以斯拉记 4
Chinese New Version (Simplified)
重建圣殿的工作受拦阻
4 犹大和便雅悯的敌人听见被掳回来的人为耶和华以色列的 神重建圣殿， 2 就前来见所罗巴伯和众族长，对他们说：“请让我们与你们一起建造吧！因为我们也像你们那样寻求你们的 神。自从亚述王以撒哈顿把我们带上这里的日子以来，我们一直向他献祭。” 3 但所罗巴伯、耶书亚和以色列其余的族长对他们说：“你们不能与我们一同建筑 神的殿，因为波斯王古列王吩咐我们自己为耶和华以色列的 神建殿。” 4 于是那地方的居民使犹大人的手发软，惊扰他们的建筑工程。 5 又在波斯王古列的日子，直到波斯王大利乌在位的时候，常常贿买参谋，来敌对犹大人，要破坏他们的建殿计划。
敌人上奏控告犹大人
6 亚哈随鲁在位的初期，他们写了诉状，控告犹大和耶路撒冷的居民。 7 在亚达薛西年间，比施兰、米特利达、他别和其余的同僚，也上书给波斯王亚达薛西，反对耶路撒冷人，奏文是用亚兰文写成，并且翻译了（“并且翻译了”指为亚达薛西王翻译为波斯文字；参18节）。 8 省长利宏和秘书伸帅写奏本给亚达薛西王，控告耶路撒冷。奏文如下： 9 省长利宏、秘书伸帅和他们其余的同僚：法官、钦差、议员、官长（“法官、钦差、议员、官长”或译：“底拿人、亚法萨提迦人、他毘拉人、亚法撒人”），亚基卫人、巴比伦人、书珊人，就是以拦人， 10 还有伟大尊贵的亚斯那巴掳来安置在撒玛利亚城和河西那边其余地方的居民，呈上奏文。 11 这就是他们呈给亚达薛西王的奏文副本：“你的臣仆，就是河西那边的人，上奏亚达薛西王： 12 奏知大王：从你那里上到我们这里来的犹大人，已经到了耶路撒冷这座叛逆和邪恶的城；他们进行建造，并且已经修好根基，开始建造城墙。 13 现在奏知大王：如果这城建成，墙垣筑好，他们就不再缴税、进贡和纳粮，王的国库收入必定受损。 14 现在我们既食王家的盐，不该见王受剥夺，因此上奏禀告王， 15 请王查考先王的记录，从记录中查知这城是叛逆的城，对列王和各省都有损害，自古以来，城中常有造反的事，因此这城被拆毁。 16 我们告知王，如果这城建成，墙垣筑好，河西那边的地方就不再是王的了。”
王降旨下令停工
17 王把谕旨送交省长利宏、秘书伸帅，以及其余住在撒玛利亚和河西的同僚，说：“愿你们平安。 18 你们呈给我们的奏本已经在我面前翻译和诵读了。 19 我下令考查，发现这城自古以来反叛列王，城中常有造反叛乱的事。 20 从前大能的君王统治耶路撒冷，治理河西那边的全地，接受他们缴税、进贡和纳粮。 21 现在你们要下令叫这些人停工，不得重建这城，等候我的谕令。 22 你们要留心，不可疏忽这事，使王的亏损增加。”
23 当亚达薛西王谕旨的副本在利宏和秘书伸帅，以及他们的同僚面前宣读出来以后，他们就急忙去耶路撒冷到犹大人那里，用武力强迫他们停工。 24 所以，在耶路撒冷的神殿的工程就停止了，直到波斯王大利乌在位的第二年。
以斯拉记 4
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
建殿工作受阻
4 犹大和便雅悯的敌人听说流亡者回来要为以色列的上帝耶和华建殿， 2 就去见所罗巴伯和以色列的族长，对他们说：“请让我们与你们一同建造，因为我们像你们一样也寻求你们的上帝。自从亚述王以撒哈顿带我们到这里以后，我们就一直献祭给上帝。” 3 所罗巴伯、耶书亚和以色列其余的族长回答说：“你们不能参与建殿。遵照波斯王塞鲁士的吩咐，我们要自己为以色列的上帝耶和华建殿。”
4 于是，当地人阻挠犹大人，使他们不敢建殿， 5 从波斯王塞鲁士统治年间，一直到波斯王大流士统治期间，当地人收买谋士，破坏他们的计划。
阻扰重建耶路撒冷
6 亚哈随鲁统治初期，他们写信控告犹大和耶路撒冷的居民。
7 波斯王亚达薛西统治年间，比施兰、米特利达、他别及其同党上奏亚达薛西。奏章是用亚兰文写的，经过翻译后呈上。 8 利宏省长和伸帅书记也写了奏本给亚达薛西王，控告耶路撒冷人，内容如下： 9 “利宏省长、伸帅书记和我们的同僚底拿人、亚法萨提迦人、他毗拉人、亚法撒人、亚基卫人、巴比伦人、书珊迦人、底亥人、以拦人， 10 以及伟大尊贵的亚斯那巴迁来并安置在撒玛利亚各城与幼发拉底河西一带的人民， 11 上奏亚达薛西王，
“‘幼发拉底河西的臣民奏告亚达薛西王， 12 王该知道，从王那里到我们这里来的犹太人已经去了耶路撒冷，如今正在重建这座叛逆、罪恶之城，正在重建地基，修筑城墙。 13 王该知道，如果这城建好，城墙完工，他们将不再进贡、交赋、纳税，王的税收必受亏损。 14 我们既食王禄，就不能坐视王遭受损失，因此上奏于王。 15 请王查看先王的记录，必从中获悉这城是叛逆之城，危害列王和各省。自古以来，城中叛乱不断，因此才被毁灭。 16 我们愿王知道，这城一旦建好，城墙完工，幼发拉底河西之地就不再为王所有了。’”
17 王回复利宏省长、伸帅书记及其住在撒玛利亚与幼发拉底河西一带的同僚，说：“愿你们平安！ 18 你们呈上的奏章，经过翻译已奏报给我。 19 我已命人查考，发现这城自古以来屡屡背叛列王，是悖逆和叛乱之地。 20 强大的君王曾经统管耶路撒冷和幼发拉底河西全境，并向人们征收贡物和赋税。 21 现在你们要下令让这些人停止建造这城，等候我的谕旨。 22 要认真办理这事，不可迟延，何必容事情恶化，使王受亏损呢？”
23 利宏、伸帅书记及其同僚接到谕旨后，急忙赶往耶路撒冷，用武力强迫犹太人停工。
恢复建殿工作
24 于是，耶路撒冷上帝殿的重建工程停止了，一直停到波斯王大流士第二年。
Ezra 4
EasyEnglish Bible
Enemies try to stop the work
4 The Israelites who had returned to Jerusalem from exile were building the temple for the Lord, Israel's God. The enemies of the people of Judah and Benjamin heard that the Israelites had begun to build.[a] 2 They went to speak to Zerubbabel and to the leaders of the Israelite families. They said, ‘Let us help you to build the temple. We also want to worship your God. We have lived in this country since Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, brought us here. All this time we have made sacrifices to your God.’
