Emperor Cyrus' Order Is Rediscovered
1 So Emperor Darius issued orders for a search to be made in the royal records that were kept in Babylon. 2 But it was in the city of Ecbatana in the province of Media that a scroll was found, containing the following record:
3 “In the first year of his reign Emperor Cyrus commanded that the Temple in Jerusalem be rebuilt as a place where sacrifices are made and offerings are burned. The Temple is to be ninety feet high and ninety feet wide. 4 The walls are to be built with one layer of wood on top of each three layers of stone. All expenses are to be paid by the royal treasury. 5 Also the gold and silver utensils which King Nebuchadnezzar brought to Babylon from the Temple in Jerusalem are to be returned to their proper place in the Jerusalem Temple.”
Emperor Darius Orders the Work to Continue
6 Then Emperor Darius sent the following reply:
“To Tattenai, governor of West-of-Euphrates, Shethar Bozenai, and your fellow officials in West-of-Euphrates.
“Stay away from the Temple 7 and do not interfere with its construction. Let the governor of Judah and the Jewish leaders rebuild the Temple of God where it stood before. 8 I hereby command you to help them rebuild it. Their expenses are to be paid promptly out of the royal funds received from taxes in West-of-Euphrates, so that the work is not interrupted. 9 Day by day, without fail, you are to give the priests in Jerusalem whatever they tell you they need: young bulls, sheep, or lambs to be burned as offerings to the God of Heaven, or wheat, salt, wine, or olive oil. 10 This is to be done so that they can offer sacrifices that are acceptable to the God of Heaven and pray for his blessing on me and my sons. 11 I further command that if any disobey this order, a wooden beam is to be torn out of their houses, sharpened on one end, and then driven through their bodies. And their houses are to be made a rubbish heap. 12 May the God who chose Jerusalem as the place where he is to be worshiped overthrow any king or nation that defies this command and tries to destroy the Temple there. I, Darius, have commanded. My command is to be fully obeyed.”
The Temple Is Dedicated
13 Then Governor Tattenai, Shethar Bozenai, and their fellow officials did exactly as the emperor had commanded. 14 The Jewish leaders made good progress with the building of the Temple, encouraged by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. They completed the Temple as they had been commanded by the God of Israel and by Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, emperors of Persia. 15 They finished the Temple on the third day of the month Adar in the sixth year of the reign of Emperor Darius. 16 Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites, and all the others who had returned from exile—joyfully dedicated the Temple. 17 For the dedication they offered 100 bulls, 200 sheep, and 400 lambs as sacrifices, and 12 goats as offerings for sin, one for each tribe of Israel. 18 They also organized the priests and the Levites for the Temple services in Jerusalem, according to the instructions contained in the book of Moses.
The Passover
19 The people who had returned from exile celebrated Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month of the following year. 20 All the priests and the Levites had purified themselves and were ritually clean. The Levites killed the animals for the Passover sacrifices for all the people who had returned, for the priests, and for themselves. 21 The sacrifices were eaten by all the Israelites who had returned from exile and by all those who had given up the pagan ways of the other people who were living in the land and who had come to worship the Lord God of Israel. 22 For seven days they joyfully celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread. They were full of joy because the Lord had made the emperor of Assyria favorable to them, so that he supported them in their work of rebuilding the Temple of the God of Israel.
Ndaulo ya Mambo Sirasi inobong'wa
1 Mambo Dariyasi bakadusa ndaulo. Ngono bakashaka mu ng'umba ye hwalo dze zwiyitikalo zwa ntolo zwe bushe kwadzakabe dzibigwa ku Bhabhiloni. 2 Ngono mu Ekibhana nzi nkulu we ntuthu we Mediya, kwakawang'wa lukwalo gunopetenugwa gwakakwagwa kuyi,
“Zwiyitikalo. 3 Mu gole le kutanga le mbuso wabo, Mambo Sirasi bakadusa ndaulo yakalingisana ngekwe Ng'umba ye Ndzimu mu Jerusalema: Ng'umba ye Ndzimu imusiwe, kube ipo panozhisigwa zwibhayilo ne miteyo iteyiwe. Ng'umba ye Ndzimu yakafanila ibakiwe ibe bulefu gwe thambo dzili makumi mabili ana dzili kutendeka (27) ne bupabi gwe thambo dzili makumi mabili ana dzili kutendeka (27), 4 ibe ne kutathakanyiwa katatu nge mabgwe makulu anokunguludziwa ne mapango akatathakanyiwa kang'ompela. Tjinyikilo idzedzi dzilipiwe nge be dula le bushe. 5 Kakale ne zwija zwe golide ne siliva zwe Ng'umba ye Ndzimu zwakabe zwatogwa ndi Nebukadineza, mu Ng'umba ye Ndzimu mu Jerusalema, ezwiyisa ku Bhabhiloni, zwakafanila kuti zwibgwiliziwe ku magalo azo ku Ng'umba ye Ndzimu mu Jerusalema.”
