Esdras 4

1 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity were building a temple to Yahweh, the God of Israel, 2 they came near to Zerubbabel, and to the heads of fathers’ households, and said to them, "Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have been sacrificing to him since the days of Esar Haddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here."

3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers’ households of Israel said to them, "You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves together will build to Yahweh, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us."

4 Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building. 5 They hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. 6 In the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

7 In the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his companions wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in Syrian and delivered in the Syrian language. 8 Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows. 9 Then Rehum the chancellor, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions, the Dinaites, and the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Shushanchites, the Dehaites, the Elamites, 10 and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar brought over and settled in the city of Samaria, and in the rest of the country beyond the River, and so forth, wrote.

11 This is the copy of the letter that they sent:

To King Artaxerxes, from your servants, the people beyond the River.

12 Be it known to the king that the Jews who came up from you have come to us to Jerusalem. They are building the rebellious and bad city, and have finished the walls and repaired the foundations. 13 Be it known now to the king that if this city is built and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and in the end it will be hurtful to the kings. 14 Now because we eat the salt of the palace and it is not appropriate for us to see the king’s dishonor, therefore we have sent and informed the king, 15 that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. You will see in the book of the records, and know that this city is a rebellious city, and hurtful to kings and provinces, and that they have started rebellions within it in the past. That is why this city was destroyed. 16 We inform the king that if this city is built and the walls finished, then you will have no possession beyond the River.

17 Then the king sent an answer to Rehum the chancellor, and to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their companions who live in Samaria, and in the rest of the country beyond the River:

Peace.

18 The letter which you sent to us has been plainly read before me. 19 I decreed, and search has been made, and it was found that this city has made insurrection against kings in the past, and that rebellion and revolts have been made in it. 20 There have also been mighty kings over Jerusalem who have ruled over all the country beyond the River; and tribute, custom, and toll was paid to them. 21 Make a decree now to cause these men to cease, and that this city not be built until a decree is made by me. 22 Be careful that you not be slack doing so. Why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings?

23 Then when the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went in haste to Jerusalem to the Jews, and made them to cease by force of arms. 24 Then work stopped on God’s house which is at Jerusalem. It stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

He Ātetenga ki te Hiki i te Temepara

1 Nā, i te rongonga o ngā hoariri o Hūrā rāua ko Pineamine e hangā ana e te hunga i whakaraua nei te temepara o Ihowā, o te Atua o Īharaira, 2 kātahi ka haere ki a Herupapera, ki ngā upoko o ngā whare o ngā mātua, ka mea ki a rātou, "Kia hanga tahi tātou; e rapu ana hoki mātou i tō koutou Atua, e pēnā ana me koutou; he patu whakahere tonu hoki tā mātou ki a ia, nō ngā rā o Etara Harono kīngi o Ahiria, i kawea mai ai mātou ki konei."

3 Otiia ko Herupapera rātou ko Hehua, ko ērā atu o ngā upoko o ngā whare o ngā mātua o Īharaira ka mea ki a rātou, "Kāhore he ahatanga a koutou ki a mātou e hangā ai e koutou te whare mō tō mātou Atua; engari mā mātou tonu e hanga, hei mea ki a Ihowā, ki te Atua o Īharaira; ko tā Kīngi Hairuha, kīngi o Pahia tēnā i whakahau ai ki a mātou."

4 Nā, ka whakawarea ngā ringa o te iwi o Hūrā e te iwi o te whenua, whakararurarua ana rātou kei hanga; 5 ā, i utua e rātou ētahi kaiwhakapuaki kōrero hei whakakāhore mō tō rātou whakaaro i ngā rā katoa o Hairuha kīngi o Pahia, ā tae noa ki te kīngitanga o Tariuha kīngi o Pahia.

Ka Moutohetia te Hikinga o Hiruhārama

6 Nā, i te kīngitanga o Ahahueruha, i te tīmatanga o tōna kīngitanga, ka tuhituhia e rātou he kupu whakahē mō ngā tāngata o Hūrā, o Hiruhārama.

7 Nā, i ngā rā o Arataherehe ka tuhituhi a Pihirama, a Mitirerata, a Tapēre me ērā atu o ō rātou hoa ki a Arataherehe kīngi o Pahia. Nā, ko te tuhituhinga o te pukapuka, nō Hīria ngā reta; nō Hīria anō te reo.

