以斯拉记 4
Revised Chinese Union Version (Simplified Script) Shen Edition
建殿之工受阻
4 犹大和便雅悯的敌人听说被掳归回的人为耶和华—以色列的 神建造殿宇， 2 就去见所罗巴伯和族长，对他们说：“请让我们与你们一同建造，因为我们也与你们一样寻求你们的 神。自从亚述王以撒‧哈顿带我们上这地的日子以来，我们常向 神献祭。” 3 但所罗巴伯、耶书亚和其余以色列的族长对他们说：“我们建造 神的殿与你们无关，因为我们要照波斯王居鲁士所吩咐的，自己为耶和华—以色列的 神协力建造。”
4 那地的人就在犹大百姓建造的时候，使他们的手发软，扰乱他们。 5 从波斯王居鲁士年间，直到波斯王大流士在位的时候，那些人贿赂谋士，要破坏他们的计划。
阻挠重建耶路撒冷
6 亚哈随鲁在位，他的国度刚开始的时候，他们上书控告犹大和耶路撒冷的居民。
7 亚达薛西年间，比施兰、米特利达、他别和他们[a]的同僚上书奏告波斯王亚达薛西。奏文是用亚兰文写的，以亚兰文呈上。 8 利宏省长、伸帅书记也上奏亚达薛西王，控告耶路撒冷[b]如下 9 （那时，利宏省长、伸帅书记和他们其余的同僚，法官、官员、军官、波斯官员[c]、亚基卫人、巴比伦人，和书珊迦人，就是以拦人[d]， 10 以及被亚斯那巴大人迁移、安置在撒玛利亚城和大河西边一带地方其余的人。现在， 11 这是他们上奏亚达薛西王奏文的抄本）：“河西的臣仆上奏亚达薛西王，现在 12 请王知道，从王那里上到我们这里的犹太人，已经抵达耶路撒冷。他们正在重建这反叛恶劣的城，已经完成了城墙，正要修复根基。 13 如今请王知道，这城若再建造，城墙完工，他们就不再进贡、纳粮、缴税，王的国库必受亏损。 14 如今，我们吃的盐既然全是宫廷的盐，就不忍见王吃亏，因此奏告于王， 15 请王考察先王史籍，必会在史籍上查知这城是反叛的城，对列王和各省有害；自古以来，城中常有悖逆的事，因此这城曾被拆毁。 16 我们谨奏王知，这城若再建造，城墙完工，河西之地王就无份了。”
17 那时王谕覆利宏省长、伸帅书记和他们其余的同僚，就是住撒玛利亚和河西一带地方的人，说：“愿你们平安。现在 18 你们所呈给我们的奏本，已经清楚地在我面前读了。 19 我已下令考查，得知这城自古以来果然背叛列王，其中常有反叛悖逆的事。 20 也曾有强大的君王治理耶路撒冷，统管河西全地，人就给他们进贡、纳粮、缴税。 21 现在你们要下令叫这些人停工，使这城不得建造，等到我再降旨。 22 你们当谨慎办这事，不可迟延，何必让损害加重，使王受亏损呢？”
23 亚达薛西王上谕的抄本在利宏和伸帅书记，以及他们的同僚面前宣读，他们就急忙往耶路撒冷去见犹太人，用势力和强权叫他们停工。
恢复重建圣殿工作
24 于是，在耶路撒冷 神殿的工程就停止了，直停到波斯王大流士第二年。
Ezra 4
Easy-to-Read Version
Enemies Against Rebuilding the Temple
4 Many people living in the area were against the people of Judah and Benjamin. These enemies heard that the people who had come from captivity were building a temple for the Lord, the God of Israel. So they came to Zerubbabel and to the family leaders and said, “Let us help you build. We are the same as you, we ask your God for help. We have offered sacrifices to your God since the time King Esarhaddon of Assyria brought us here.”
3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other family leaders of Israel answered, “No, you people cannot help us build a temple for our God. Only we can build the Temple for the Lord. He is the God of Israel. This is what King Cyrus of Persia commanded us to do.”
