1
When the
prophets,
Haggai the
prophet and
Zechariah the
son of
Iddo,
prophesied to the
Jews who were in
Judah and
Jerusalem in the
name of the
God of
Israel, who was
over them,
aw{Di[ -r;b h'y.r;k.z.W h'ayib.n y;G;x yiB;n.tih.w ? ~,l.v.Wryib.W d.Whyib yiD aey'd.Wh.y -l;[ a'Y;ayib.n ? !w{hyel][ lea'r.fIy H'l/a ~Uv.B
2
then Zerubbabel the
son of
Shealtiel and
Jeshua the
son of
Jozadak arose and
began to
rebuild the
house of
God which is in
Jerusalem; and the
prophets of
God were with them
supporting them.
;[.Wvey.w leayiT.l;a.v -r;B l,b'BUr.z .Wm'q !Iy;daeB ? a'h'l/a tyeB aen.bim.l wyir'v.w q'd'cw{y -r;B ? a'h'l/a -yid a'Y;ayib.n !w{h.Mi[.w ~,l.v.Wryib yiD ? @ ]nw{h.l !yid]['s.m
3
At that
time Tattenai, the
governor of the province
beyond the
River, and
Shethar-bozenai and their
colleagues came to them and
spoke to them
thus,
"Who issued you a
decree to
rebuild this temple and to
finish this structure?"
h'r]h;n -r;b][ t;x;P y;n.T;T !w{hyel][ a't]a a'n.miz -HeB ? ~{h.l !yir.m'a !ek.w !w{h.t'w'n.k.W y;n.zw{B r;t.v.W ? a'n.r;VUa.w aen.Bil h'n.d a't.y;B ~e[.j ~{k.l ~'f -n;m ? h'l'l.k;v.l h'n.d
4
Then we
told them
accordingly what the
names of the
men were
who were
reconstructing this building.
t'h'm.v !.WNia -n;m ~{h.L a'n.r;m]a a'men.K !Iy;d/a ? !Iy;n'B a'n'y.nib h'n.d -yiD a'Y;r.bUG
5
But the
eye of their
God was on the
elders of the
Jews, and they did not
stop them
until a
report could
come to
Darius, and
then a
written reply be
returned concerning it.
.WliJ;b -a'l.w aey'd.Wh.y yeb'f -l;[ t'w]h ~{h]h'l/a !ye[.w ? !.Wbyit.y !Iy;d/a,w .$'h.y v,w'y.r'd.l a'm.[;j -d;[ w{Mih ? h'n.D -l;[ a'n'w.T.vin
6
This is the
copy of the
letter which Tattenai, the
governor of the province
beyond the
River, and
Shethar-bozenai and his
colleagues the
officials,
who were
beyond the
River,
sent to
Darius the
king.
h'r]h;n -r;b][ t;x;P y;n.T;T x;l.v -yiD a'T.r;Gia !,g,v.r;P ? r;b][;B yiD aey'k.s.r;p]a Het'w'n.k.W y;n.zw{B r;t.v.W ? a'K.l;m v,w'y.r'D -l;[ h'r]h;n
7
They
sent a
report to him in which it was
written thus: "To
Darius the
king,
all peace.
He.W;g.B byit.K h'n.dik.w yihw{l][ .Wx;l.v a'm'g.tiP ? a'L{k a'm'l.v a'K.l;m v,w'y.r'd.l
8
"Let it be
known to the
king that we have
gone to the
province of
Judah, to the
house of the
great God,
which is being
built with
huge stones, and
beams are being
laid in the
walls; and
this work is
going on with
great care and is
succeeding in their
hands.
d.Whyil a'n.l;z]a -yiD a'K.l;m.l aew/h,l ;[yid.y ? aen.B.tim a.Wh.w a'B;r a'h'l/a tyeb.l a'T.nyid.m ? a'T.dyib][;w a'Y;l.tUk.B ~'f.Tim ['a.w l'l.G !,b,a ? ~{h.d,y.B x;l.c;m.W a'd.b;[.tim a'n.r;P.s'a .$'d
9
"Then we
asked those elders and
said to them
thus,
'Who issued you a
decree to
rebuild this temple and to
finish this structure?'
a'n.r;m]a a'men.K .$eLia a'Y;b'f.l a'n.lea.v !Iy;d/a ? h'y.n.bim.l h'n.d a't.y;B ~e[.j ~{k.l ~'f -n;m ~{h.L ? h'l'l.k;v.l h'n.d a'n.r;VUa.w
10
"We
also asked them their
names so as to
inform you, and that we might
write down the
names of the
men who were at their
head.
