Ezra 5

vehitnabbi khaggay (nvyh) [neviyya] uzekharyah var-iddo neviyyaya al-yehudaye di vihud uvirushelem beshum elah yisra'el alehon

Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem, inspired by the God of Israel.

bedayin qamu zerubbavel bar-she'alti'el veyeshua bar-yotsadaq veshariv lemivne bet elaha di virushelem ve'immehon neviyyaya di-elaha mesa'adin lehon

Thereupon Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak began rebuilding the House of God in Jerusalem, with the full support of the prophets of God.

beh-zimna atah alehon tattenay pakhat avar-naharah ushetar bozenay ukhenavatehon vekhen amerin lehom man-sam lekhom te'em bayta denah libbene ve'usharna denah leshakhlalah

At once Tattenai, governor of the province of Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their colleagues descended upon them and said this to them, “Who issued orders to you to rebuild this house and complete its furnishing?”

edayin kenema amarna lehom man-innun shemahat guvrayya di-denah vinyana banayin

Then the officials said to them, “What are the names of the men who are engaged in the building?”

ve'en elahahom havat al-save yehudaye vela-vattilu himmo ad-tama ledareyavesh yehakh ve'edayin yetivun nishtevana al-denah

But God watched over the elders of the Jews and they were not stopped while a report went to Darius and a letter was sent back in reply to it.

parshegen iggarta di-shelakh tattenay pakhat avar-naharah ushetar bozenay ukhenavateh afarsekhaye di ba'avar naharah al-dareyavesh malka

This is the text of the letter that Tattenai, governor of the province of Beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai and his colleagues, the officials of Beyond the River, sent to King Darius.

pitgama shelakhu alohi vekhidnah ketiv begavveh ledareyavesh malka shelama kholla

They sent a message to him and this is what was written in it: “To King Darius, greetings, and so forth.

yedia leheve lemalka di-azalna lihud medineta levet elaha rabba vehu mitbene even gelal ve'a mittesam bekhutlayya va'avideta dakh osparna mitavda umatslakh beyedhom

Be it known to the king, that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being rebuilt of hewn stone, and wood is being laid in the walls. The work is being done with dispatch and is going well.

edayin she'elena lesavayya illekh kenema amarna lehom man-sam lekhom te'em bayta denah lemivneyah ve'usharna denah leshakhlalah

Thereupon we directed this question to these elders, ‘Who issued orders to you to rebuild this house and to complete its furnishings?’

ve'af shemahatehom she'elena lehom lehoda'utakh di nikhtuv shum-guvrayya di verashehom

We also asked their names so that we could write down the names of their leaders for your information.

ukhenema fitgama hativuna lememar anakhna himmo avdohi di-elah shemayya ve'ara uvanayin bayta di-hava veneh miqqadmat denah shenin saggi'an umelekh leyisra'el rav benahi veshakhleleh

This is what they answered us: ‘We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth; we are rebuilding the house that was originally built many years ago; a great king of Israel built it and completed it.

lahen min-di hargizu avahatana le'elah shemayya yehav himmo beyad nevukhadnetsar melekh-bavel (khsdy) [kasda'ah] uvaytah denah satreh ve'ammah hagli levavel

But because our ancestors angered the God of Heaven, they were handed over to Nebuchadnezzar the Chaldean, king of Babylon, who demolished this house and exiled the people to Babylon.

beram bishnat khadah lekhoresh malka di vavel koresh malka sam te'em bet-elaha denah libbene

But in the first year of King Cyrus of Babylon, King Cyrus issued an order to rebuild this House of God.

ve'af manayya di-vet-elaha di dahavah vekhaspa di nevukhadnetsar hanpeq min-hekhela di virushelem vehevel himmo lehekhela di vavel hanpeq himmo koresh malka min-hekhela di vavel vihivu lesheshebatsar shemeh di fekhah sameh

Also the silver and gold vessels of the House of God that Nebuchadnezzar had taken away from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to the temple in Babylon—King Cyrus released them from the temple in Babylon to be given to the one called Sheshbazzar whom he had appointed governor.

va'amar-leh (lh) [el] manayya se ezel-akhet himmo behekhela di virushelem uvet elaha yitbene al-atreh

He said to him, “Take these vessels, go, deposit them in the temple in Jerusalem, and let the House of God be rebuilt on its original site.”

edayin sheshebatsar dekh ata yehav ushayya di-vet elaha di virushelem umin-edayin ve'ad-ke'an mitbene vela shelim

That same Sheshbazzar then came and laid the foundations for the House of God in Jerusalem; and ever since then it has been under construction, but is not yet finished.’

ukhe'an hen al-malka tav yitbaqqar bevet ginzayya di-malka tammah di bevavel hen itay di-min-koresh malka sim te'em lemivne bet-elaha dekh birushelem ure'ut malka al-denah yishlakh alena

And now, if it please the king, let the royal archives there in Babylon be searched to see whether indeed an order had been issued by King Cyrus to rebuild this House of God in Jerusalem. May the king convey to us his pleasure in this matter.”