Liber Esdrae, 6

1. Tunc Darius rex praecepit, et recensuerunt in tabulis aerarii, quod est in Babylone,

1. Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in Babylonia, in the house of the archives where the documents were stored.

2. et inventum est in Ecbatanis, quod est castrum in Medena provincia, volumen unum, et sic scriptus erat in eo commentarius:

2. And in Ecbat'ana, the capital which is in the province of Media, a scroll was found on which this was written: "A record.

3. “Anno primo Cyri regis, Cyrus rex decrevit de domo Dei, quae est in Ierusalem: Aedificetur domus, ubi immolent et sacrificent; altitudo eius cubitorum sexaginta et latitudo eius cubitorum sexaginta,

3. In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king issued a decree: Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the house be rebuilt, the place where sacrifices are offered and burnt offerings are brought; its height shall be sixty cubits and its breadth sixty cubits,

4. ordines de lapidibus quadratis tres et ordo de lignis unus; sumptus autem de domo regis dabuntur.

4. with three courses of great stones and one course of timber; let the cost be paid from the royal treasury.

5. Sed et vasa templi Dei aurea et argentea, quae Nabuchodonosor tulerat de templo Ierusalem et attulerat in Babylonem, reddantur et referantur in templum, quod est in Ierusalem, in locum suum, in templo Dei.

5. And also let the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnez'zar took out of the temple that is in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be restored and brought back to the temple which is in Jerusalem, each to its place; you shall put them in the house of God."

6. Nunc ergo, Thathanai dux regionis, quae est trans flumen, Stharbuzanai et consiliarii eius et duces, qui estis trans flumen, procul recedite ab illo loco,

6. "Now therefore, Tat'tenai, governor of the province Beyond the River, She'thar-boz'enai, and your associates the governors who are in the province Beyond the River, keep away;

7. dimittite fieri templum Dei illud; dux Iudaeorum et seniores eorum aedificent domum Dei illam in loco suo.

7. let the work on this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its site.

8. Sed et a me praeceptum est quomodo agere debeatis cum senioribus Iudaeorum illis, qui aedificant domum Dei illam: ut de arca regis, id est de tributis, quae dantur de regione trans flumen, studiose sumptus dentur viris illis sine intermissione.

8. Moreover I make a decree regarding what you shall do for these elders of the Jews for the rebuilding of this house of God; the cost is to be paid to these men in full and without delay from the royal revenue, the tribute of the province from Beyond the River.

9. Et si quid necesse fuerit, sive vituli et arietes et agni in holocaustum Deo caeli, sive frumentum, sal, vinum et oleum, secundum ordinationem sacerdotum, qui sunt in Ierusalem, detur eis per singulos dies sine neglegentia.

9. And whatever is needed -- young bulls, rams, or sheep for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, or oil, as the priests at Jerusalem require -- let that be given to them day by day without fail,

10. Et offerant oblationes suaves Deo caeli orentque pro vita regis et filiorum eius.

10. that they may offer pleasing sacrifices to the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king and his sons.

11. A me ergo positum est decretum, ut omnis homo, qui hanc mutaverit iussionem, tollatur lignum de domo ipsius et erigatur et configatur in eo; domus autem eius ponatur in sterquilinium.

11. Also I make a decree that if any one alters this edict, a beam shall be pulled out of his house, and he shall be impaled upon it, and his house shall be made a dunghill.

12. Deus autem, qui habitare fecit nomen suum ibi, dissipet omnia regna et populum, qui extenderit manum suam, ut contemnat et dissipet domum Dei illam, quae est in Ierusalem. Ego Darius statui decretum, quod studiose impleri volo”.

12. May the God who has caused his name to dwell there overthrow any king or people that shall put forth a hand to alter this, or to destroy this house of God which is in Jerusalem. I Darius make a decree; let it be done with all diligence."

13. Igitur Thathanai dux regionis trans flumen et duces et consiliarii eius, secundum quod praeceperat Darius rex, sic diligenter exsecuti sunt.

13. Then, according to the word sent by Darius the king, Tat'tenai, the governor of the province Beyond the River, She'thar-boz'enai, and their associates did with all diligence what Darius the king had ordered.

14. Seniores autem Iudaeorum prosperabantur in aedificatione iuxta prophetiam Aggaei prophetae et Zachariae filii Addo et perfecerunt aedificationem, iubente Deo Israel et iubente Cyro et Dario et Artaxerxe regibus Persarum,

14. And the elders of the Jews built and prospered, through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechari'ah the son of Iddo. They finished their building by command of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus and Darius and Ar-ta-xerx'es king of Persia;

15. et compleverunt domum Dei istam die tertia mensis Adar, qui est annus sextus regni Darii regis.

15. and this house was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.

16. Fecerunt autem filii Israel, sacerdotes et Levitae et reliqui filiorum transmigrationis dedicationem domus Dei illius in gaudio.

16. And the people of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy.

17. Et obtulerunt in dedicationem domus Dei illius boves centum, arietes ducentos, agnos quadringentos, hircos caprarum pro peccato totius Israel duodecim, iuxta numerum tribuum Israel.

17. They offered at the dedication of this house of God one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel twelve he-goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.

18. Et statuerunt sacerdotes in ordinibus suis et Levitas in vicibus suis in ministerium Dei in Ierusalem, sicut scriptum est in libro Moysi.

18. And they set the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God at Jerusalem, as it is written in the book of Moses.

19. Fecerunt autem filii Israel transmigrationis Pascha quarta decima die mensis primi.

19. On the fourteenth day of the first month the returned exiles kept the passover.

20. Levitae universi se purificaverunt; purificati autem cuncti immolaverunt Pascha universis filiis transmigrationis et fratribus suis sacerdotibus et sibi.

20. For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were clean. So they killed the passover lamb for all the returned exiles, for their fellow priests, and for themselves;

21. Et comederunt filii Israel, qui reversi fuerant de transmigratione, et omnes, qui a coinquinatione gentium terrae transierunt ad eos, ut quaererent Dominum, Deum Israel.

21. it was eaten by the people of Israel who had returned from exile, and also by every one who had joined them and separated himself from the pollutions of the peoples of the land to worship the LORD, the God of Israel.

22. Et fecerunt sollemnitatem Azymorum septem diebus in laetitia, quoniam laetificaverat eos Dominus et converterat cor regis Assyriae ad eos, ut adiuvaret manus eorum in opere domus Domini, Dei Israel.

22. And they kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy; for the LORD had made them joyful, and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them, so that he aided them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.