Esdras 5

Ka Tīmata anō te Mahi i te Temepara

1 Kātahi ngā poropiti, a Hākai poropiti, rāua ko Hakaraia, tama a Iro, ka poropiti ki ngā Hūrai i Hūrā, i Hiruhārama; i poropiti rātou ki a rātou i runga i te ingoa o te Atua o Īharaira. 2 Kātahi ka maranga a Herupapera tama a Haratiera, rāua ko Hehua tama a Iohereke, tīmataia ana e rāua te hanga i te whare o te Atua i Hiruhārama; i a rāua anō ngā poropiti a te Atua hei hoa mō rāua.

3 I taua wā anō ka tae mai ki a rātou a Tatenai kāwana o tēnei taha o te awa, rāua ko Hetara Potenai, me ō rāua hoa, ā, ka mea ki a rātou, "Nā wai koutou i whakahau kia hangā tēnei whare, kia whakaotia tēnei taiepa?" 4 Kātahi ka pēnei tā mātou kupu ki a rātou, "Ko wai ngā ingoa o ngā tāngata e hanga nei i tēnei whare?" 5 Otiia, i runga i ngā kaumātua o ngā Hūrai te kanohi o tō rātou Atua, i kore ai tā rātou e whakamutua kia tae atu rā anō taua mea ki a Tariuha; kātahi ka whakahokia mai ai he kupu mō tēnei mea, he mea tuhituhi.

6 Ko ngā kupu o te pukapuka i tukua e Tatenai kāwana o tērā taha o te awa, e Hetara Potenai, e ōna hoa, e ngā Aparahaki i tērā taha o te awa, ki a Kīngi Tariuha; 7 i tukua e rātou he pukapuka ki a ia, ā, i tuhituhia ki roto:

Ki a Tariuha, ki te kīngi,

kia tau te rangimārie katoa!

8 Kia mōhiotia tēnei e te kīngi, i haere mātou ki te whenua o Hūrā, ki te whare o te Atua nui e hangā nei ki ngā kōhatu nunui, e whakatakotoria ana hoki he rākau ki ngā taha; ā, kei te hohoro, kei te pai hoki te haere a tēnei mahi a ō rātou ringa.

9 Kātahi mātou ka ui ki aua kaumātua; he pēnei tā mātou kupu ki a rātou, Nā wai koutou i whakahau kia hanga tēnei whare, kia whakaotia ēnei taiepa? 10 I uia anō e mātou ō rātou ingoa, kia whakaaturia ai ki a koe, kia tuhituhia ai e mātou ngā ingoa o ō rātou tino tangata.

11 Nā, ko tā rātou kupu tēnei i whakahoki ai ki a mātou:

He pononga mātou nā te Atua o te rangi, o te whenua, e hanga ana hoki i te whare i hangā i mua noa atu, ka maha nei ngā tau; ā, he kīngi nui te kīngi o Īharaira nāna nei i hanga, i whakaoti. 12 Otiia, i te whakapātaritaringa a ō mātou mātua ki te Atua o te rangi, ka hoatu rātou e ia ki te ringa o Nepukaneha Karari kīngi o Papurōna; nāna tēnei whare i tukituki, ā, whakaraua ana e ia te iwi ki Papurōna.

13 I te tuatahi ia o ngā tau o Hairuha kīngi o Papurōna, ka puaki he tikanga i a Kīngi Hairuha kia hangā tēnei whare o te Atua. 14 Nā, ko ngā oko, ko ngā mea kōura, hiriwa, o te whare o te Atua, i tangohia nei e Nepukaneha i te temepara i Hiruhārama, i kawea ki te temepara o Papurōna, i tangohia ērā e Kīngi Hairuha i te temepara o Papurōna.

Ā, hōmai ana ki tētahi tangata, tōna ingoa ko Hehepātara, i meinga nei e ia hei kāwana, 15 ā, i mea ia ki a ia, "Tangohia ēnei mea, haere, kawea ki te temepara i Hiruhārama; ka hanga hoki i te whare o te Atua ki tōna wāhi." 16 Kātahi ka haere mai taua Hehepātara, whakatakotoria ana e ia te tūranga mō te whare o te Atua i Hiruhārama; ko te hanganga anō tēnei o te temepara, o reira rā anō ā mohoa noa nei; heoi kāhore anō kia oti noa.

17 Nā, ki te pai te kīngi, me rapu i roto i te whare taonga o te kīngi i konā, i Papurōna, koia rānei i whakatakotoria e Kīngi Hairuha he tikanga kia hangā tēnei whare o te Atua ki Hiruhārama? Ā, kia meatia mai hoki e te kīngi tāna e pai ai mō tēnei mea ki a mātou.

1 Now the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem; in the name of the God of Israel prophesied they unto them. 2 Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem; and with them were the prophets of God, helping them. 3 At the same time came to them Tattenai, the governor beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai, and their companions, and said thus unto them, Who gave you a decree to build this house, and to finish this wall? 4 Then we told them after this manner, what the names of the men were that were making this building. 5 But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, and they did not make them cease, till the matter should come to Darius, and then answer should be returned by letter concerning it.

6 The copy of the letter that Tattenai, the governor beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai, and his companions the Apharsachites, who were beyond the River, sent unto Darius the king; 7 they sent a letter unto him, wherein was written thus: Unto Darius the king, all peace. 8 Be it known unto the king, that we went into the province of Judah, to the house of the great God, which is builded with great stones, and timber is laid in the walls; and this work goeth on with diligence and prospereth in their hands. 9 Then asked we those elders, and said unto them thus, Who gave you a decree to build this house, and to finish this wall? 10 We asked them their names also, to certify thee, that we might write the names of the men that were at the head of them. 11 And thus they returned us answer, saying, We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and are building the house that was builded these many years ago, which a great king of Israel builded and finished. 12 But after that our fathers had provoked the God of heaven unto wrath, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house, and carried the people away into Babylon. 13 But in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree to build this house of God. 14 And the gold and silver vessels also of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that was in Jerusalem, and brought into the temple of Babylon, those did Cyrus the king take out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered unto one whose name was Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor; 15 and he said unto him, Take these vessels, go, put them in the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be builded in its place. 16 Then came the same Sheshbazzar, and laid the foundations of the house of God which is in Jerusalem: and since that time even until now hath it been in building, and yet it is not completed. 17 Now therefore, if it seem good to the king, let there be search made in the king’s treasure-house, which is there at Babylon, whether it be so, that a decree was made of Cyrus the king to build this house of God at Jerusalem; and let the king send his pleasure to us concerning this matter.