalem has had powerful kings ruling over the whole of Trans-Euphrates,(U) and taxes, tribute and duty were paid to them. 21 Now issue an order to these men to stop work, so that this city will not be rebuilt until I so order. 22 Be careful not to neglect this matter. Why let this threat grow, to the detriment of the royal interests?(V)

23 As soon as the copy of the letter of King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum and Shimshai the secretary and their associates,(W) they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and compelled them by force to stop.

24 Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius(X) king of Persia.

Footnotes

  1. Ezra 4:4 Or and troubled them as they built
  2. Ezra 4:6 Hebrew Ahasuerus
  3. Ezra 4:7 Or written in Aramaic and translated
  4. Ezra 4:7 The text of 4:8–6:18 is in Aramaic.
  5. Ezra 4:13 The meaning of the Aramaic for this clause is uncertain.