4 So the enemies began to discourage them and tried to frighten them in order to stop them from building the Temple. 5 These enemies hired government officials to work against the people of Judah. The officials constantly did things to stop the Jews’ plans to build the Temple. This continued the whole time that Cyrus was the king until Darius became the king of Persia.
6 These enemies even wrote letters to the king of Persia trying to stop the Jews. They wrote a letter the year that Xerxes[a] became the king of Persia.
Enemies Against Rebuilding Jerusalem
7 Later, when Artaxerxes became the new king of Persia, some of these men wrote another letter complaining about the Jews. The men who wrote the letter were Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the other people in their group. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated.[b]
8 [c] Then Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter against the people of Jerusalem. They wrote the letter to Artaxerxes the king. This is what they wrote:
9 From Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary, and from the judges and important officials over the men from Tripolis, Persia, Erech, and Babylon, and from the Elamites from Susa, 10 and from the other people who the great and powerful Ashurbanipal moved to the city of Samaria and other places in the country west of the Euphrates River.
11 This is the copy of the letter sent to King Artaxerxes:
From your servants living in the area west of the Euphrates River.
12 King Artaxerxes, we wish to inform you that the Jews you sent from there are now in Jerusalem. They are trying to rebuild that terrible city. The people there have always rebelled against other kings. Now they have almost finished repairing the foundations and building the walls.[d]
13 Also, King Artaxerxes, you should know that if Jerusalem and its walls are rebuilt, the people of Jerusalem will stop paying their taxes. They will stop sending money to honor you. They also will stop paying customs fees, and the king will lose all that money.
14 We have a responsibility to the king. We don’t want to see this happen, so we are sending this letter to inform the king.
15 King Artaxerxes, we suggest that you search the writings of the kings who ruled before you. You will see in the writings that Jerusalem always rebelled against other kings. It has caused much trouble for other kings and nations. Many rebellions have started in this city since ancient times. That is why Jerusalem was destroyed.
16 King Artaxerxes, we wish to inform you that if this city and its walls are rebuilt, you will lose control of the area west of the Euphrates River.
17 Then King Artaxerxes sent this answer:
To Rehum the commanding officer, Shimshai the secretary, and all the people with them living in Samaria and other places west of the Euphrates River.
Greetings:
18 The letter you sent us has been translated and read to me. 19 I gave an order for the writings of the kings before me to be searched. The writings were read, and we found out that Jerusalem has a long history of rebellion against kings. Jerusalem has been a place where rebellion and revolt has happened often. 20 Jerusalem has had powerful kings ruling over it and over the whole area west of the Euphrates River. Their kings received taxes, customs, fees, and tribute.
21 Now, you must give an order for these men to stop work. That order must be given to keep Jerusalem from being rebuilt until I say so. 22 Be careful not to overlook this matter. We should not let the building of Jerusalem continue. If that work continues, I will not get any more money from Jerusalem.
23 So a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes sent was read to Rehum, Shimshai the secretary, and the people with them. They went very quickly to the Jews in Jerusalem and forced them to stop building.
The Work on the Temple Stopped
24 So the work stopped[e] on God’s Temple in Jerusalem. The work did not continue until the second year[f] that Darius was king of Persia.
Footnotes
- Ezra 4:6 Xerxes King of Persia about 485–465 B.C.
- Ezra 4:7 The letter … translated Or “The letter was written in the local language, but with Aramaic characters, and then translated into Aramaic.” This would mean the scribe used the “modern” Aramaic alphabet rather than the older alphabet that was still being used in Judah.
- Ezra 4:8 Here, the original language changes from Hebrew to Aramaic.
- Ezra 4:12 building the walls This was a way of protecting a city. These men wanted the king to think that the Jews were preparing to rebel against the king.
- Ezra 4:24 the work stopped Here, this refers to the time of Xerxes, when work on the Temple was stopped, not to the time of Artaxerxes, when work on the walls around Jerusalem was stopped.
- Ezra 4:24 second year That is, 520 B.C.
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