8 Nā Rehumu kaitiaki ture rāua ko Himihai kaituhituhi i tuhituhi te pukapuka whakahē mō Hiruhārama ki a Arataherehe, ki te kīngi, koia tēnei.

9 Nā, kei te tuhituhi a Rehumu kaitiaki ture, a Himihai kaituhituhi, rātou ko ērā atu o ō rāua hoa, ko ngā Rinai, ko ngā Aparahataki, ko ngā Taraperi, ko ngā Aparahi, ko ngā Arakewi, ko ngā tāngata o Papurōna, ko ngā Huhanaki, ko ngā Rehawi, ko ngā Erami, 10 me ērā atu anō o ngā iwi i whakahekea mai e Ahanapere, e taua tangata nui, ingoa nui, ā, whakanohoia ana e ia ki ngā pā o Hamaria, me ērā atu wāhi i tērā taha o te awa, ā, tērā atu ngā kupu.

11 Ko ngā kupu tēnei o te pukapuka i tukua e rātou ki a Kīngi Arataherehe:

Nā āu pononga, nā ngā tāngata i tērā taha o te awa, ā, tērā atu ngā kupu.

12 Kia mōhiotia tēnei e te kīngi, ko ngā Hūrai i haere mai i tōu taha, kua tae mai ki a mātou ki Hiruhārama; kei te hanga rātou i taua pā tutū, kino; kua whakatūria e rātou ngā taiepa, kua oti anō ngā tūranga te honohono.

13 Nā, kia mōhiotia tēnei e te kīngi, ki te hangā tēnei pā, ki te whakatūria te taiepa, e kore e hōmai e rātou ngā takoha taonga, ngā takoha tāngata, ngā takoha huarahi; pēnei ka pā he raru ki ngā kīngi.

14 Nā, i te mea e kai ana mātou i te tote o te whare o te kīngi, ā, e kore e tika kia titiro mātou ki te kīngi e whakaititia ana, koia i ungā ai e mātou he tāngata kia mōhio ai te kīngi; 15 kia rapua ai i roto i te pukapuka whakamahara a ōu mātua. Ā, ka kitea e koe i roto i te pukapuka whakamahara, ā, ka mōhio koe he pā tutū tēnei pā, he kino ki ngā kīngi me ngā whenua, ā, he whakaoho whakakeke tā rātou i reira i mua. Ko te mea hoki tērā i whakangaromia ai tēnei pā. 16 E whakaatu ana tēnei mātou ki te kīngi, ki te hangā tēnei pā, ā, ka oti ōna taiepa te whakatū, mā reira ka kore he wāhi mōu i tērā taha o te awa.

17 Kātahi ka tukua he kupu e te kīngi:

Ki a Rehumu kaitiaki ture, ki a Himihai kaituhituhi, ki ērā atu hoki o ō rāua hoa e noho ana i Hamaria, i ērā atu wāhi anō o te whenua i tērā taha o te awa, kia ora, ā, tērā atu ngā kupu.

18 Ko te pukapuka i tukua mai nei e koutou ki a mātou kua āta kōrerotia ki tōku aroaro. 19 Nā, kua whakahau nei ahau, ā, kua rapua, kua kitea he pā whakakeke tēnā i mua ki ngā kīngi; he mahi tutū, he mahi whakakeke tā reira. 20 He kīngi nunui anō hoki o Hiruhārama i kīngi ki ngā whenua katoa i tēnā taha o te awa; i hoatu anō he takoha taonga, he takoha tāngata, he takoha huarahi ki a rātou.

21 Nā, kīia e koutou kia whakamutua te mahi a ēnā tāngata, kia kaua hoki tēnā pā e hangā, kia hoatu rā anō e ahau tētahi atu ture. 22 Nā, kia tūpato kei māngere ki tēnei mea; me tuku koia te hē kia tupu hei hē mō ngā kīngi?

23 Heoi, i te kōrerotanga o ngā kupu o te pukapuka a Kīngi Arataherehe ki te aroaro o Rehumu, o Himihai kaituhituhi rātou ko ō rāua hoa, hohoro tonu rātou ki Hiruhārama ki ngā Hūrai, nā, uaua tonu te ringa i whakamutua ai tā rātou.

24 Kātahi ka mutu te mahi o te whare o te Atua i Hiruhārama. Mutu ake ā taea noatia te rua o ngā tau o te kīngitanga o Tariuha kīngi o Pahia.