Ezra 4

¹Zvino vadzivisi vavaJudha navaBhenjamini vakati vachinzwa kuti vatapwa vavakira Jehovha Mwari waIsiraeri temberi;Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel;

²vakaswedera kuna Zerubhabheri, nokuvakuru vedzimba dzamadzibaba, vakati kwavari, Ngativake nemi, nokuti tinotsvaka Mwari wenyu, semiwo; tinomubayira kubva pamazuva aEsarihadhoni mambo waAsiria, wakatisvitsa pano.Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esar- haddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither.

³Asi Zerubhabheri, naJeshua, navamwe vakuru vedzimba dzamadzibaba aIsiraeri vakati kwavari, Imi hamungatongobatsirani nesu pakuvakira Mwari wedu imba; asi isu toga tichavakira Jehovha Mwari waIsiraeri, sezvatakarairwa namambo Koreshi mambo wePerisia.But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.

⁴Ipapo vanhu venyika iyo vakashaisa maoko avanhu vaJudha simba, vakavatambudza pakuvaka;Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building,

⁵vakaripira vanhu vokuvaraira, kuti vakanganise zvavakanga vachida kuita, mazuva ose aKoreshi mambo wePerisia, kusvikira Dhariusi mambo wePerisia achizobata ushe.And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

⁶Zvino Ahasheroshi akati obata ushe, vakanyora mwadhi yokukwirira vakanga vagere kwaJudha neJerusaremu.And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

⁷Zvino pamazuva aAritashasita, Bhishirami, naMitiredhati, naTabheeri nedzimwe shamwari dzake, vakanyorera Aritashasita mambo wePerisia; iyo mwadhi yakanga yakanyorwa namabhii echiAramia, nokududzirwawo nechiAramia.And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian tongue, and interpreted in the Syrian tongue.

⁸Rehumi mukuru naShimishai munyori vakanyorera mambo Aritashasita mwadhi yokukwirira veJerusaremu yaiti,Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort:

⁹Rehumi mukuru, naShimishai munyori, namamwe makurukota avo, ivo vaDhinai, navaAfarisatiki, navaTariperi, navaAfarisi, navaArikevhi, navaBhabhironi, navaShushaniki, navaDhehai, navaErami,Then wrote Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions; the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Susanchites, the Dehavites, and the Elamites,

¹⁰nedzimwe ndudzi dzakauya naOsinapari mukuru wakakurumbira, dzikaiswa paguta reSamaria, napanamamwe mativi enyika mhiri kworwizi, namamwe mashoko akadai.And the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Asnapper brought over, and set in the cities of Samaria, and the rest that are on this side the river, and at such a time.

¹¹Ndiwo mashoko emwadhi yavakatuma kuna mambo Aritashasita , Varanda venyu, ivo varume vari mhiri kworwizi, namamwe, mashoko akadai.This is the copy of the letter that they sent unto him, even unto Artaxerxes the king; Thy servants the men on this side the river, and at such a time.

¹²Mambo ngaaziviswe kuti vaJudha, vakabva kwenyu vakasvika kuno kwatiri paJerusaremu, vovaka guta rokumukira mambo, rakaipa; vapedza masvingo, nokugadzira nheyo.Be it known unto the king, that the Jews which came up from thee to us are come unto Jerusalem, building the rebellious and the bad city, and have set up the walls thereof, and joined the foundations.

¹³Zvino mambo ngaaziviswe, kuti kana guta iri rikavakwa, namasvingo aro akapera, havangabudisi mutero, kana zvipo, kana muripo wenzira, pashure madzimambo achatadzirwa.Be it known now unto the king, that, if this city be builded, and the walls set up again, then will they not pay toll, tribute, and custom, and so thou shalt endamage the revenue of the kings.

¹⁴Zvino isu, zvatinodya munyu unobva paimba yamambo, uye zvatisingafaniri kuona mambo achininipiswa, tatuma mwadhi kuzozivisa mambo;Now because we have maintenance from the king’s palace, and it was not meet for us to see the king’s dishonour, therefore have we sent and certified the king;

¹⁵kuti vanzvere pabhuku yenhau yamadzibaba enyu; muchaona mubhuku yenhau, kuti guta iri raimukira mambo, raitadzira madzimambo nenyika, uye kuti mukati maro vairamba vachimukira madzimambo kubva kare nakare. Guta iri rakaparadzwa nemhaka iyo.That search may be made in the book of the records of thy fathers: so shalt thou find in the book of the records, and know that this city is a rebellious city, and hurtful unto kings and provinces, and that they have moved sedition within the same of old time: for which cause was this city destroyed.

¹⁶Tinozivisa mambo kuti kana guta iri rikavakwazve, namasvingo akapera, nemhaka iyo hamungazovi nomugove mhiri kworwizi.We certify the king that, if this city be builded again, and the walls thereof set up, by this means thou shalt have no portion on this side the river.

¹⁷Ipapo mambo akatuma mhinduro kuna Rehumi mukuru, naShimishai munyori, nedzimwe shamwari dzavo dzaigara Samaria napamwe mhiri kworwizi, achiti, Rugare ngaruve nemi, namamwe mashoko akadai.Then sent the king an answer unto Rehum the chancellor, and to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their companions that dwell in Samaria, and unto the rest beyond the river, Peace, and at such a time.

¹⁸mwadhi yamakatitumira, ndairavirwa zvakanaka.The letter which ye sent unto us hath been plainly read before me.

¹⁹Ndikaraira, vakanzvera vakaona kuti guta iri raimukira madzimambo kubva kare nakare, uye kuti mukati maro maiva nokumukira mambo nokurangana zvakaipa.And I commanded, and search hath been made, and it is found that this city of old time hath made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made therein.

²⁰Uye madzimambo ane simba aivapo paJerusaremu, aibata ushe ose pamhiri porwizi; ivo vaibudisirwa mutero, nezvipo, nomuripo wenzira.There have been mighty kings also over Jerusalem, which have ruled over all countries beyond the river; and toll, tribute, and custom, was paid unto them.

²¹Zvino temai chirevo chokuti vanhu avo varege basa ravo, guta iri rirege kuvakwa, kusvikira ini ndatema chirevo.Give ye now commandment to cause these men to cease, and that this city be not builded, until another commandment shall be given from me.

²²Chenjerai, musanonoka pachinhu ichi; chakaipa chichakurireiko, kuzotadzira madzimambo?Take heed now that ye fail not to do this: why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings?

²³Zvino mashoko emwadhi yamambo Aritashasita akati aravirwa Rehumi, naShimishai munyori, namakurukota avo, vakakurumidza kuenda Jerusaremu kuvaJudha, vakavadzivisa nokumanikidza nesimba.Now when the copy of king Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power.

²⁴Ipapo basa reimba yaMwari paJerusaremu rakaregwa; rikaregwa kusvikira pagore rechipiri rokubata ushe kwaDhariusi mambo wePerisia.Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.