1 Toe het koning Dar¡us bevel gegee, en hulle het nagesoek in die argief waar hulle in Babel die skatte wegbêre.
2 En in Agm,ta, in die vesting wat in die provinsie M,dië lê, is 'n skrifrol gevind, en so was daarin geskrywe: Oorkonde.
3 In die eerste jaar van koning Kores het koning Kores bevel gegee: Die Godshuis in Jerusalem -- die huis moet gebou word as 'n plek waar hulle offers bring, en sy fondamente moet gelê word; sy hoogte moet sestig el, sy breedte sestig el wees;
4 met drie lae groot klippe en een laag nuwe hout; en die onkoste sal deur die huis van die koning gedra word.
5 En ook die goue en silwervoorwerpe van die huis van God wat Nebukadn,sar uit die tempel in Jerusalem weggevoer en na Babel gebring het, moet hulle teruggee, dat dit in die tempel in Jerusalem op hulle plek kan kom, en jy moet dit in die Godshuis sit.
6 Tattenai, goewerneur wes van die Eufraat, Setar-Bosenai met hulle partygenote, die Afarsega‹ete wes van die Eufraat -- julle moet daar nou ver van af bly.
7 Laat die werk aan daardie Godshuis toe; die goewerneur van die Jode en die oudstes van die Jode mag daardie huis van God op sy plek bou.
8 En deur my word bevel gegee hoe julle met hierdie oudstes van die Jode moet handel om daardie huis van God te bou, naamlik: Uit die inkomste van die koning, uit die belasting van die westelike gebied van die Eufraat moet die onkoste aan daardie manne sorgvuldig vergoed word sonder vertraging.
9 En wat nodig is, jong bulle sowel as ramme en lammers vir brandoffers aan die God van die hemel, koring, sout, wyn en olie moet aan hulle volgens opgawe van die priesters in Jerusalem sonder versuim dag vir dag gelewer word,
10 dat hulle welgevallige offers kan bring aan die God van die hemel en kan bid vir die lewe van die koning en van sy seuns.
11 En deur my word bevel gegee dat van elkeen wat hierdie bevel oortree, 'n balk uit sy huis geruk sal word, en dat hy daaraan opgehang en vasgeslaan sal word, en van sy huis hieroor 'n puinhoop gemaak sal word.
12 En mag God wat sy Naam daar laat woon het, elke koning en volk neerwerp wat sy hand uitsteek om dit te oortree, om naamlik hierdie Godshuis in Jerusalem te verwoes. Ek, Dar¡us, gee bevel; sorgvuldig moet dit uitgevoer word.
13 Toe het Tattenai, die goewerneur wes van die Eufraat, Setar-Bosenai en hulle partygenote sorgvuldig net so gehandel soos koning Dar¡us laat weet het.
14 En die oudstes van die Jode het gebou en goed gevorder deur die profetiese werksaamheid van die profeet H ggai en Sagar¡a, die seun van Iddo; en hulle het gebou en voltooi op bevel van die God van Israel en op bevel van Kores en Dar¡us en Artas sta, koning van Persië.
15 En hierdie huis was klaar op die derde dag van die maand Adar; dit was die sesde jaar van die regering van koning Dar¡us.
16 En die kinders van Israel, die priesters en die Leviete en die ander, uit die ballingskap afkomstig, het die inwyding van hierdie huis van God met vreugde gevier.
17 En hulle het geoffer by die inwyding van hierdie huis van God: honderd bulle, twee honderd ramme, vier honderd lammers en twaalf bokke as sondoffer vir die hele Israel volgens die getal van die stamme van Israel.
18 En hulle het die priesters aangestel volgens hulle afdelings en die Leviete volgens hulle afdelings vir die diens van God in Jerusalem, volgens die voorskrif van die boek van Moses.
19 En die ballinge het die pasga gehou op die veertiende van die eerste maand.
20 Want die priesters en die Leviete het hulle soos een man gereinig -- hulle almal was rein -- en die paaslam geslag vir al die ballinge en vir hulle broers, die priesters, en vir hulleself.
21 En die kinders van Israel wat uit die ballingskap teruggekeer het, het dit geëet en elkeen wat hom van die onreinheid van die nasies van die land afgesonder het om saam met hulle die HERE, die God van Israel, te soek.
22 Hulle het ook die fees van die ongesuurde brode met blydskap sewe dae lank gehou; want die HERE het hulle verbly en die hart van die koning van Assirië na hulle omgewend, om hul hande te versterk in die werk aan die huis van God, die God van Israel.
1 Then Darius the king gave an order and a search was made in the house of the records, where the things of value were stored up in Babylon.
2 And at Achmetha, in the great house of the king in the land of Media, they came across a roll, in which this statement was put on record:
3 In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king made an order: In connection with the house of God at Jerusalem, let the house be put up, the place where they make offerings, and let the earth for the bases be put in place; let it be sixty cubits high and sixty cubits wide;
4 With three lines of great stones and one line of new wood supports; and let the necessary money be given out of the king's store-house;
5 And let the gold and silver vessels from the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the Temple at Jerusalem to Babylon, be given back and taken again to the Temple at Jerusalem, every one in its place, and put them in the house of God.
6 So now, Tattenai, ruler of the land across the river, and Shethar-bozenai and your people the Apharsachites across the river, keep far from that place:
7 Let the work of this house of God go on; let the ruler of the Jews and their responsible men put up this house of God in its place.
8 Further, I give orders as to what you are to do for the responsible men of the Jews in connection with the building of this house of God: that from the king's wealth, that is, from the taxes got together in the land over the river, the money needed is to be given to these men readily, so that their work may not be stopped.
9 And whatever they have need of, young oxen and sheep and lambs, for burned offerings to the God of heaven, grain, salt, wine, and oil, whatever the priests in Jerusalem say is necessary, is to be given to them day by day regularly:
10 So that they may make offerings of a sweet smell to the God of heaven, with prayers for the life of the king and of his sons.
11 And I have given orders that if anyone makes any change in this word, one of the supports is to be pulled out of his house, and he is to be lifted up and fixed to it; and his house is to be made waste for this;
12 And may the God who has made it a resting-place for his name send destruction on all kings and peoples whose hands are outstretched to make any change in this or to do damage to this house of God at Jerusalem. I, Darius, have given this order, let it be done with all care.
13 Then Tattenai, the ruler across the river, and Shethar-bozenai and their people, because of the order given by King Darius, did as he had said with all care.
14 And the responsible men of the Jews went on with their building, and did well, helped by the teaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, the son of Iddo. They went on building till it was complete, in keeping with the word of the God of Israel, and the orders given by Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes, king of Persia.
15 And the building of this house was complete on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the rule of Darius the king.
16 And the children of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of those who had come back, kept the feast of the opening of this house of God with joy.
17 And they gave as offerings at the opening of this house of God a hundred oxen, two hundred sheep, four hundred lambs; and for a sin-offering for all Israel, twelve he-goats, being the number of the tribes of Israel.
18 And they put the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their order, for the worship of God at Jerusalem; as it is recorded in the book of Moses.
19 And the children of Israel who had come back kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.
20 For the priests and the Levites had made themselves clean together; they were all clean: and they put the Passover lamb to death for all those who had come back, and for their brothers the priests and for themselves.
21 And the children of Israel, who had come back, and all those who were joined to them, after separating themselves from the evil ways of the people of the land to become the servants of the Lord, the God of Israel, took food together,
22 And kept the feast of unleavened bread for seven days with joy: for the Lord had made them full of joy, by turning the heart of the king of Assyria to them to give them help in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.