Mambo Dariyasi banolaula kuti nshingo udwilile
6 “Ngono ngwenu iwe Tatenayi, nlauli we golombedzo le Yufuratesi, na Shetaribhozenayi namwi bashingi nabo be ntuthu iwoyu mube kutjena nako. 7 Letjani nshingo we kumusa Ng'umba iyeyi ye Ndzimu udwilile. Muletje nlauli we Bajuta ne bakulu be Bajuta, bamuse Ng'umba ye Ndzimu payakabe ilipo. 8 Kakale ndodusa ndaulo muna tjamakafanila thamila bakulu be Bajuta mu kumusa Ng'umba ye Ndzimu. Ndipo dze tjinyikilo dze mbako dzipiwe bathu ibaba, kudwa mu dula le bushe ne mu likhetho gwe golombedzo le Yufuratesi kuti ndizo nshingo usitongoma. 9 Ne tjimwe ne tjimwe tjabanoshaka: Mikong'wana, nyundo ne pkhwizana dze tjibhayilo tje Ndzimu we kudzimu. Mathunde ne nkumbi we zhambi ne mwenyu ne mafuta se zwishakiwa nge bapirisiti mu Jerusalema, mubape izo misi yose kusina tjingakonedza, 10 kuti ndizo batubule kuzhisa zwibhayilo zwinonuhwa zwinozipa ku Ndzimu we kudzimu, ne kutembezelela butjilo gwa mambo ne bakololo babe. 11 Kakale ndadusa ndaulo inoti ani kene ani ungashandula matama iyawa kushomogwe phanda ye ng'umba iye, apayikwe muili, ngono ng'umba ithamwe duluthulu le malala. 12 Ndzimu wakathama kuti zina lawo libepo, ligale mu Jerusalema, ulobese mambo kene bathu bangashandula matama iyawa kene bangakolomodza Ng'umba ye Ndzimu mu Jerusalema. Imi Dariyasi ndadusa ndaulo iyeyi. Ngaitobegwe kusina tjingakonedza.”
Ng'umba ye Ndzimu inopiwa Ndzimu
13 Ndizo kuyendidzana nge ndaulo yakabe yadusiwa ndi Dariyasi, Tatenayi nlauli we ntuthu uku golombedzo le Yufuratesi, Shetaribhozenayi, ne bamwe babanoshinga nabo, bakashinga bakamusa meya sekwa bakadwiwa ndi Mambo Dariyasi. 14 Bakulu be Bajuta bakadwilila bebaka bali pasi kwe bulebesambeli gwe balebesambeli Hagayi na Zekariya nkololo wa Ido. Bakapedza kubaka Ng'umba ye Ndzimu nge ndaulo ye Ndzimu we Iziraela na Dariyasi na Sirasi na Mambo Atazezasi we Pheshiya. 15 Ng'umba ye Ndzimu yakawidziwa kubakwa mu zhuba le butatu le mwedzi we Ada, mu gole le butathatu le mbuso wa Mambo Dariyasi. 16 Kudwa ipapo bathu be Iziraela, bapirisiti ne Balevi ne bamwe bathu bose bakabuya kutapiwa bakazana nzano we kushathila kupiwa kwe Ng'umba ye Ndzimu nge shatho hwulu kwazo. 17 Mukupa Ng'umba ye Ndzimu bakadusa mikong'wana ili zana ling'ompela (100) ne nyundo dzili mazana mabili (200) ne pkwizana dzili mazana manna (400) ne mbudzi dzili gumi lina mbudzi mbili (12) dze tjibhayilo tje jinyo tje Baiziraela bose, imwe ne imwe ili milile ludzi gung'ompela mu njudzi dzili gumi lina mbili dze Iziraela. 18 Bakabiga bapirisiti nge mamo abo akathubukana ne Balevi bakapiwa mishingo ye Ng'umba ye Ndzimu nge makupo abo mu Jerusalema sekwa kwakakwagwa mu lukwalo gwa Mushe.
Nzano we Kupinda pezhugwi
19 Mu zhuba le bugumi lina manna mu mwedzi we kutanga bose bakabuya kutapiwa bakazana Nzano we Kupinda pezhugwi. 20 Bapirisiti ne Balevi bakabe bakazwitjenapadza, bose bakatjenapala. Ngono bakabhaya pkhwizana ye Nzano we Kupinda pezhugwi, bose bakabuya kutapiwa ne bapirisiti na ibobo. 21 Ngono Baiziraela bose bakabuya kutapiwa, ne bakabe bazwishalula muna bose bakatemapala be zwitjaba, bakaja pkhwizana iyeyo kuti ndizo bathigamile Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela. 22 Bakazana nge kushatha, Nzano we Tjiwunga tjisina Mbidzo mazhuba ali kutendeka, ngobe Yahwe bakabe babashathisa nge kushandula nkumbulu wa mambo we Asiriya kuti ndizo ababhatshe mu nshingo we kumusa Ng'umba ye Ndzimu, Ndzimu we Iziraela.