1 Maar H ggai, die profeet, en Sagar¡a, die seun van Iddo, die profete, het vir die Jode wat in Juda en Jerusalem was, geprofeteer in die Naam van die God van Israel wat oor hulle was.
2 Toe het Serubb bel, die seun van Se ltiël, en J,sua, die seun van Josadak, klaargemaak, en hulle het begin om die huis van God wat in Jerusalem was, te bou, en saam met hulle was die profete van God wat hulle ondersteun het.
3 In die tyd het Tattenai, die goewerneur wes van die Eufraat, en Setar-Bosenai en hulle partygenote na hulle gekom en so aan hulle gesê: Wie het julle bevel gegee om hierdie huis te bou en hierdie muur te voltooi?
4 So het ons dan vir hulle gesê wat die name was van die manne wat hierdie gebou oprig.
5 Maar die oog van hulle God was oor die oudstes van die Jode, sodat hulle hul nie verhinder het nie, totdat die berig voor Dar¡us sou kom, en dan daaroor 'n brief teruggebring sou word.
6 'n Afskrif van die brief wat Tattenai, die goewerneur wes van die Eufraat, en Setar-Bosenai en sy partygenote, die Afarsega‹ete wat wes van die Eufraat was, aan koning Dar¡us gestuur het.
7 Hulle het aan hom 'n berig gestuur, en so was daarin geskrywe: Aan koning Dar¡us -- alle heil!
8 Aan die koning word bekend gemaak dat ons na die provinsie Juda, na die huis van die grote God, gegaan het; en dit word van groot klippe gebou, en hout word teen die mure gelê, en daardie werk word sorgvuldig gedoen en vorder goed onder hulle hande.
9 Toe het ons daardie oudstes gevra; so het ons aan hulle gesê: Wie het julle bevel gegee om hierdie huis te bou en hierdie muur te voltooi?
10 Verder het ons vir hulle ook hul name gevra om u bekend te maak, dat ons die name van die manne wat aan hul hoof staan, kan skrywe.
11 En hulle het ons die volgende antwoord gegee en gesê: Ons is knegte van die God van hemel en aarde, en ons bou die huis wat baie jare gelede gebou is, wat 'n groot koning van Israel gebou en voltooi het.
12 Maar omdat ons vaders die God van die hemel vertoorn het, het Hy hulle oorgegee in die hand van Nebukadn,sar, die koning van Babel, die Chaldeër; hy het hierdie huis verwoes en die volk na Babel weggevoer.
13 Maar in die eerste jaar van Kores, die koning van Babel, het koning Kores bevel gegee om hierdie huis van God te bou.
14 En ook die goue en silwervoorwerpe van die huis van God wat Nebukadn,sar uit die tempel in Jerusalem weggevoer en in die tempel van Babel gebring het, dit het koning Kores uit die tempel van Babel uitgehaal, en dit is oorhandig aan een, met die naam van S,sbassar, wat hy as goewerneur aangestel het;
15 en hy het vir hom gesê: Neem hierdie voorwerpe, gaan sit dit in die tempel in Jerusalem, en laat die huis van God gebou word op sy plek.
16 Toe het hierdie S,sbassar gekom, hy het die fondamente van die huis van God in Jerusalem gelê, en van toe af tot nou toe is daar gebou, maar dit is nog nie voltooi nie.
17 As die koning dit nou goedvind, laat dan nagesoek word in die skathuis van die koning daar in Babel, of dit so is dat deur koning Kores bevel gegee is om hierdie huis van God in Jerusalem te bou; en mag die koning sy beslissing hieroor aan ons stuur.
1 Now the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, the son of Iddo, were preaching to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel.
2 Then Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, got up and made a start at building the house of God at Jerusalem: and the prophets of God were with them, helping them.
3 At the same time, Tattenai, ruler of the land across the river, and Shethar-bozenai, and their men, came to them and said, Who gave you orders to go on building this house and this wall?
4 Then they said these words to them: What are the names of the men who are at work on this building?
5 But the eye of their God was on the chiefs of the Jews, and they did not make them give up working till the question had been put before Darius and an answer had come by letter about it.
6 This is a copy of the letter which Tattenai, the ruler of the land across the river, and Shethar-bozenai and his friends the Apharsachites, living across the river, sent to Darius the king:
7 They sent him a letter saying, To Darius the king, all peace:
8 This is to give the king word that we went into the land of Judah, to the house of the great God, which is made of great stones, and has its walls supported with wood, and the work is going on with industry, and they are doing it well.
9 Then we said to the men responsible, who gave you authority for the building of this house and these walls?
10 And we made request for their names, so that we might send you word, and give you the names of the men at the head of them.
11 And they made answer to us, saying, We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are building the house which was put up in times long past and was designed and made complete by a great king of Israel.
12 But when the God of heaven was moved to wrath by our fathers, he gave them up into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, the Chaldaean, who sent destruction on this house and took the people away into Babylon.
13 But in the first year of Cyrus, king of Babylon, Cyrus the king gave an order for the building of this house of God;
14 And the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the Temple which was in Jerusalem, and put into the house of his god in Babylon, these Cyrus the king took from the house of his god in Babylon, and gave to one named Sheshbazzar, whom he had made ruler;
15 And he said to him, Go, take these vessels, and put them in the Temple in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be put up again in its place.
16 Then this same Sheshbazzar came and put the house of God in Jerusalem on its bases: and from that time till now the building has been going on, but it is still not complete.
17 So now, if it seems good to the king, let search be made in the king's store-house at Babylon, to see if it is true that an order was given by Cyrus the king for the building of this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send us word of his pleasure in connection with this business.