Tattenai’s Letter to Darius
1Now Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the prophet, a descendant of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. 2Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Joshua son of Jozadak set to work to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.
3At that time Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates went to them and asked, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and to finish it?” 4They5:4 See Septuagint; Aramaic We. also asked, “What are the names of those who are constructing this building?” 5But the eye of their God was watching over the elders of the Jews, and they were not stopped until a report could go to Darius and his written reply be received.
6This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates, the officials of Trans-Euphrates, sent to King Darius. 7The report they sent him read as follows:
To King Darius:
Cordial greetings.
8The king should know that we went to the district of Judah, to the temple of the great God. The people are building it with large stones and placing the timbers in the walls. The work is being carried on with diligence and is making rapid progress under their direction.
9We questioned the elders and asked them, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and to finish it?” 10We also asked them their names, so that we could write down the names of their leaders for your information.
11This is the answer they gave us:
“We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, one that a great king of Israel built and finished. 12But because our ancestors angered the God of heaven, he gave them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar the Chaldean, king of Babylon, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon.
13“However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild this house of God. 14He even removed from the temple5:14 Or palace of Babylon the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to the temple5:14 Or palace in Babylon. Then King Cyrus gave them to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he had appointed governor, 15and he told him, ‘Take these articles and go and deposit them in the temple in Jerusalem. And rebuild the house of God on its site.’
16“So this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God in Jerusalem. From that day to the present it has been under construction but is not yet finished.”
17Now if it pleases the king, let a search be made in the royal archives of Babylon to see if King Cyrus did in fact issue a decree to rebuild this house of God in Jerusalem. Then let the king send us his decision in this matter.
恢复建殿工作
1那时，先知哈该和易多的子孙撒迦利亚奉以色列上帝的名，向犹大和耶路撒冷的犹大人宣讲上帝的话。 2于是，撒拉铁的儿子所罗巴伯和约萨达的儿子耶书亚开始在耶路撒冷重建上帝的殿，上帝的先知在他们身边帮助他们。
3当时，河西总督达乃、示他·波斯乃及其同僚来问他们：“谁批准你们重建这殿、修复这墙的？” 4又问道：“建造这殿的人叫什么名字？” 5然而，上帝看顾犹太人的长老，工程没有被叫停，直到事情呈报给大流士王、收到王的回谕后才停止。
6河西的官员河西总督达乃、示他·波斯乃及其同僚上奏大流士王， 7奏章如下：
“愿大流士王一切平安！ 8王该知道，我们去了犹大省，到了伟大上帝的殿。人们正在用大石建殿，木料已经安在墙里，工程进展迅速、顺利。 9我们问那些长老，‘谁批准你们重建这殿、修复这墙的？’ 10我们又问他们的名字，好记下他们首领的名字禀告王。
11“他们回答说，‘我们是天地之上帝的仆人，我们正在重建这座多年前由以色列的一位伟大君王建造的殿。 12但因为我们的祖先触怒了天上的上帝，上帝把他们交在迦勒底人巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒的手中，他摧毁了这殿，把他们掳到巴比伦。 13然而，巴比伦王塞鲁士在其统治元年，降旨重建这座上帝的殿。 14尼布甲尼撒王曾掳去耶路撒冷上帝殿里的金银器皿，放在巴比伦神庙里，塞鲁士王从巴比伦神庙取出这些器皿，交给他委派做省长的设巴萨， 15吩咐他把这些器皿带去，重新陈设在耶路撒冷的殿里，在旧址上重建上帝的殿。 16于是，这位设巴萨就在耶路撒冷为上帝的殿立了根基，从那时到如今，殿一直在重建中，还没有竣工。’
17“现在，王若愿意，请查阅巴比伦的王室记录，看看塞鲁士王是否降旨重建耶路撒冷的上帝之殿。王对此事如何决断，请告知我们。”