yiD .$'t.W['dw{h.l ~{h.l a'n.lea.v ~{h.t'h'm.v @;a.w ? ~{hyeva'r.b yiD a'Y;r.bUG -mUv bUT.kin
11
"Thus they
answered * us,
saying, 'We are the
servants of the
God of
heaven and
earth and are
rebuilding the
temple that was
built many years ago, which a
great king of
Israel built and
finished.
a'n.x;n]a r;mem.l a'n.Wbyit]h a'm'g.tip a'men.k.W ? !Iy;n'b.W a'[.r;a.w a'Y;m.v H'l/a -yid yihw{d.b;[ w{Mih ? !yin.v h'n.D t;m.d;Qim hen.b a'w]h -yiD a't.y;B ? Hel.l.k;v.w yih'n.B b;r lea'r.fIy.l .$,l,m.W !'ayiG;f
12
'But
because * our
fathers had
provoked the
God of
heaven to
wrath, He
gave them into the
hand of
Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon, the
Chaldean, who
destroyed this temple and
deported the
people to
Babylon.
a'Y;m.v H'l/a,l a'n;t\h'b]a .WziG.r;h yiD -nim !eh'l ? a'y'D.s;K l,b'B -.k,l,m r;C,n.d;k.Wb.n d;y.B w{Mih b;h.y ? l,b'b.l yil.g;h h'M;[.w Her.t;s h'n.d h't.y;b.W
13
'However, in the
first year of
Cyrus king of
Babylon,
King Cyrus issued a
decree to
rebuild this house of
God.
l,b'b yiD a'K.l;m v,rw{k.l h'd]x t;n.viB ~;r.B ? h'n.d a'h'l/a -tyeB ~e[.j ~'f a'K.l;m v,rw{K ? aen.Bil
14
'Also the
gold and
silver utensils of the
house of
God which Nebuchadnezzar had
taken from the
temple in
Jerusalem, and
brought them to the
temple of
Babylon,
these King Cyrus took from the
temple of
Babylon and they were
given to one whose
name was
Sheshbazzar,
whom he had
appointed governor.
h'b]h;d yiD a'h'l/a -tyeb -yid a'Y;na'm @;a.w ? a'l.kyeh -nim qeP.n;h r;C,n.d;k.Wb.n yiD a'P.s;k.w ? yiD a'l.kyeh.l w{Mih lebyeh.w ~,l.v.Wryib yiD ? a'l.kyeh -nim a'K.l;m v,rw{K w{Mih qeP.n;h l,b'b ? h'x,p yiD Hem.v r;C;B.vev.l .Wbyihyiw l,b'b yiD ? Hem'f
15
'He
said to him,
"Take these utensils,
go and
deposit them in the
temple in
Jerusalem and let the
house of
God be
rebuilt in its
place."
tex]a -l,zea aef a'Y;na'm h,Lea Hel -r;m]a;w ? a'h'l/a tyeb.W ~,l.v.Wryib yiD a'l.kyeh.B w{Mih ? Her.t;a -l;[ aen.B.tIy
16
'Then that
Sheshbazzar came and
laid the
foundations of the
house of
God in
Jerusalem; and from
then until now it has been
under construction and it is not yet
completed.'
tyeb -yiD a'Y;VUa b;h.y a't]a .$eD r;C;B.vev !Iy;d/a ? !;[.K -d;[.w !Iy;d/a -nim.W ~,l.v.Wryib yiD a'h'l/a ? ~il.v a'l.w aen.B.tim
17
"Now if it
pleases the
king, let a
search be
conducted in the
king's treasure house,
which is
there in
Babylon,
if it be that a
decree was
issued by
King Cyrus to
rebuild this house of
God at
Jerusalem; and let the
king send to us his
decision concerning this matter."
tyeb.B ]r;Q;B.tIy b'j a'K.l;m -l;[ !eh !;[.k.W ? y;tyia !eh l,b'b.B yiD h'M;t a'K.l;m -yiD a'Y;z.niG ? aen.bim.l ~e[.j ~yif a'K.l;m v,rw{K -nim -yiD ? a'K.l;m t.W[.r.W ~,l.v.WryiB .$ed a'h'l/a -tyeB ? a'ny,l][ x;l.vIy h'n.D -l;[