Ezra 4:1-24
4 Taem olketa enemy blo tribe blo Judah and tribe blo Benjamin herem dat olketa Jew wea prisoner bifor olketa kam bak and buildim temple for Jehovah, God blo Israel,
2 olketa kwiktaem go lo Zerubbabel and lo olketa wea hed lo laen blo dadi blo olketa, and sei lo olketa: “Mifala laek helpem iufala for buildim datfala haos bikos mifala tu worshipim* God blo iufala and offerim olketa sakrifaes for hem, start lo taem wea Esar-haddon, king blo Assyria, tekem mifala kam lo hia.”
3 Bat Zerubbabel and Jeshua and evri narawan wea hed lo laen blo dadi blo olketa lo Israel, sei lo olketa: “Iufala no garem raet for buildim haos blo God blo mifala. Mifala seleva nao bae buildim haos hia for Jehovah, God blo Israel, followim wanem Cyrus, king blo Persia, hem komandim lo mifala.”
4 Then pipol wea stap lo olketa ples raonem olketa gohed for discouragem* pipol lo tribe blo Judah and mekem olketa fraet and olketa stop for buildim datfala haos.
5 Olketa haerem olketa advaesa for againstim olketa and duim samting for spoelem olketa plan blo olketa. Olketa duim datwan lo full taem wea Cyrus, king blo Persia, hem rul go kasem taem wea Darius, king blo Persia, hem rul.
6 Lo taem wea Ahasuerus hem rul, olketa raetem wanfala leta for accusim pipol wea stap lo Judah and Jerusalem.
7 And lo taem wea Artaxerxes, king blo Persia, hem rul, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and olketa wea sapotim Tabeel, raet go lo King Artaxerxes. Olketa transleitim disfala leta lo Aramaic languis and olketa raetem datwan lo raeting blo Aramaic languis.*
8 * Rehum, bigman lo gavman and Shimshai, datfala secretary, raetem wanfala leta go lo King Artaxerxes for againstim pipol lo Jerusalem, wea sei:
9 (Disfala leta hem from Rehum, bigman blo gavman, and Shimshai, datfala secretary, and evri narawan wea sapotim tufala, olketa judge and olketa deputy governor, olketa secretary, pipol lo Erech, pipol lo Babylon, pipol lo Susa, wea olketa Elamite,
10 and evri narawan blo olketa nation, wea important and famous King Asenappar tekem olketa for prisoner and putim olketa insaed olketa taon lo Samaria, and evri nara pipol wea stap lo olketa territory wea nem blo hem Narasaed lo River.* And
11 diswan nao wanfala copy blo leta wea olketa sendem for hem.)
“For King Artaxerxes from olketa servant blo iu, olketa man wea stap lo territory wea nem blo hem Narasaed lo River:
12 Mifala laek for letem king savve dat olketa Jew wea iu sendem kam lo hia olketa arrive nao lo Jerusalem. Olketa buildim bak moa datfala taon wea bifor pipol lo there barava bighed and duim wicked samting. Olketa klosap completim olketa wall and repairim olketa faondeson.
13 Distaem mifala laek for letem king savve dat sapos olketa buildim bak moa taon hia and olketa wall blo hem complete, bae olketa no peim eni tax,* and diswan bae mekem olketa king no kasem selen wea olketa shud kasem.
14 From mifala kaikaim solt from palace* and mifala no laek for lukim nogud samting olsem for happen lo king, dastawe mifala sendem kam disfala leta for letem king savve lo diswan,
15 mekem iu chekim olketa record blo history buk blo olketa grani blo iu. Insaed olketa buk hia bae iu faendaot dat lo bifor pipol lo datfala taon olketa bighed tumas, and olketa savve spoelem olketa king and olketa province, and from bifor kam pipol lo datfala taon savve bihaenem olketa narawan for againstim gavman. Dastawe olketa distroem datfala taon bifor.
16 Mifala laek letem king savve dat sapos olketa buildim bak datfala taon and olketa wall blo hem complete, iu bae no garem eni paoa* ovarem pipol wea stap lo territory wea nem blo hem Narasaed lo River.”
17 King sendem go disfala leta lo Rehum, bigman blo gavman, and Shimshai, datfala secretary, and evri narawan wea sapotim tufala wea stap lo Samaria, and evri nara pipol wea stap lo territory wea nem blo hem Narasaed lo River:
“Hello!
18 Olketa readim* klia datfala official leta wea iufala sendem kam for mifala front lo mi.
19 Mi givim wanfala order for olketa servant blo mi for investigatem diswan, and olketa faendaot dat from bifor kam pipol lo datfala taon againstim olketa king and les for stap anda lo rul blo olketa, and olketa bighed tumas.
20 Lo bifor olketa strongfala king rul lo Jerusalem ovarem full territory wea nem blo hem Narasaed lo River and pipol savve peim olketa tax* go lo olketa.
21 Distaem iufala mas givim wanfala order for olketa man hia for mas stop waka. Bat go kasem taem wea mi givim nara order, olketa mas no buildim bak datfala taon.
22 Iufala mas followim evri samting hia mekem no eni nogud samting olsem hem happen moa lo kingdom.”
23 Bihaen olketa readim datfala official leta blo King Artaxerxes front lo Rehum and Shimshai, datfala secretary, and olketa wea sapotim tufala, olketa kwiktaem go lo olketa Jew lo Jerusalem and forcem olketa for stop waka.
24 Lo datfala taem nao waka for buildim haos blo God, wea stap lo Jerusalem, hem stop. And haos hia stap olsem nomoa go kasem mek-tu year wea Darius, king blo Persia, hem rul.
Olketa footnote
^ Heb., “lukaotem.”
^ Heb., “mekem hand blo olketa wikdaon.”
^ Or maet, “olketa raetem lo Aramaic languis then olketa transleitim lo olketa nara languis.”
^ Lo original copy Ezr 4:8 go kasem 6:18 hem stap lo Aramaic languis.
^ Territory wea nem blo hem Narasaed lo River, hem olketa territory wea stap lo west saed blo Euphrates River.
^ Lo Aramaic languis verse hia storyim thrifala difren tax: tax wea each citizen mas peim, goods tax, and toll fee.
^ Or, “mifala kasem salary blo mifala from palace.”
^ Aram., “share.”
^ Or maet, “olketa transleitim and readim.”
^ Lo Aramaic languis verse hia storyim thrifala difren tax: tax wea each citizen mas peim, goods tax, and toll fee.