3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua and the other leaders of Israel's people said, ‘No. You cannot help us to build the temple for our God. We must build it by ourselves for the Lord, Israel's God. That is what Cyrus, king of Persia, has commanded us to do.’
4 Then the people who lived near them tried to make Judah's people afraid. They tried to stop them building. 5 They paid bribes to government officers to work against the Israelite builders. Then they could not do the work. They continued to do this all the time that King Cyrus ruled Persia, until Darius became king.
More trouble for the Jews
6 When Xerxes became king of Persia, Judah's enemies wrote a letter to him.[b] They said that the people who lived in Jerusalem and the rest of Judah were doing a bad thing.
7 Later, when Artaxerxes was king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and their friends wrote a letter to him. They wrote it in the Aramaic language. People translated it for the king to understand. 8 Rehum, the city's ruler, and Shimshai, his officer, wrote this letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes. This is what it said:
9 Rehum, your ruler, and Shimshai, his officer, write this letter to you. The other officers who work with us also send this letter to you. They are the judges and other officers and leaders, together with the people who came here from Erech, Babylon and Susa (the Elamites).[c] 10 It also comes from people of other nations who came to live in Samaria's cities. The great King Ashurbanipal sent those people to live in Samaria and in the region that is on the west side of the River Euphrates.[d]
11 This is the letter that they sent to Artaxerxes:
‘To King Artaxerxes,
from your servants in the land west of the Euphrates river.
12 We want to tell the king what the Jews here are doing. They came here to Jerusalem from Babylon. Jerusalem has always been a bad city whose people do not obey their rulers. Now they are building the city again. They are building the city's walls and the foundations for other buildings.
13 So you should know that there will be trouble. If they build this city again, with its walls, they will not pay any more taxes to you. You will not receive any more money from them as their king. 14 We serve you as our king. We do not want you to lose honour. So we have sent this letter to you. 15 You should look for the books where your ancestors recorded news about Jerusalem. Then you will read many bad things about this city. You will see that its people have always turned against their rulers. Since long ago, they have not obeyed the kings or the region's officers. It is because they are so wicked that Babylon's army destroyed the city. 16 So we are telling the king that you should not let these people build up this city again, with its walls. If they do that, you will no longer have any authority in this region that is west of the Euphrates river.’
17 The king of Persia sent this reply:
‘To Rehum, my ruler, Shimshai, his officer, and all their friends in Samaria and in other parts of the region west of the Euphrates river. I thank you for your news.
18 People have translated the letter that you sent to me. They read it for me to listen to. 19 Then I commanded them to look in the old books. I have seen what the books say about Jerusalem. It is true that its people have always turned against the kings that ruled them. Since long ago, they have never obeyed their rulers. 20 In the past, powerful kings have ruled over Jerusalem and all the region west of the Euphrates river. They received many kinds of taxes from the people there. 21 Now you must command these people to stop their work. They must not build the city again until I decide to let them do it. 22 You must be very careful to make sure that they stop. We do not want the danger to our kingdom to become any greater. Our authority to rule them as kings must continue.’
23 Rehum, his officer, Shimshai, and their friends heard what the king's letter said. So they immediately took it to the Jews in Jerusalem. They used their power to command the Jews to stop their work.
24 So the people did no more work on God's temple in Jerusalem. The work stopped until the second year that King Darius ruled Persia.
Footnotes
- 4:1 Judah and Benjamin were the two Israelite tribes that had been taken to Babylon as prisoners. Now they had returned to Jerusalem and the other towns of their home country.
- 4:6 Xerxes was the son of King Darius. He was also called Ahasuerus. In this part of his book, Ezra is describing things that happened later, after the temple had been built. Now they were building the city's walls (verse 12).
- 4:9 Elamites were people who lived in a country east of Israel.
- 4:10 The kings of Assyria moved prisoners to go and live a long way from their homes. Foreign people had come to live in Samaria, which had been part of Israel's kingdom. The Assyrians did not want the Israelites to take back the land for themselves.
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