2 Esdras 6 — Rahlfs Septuagint

Δαρεῖος ὁ βασιλεὺς ἔθηκεν γνώμην καὶ ἐπεσκέψατο ἐν ταῖς βιβλιοθήκαις ὅπου ἡ γάζα κεῖται ἐν Βαβυλῶνι

Then Darius the king gave an order and searched in the libraries where the treasury was stored in Babylon

εὑρέθη ἐν πόλει ἐν τῇ βάρει τῆς Μήδων πόλεως κεφαλὶς μία καὶ τοῦτο ἦν γεγραμμένον ἐν αὐτῇ ὑπόμνημα

And there was found in a city, in the fortress of the city of the Medes, one head, and this was written in it: a record

In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of the God who is in Jerusalem: Let the house be built, and the place where they sacrifice the sacrifices, and he set its height at sixty cubits and its width at sixty cubits.

4

δόμοι λίθινοι κραταιοὶ τρεῖς καὶ δόμος ξύλινος εἷς καὶ ἡ δαπάνη ἐξ οἴκου τοῦ βασιλέως δοθήσεται

and three strong stone chambers and one wooden chamber, and the expense from the house of the king shall be given

5

and the vessels of the house of God, the silver and the gold ones, which Nabouchodonosor brought out from the house that is in Jerusalem and carried into Babylon, let them be given back and let them go to the temple that is in Jerusalem, to the place where it was placed in the house of God

6

δώσετε ἔπαρχοι πέραν τοῦ ποταμοῦ Σαθαρβουζανα καὶ οἱ σύνδουλοι αὐτῶν Αφαρσαχαῖοι οἱ ἐν πέρα τοῦ ποταμοῦ μακρὰν ὄντες ἐκεῖθεν

Now, governors beyond the River, Satharbouzana, and their fellow servants, the Apharsachaeans, who are on the other side of the River, being far away from there

7

Let the work of the house of God alone, you rulers of the Jews and the elders of the Jews, let them build that house of God on its place.

8

And from me a decree was set, that you should in no way do anything with the elders of the Jews to build that house of God there, and from the possessions of the king, from the taxes beyond the river, expense be carefully given to those men, so that it might not be hindered

9

And whatever is needed, and sons of cattle and of rams and lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, oil, according to the word of the priests who are in Jerusalem, let it be given to them day by day, whatever they may ask for.

10

ὦσιν προσφέροντες εὐωδίας τῷ θεῷ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ προσεύχωνται εἰς ζωὴν τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ

so that they may be offering sweet-smelling offerings to the God of heaven and may pray for the life of the king and of his sons

11

And from me a decree was set, that every man who shall alter this word, a timber shall be taken down from his house, and being lifted up he shall be fastened on it, and his house shall be made a dunghill because of me.

12

And God, whose name dwells there, will overthrow every king and people who will stretch out his hand to change or to destroy that house of God, that one in Jerusalem; I Darius have set forth a decree: it shall be carried out carefully.

13

Θανθαναι ἔπαρχος πέραν τοῦ ποταμοῦ Σαθαρβουζανα καὶ οἱ σύνδουλοι αὐτοῦ πρὸς ὃ ἀπέστειλεν Δαρεῖος ὁ βασιλεὺς οὕτως ἐποίησαν ἐπιμελῶς

Then Tattenai, the governor beyond the River, Satharbouzana, and his fellow servants, to whom King Darius had sent, did thus diligently.

14

And the elders of the Jews were building, and the Levites, in the prophecy of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo, and they rebuilt and finished, according to the decision of the God of Israel and according to the decision of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes, kings of the Persians

15

ἐτέλεσαν τὸν οἶκον τοῦτον ἕως ἡμέρας τρίτης μηνὸς Αδαρ ὅ ἐστιν ἔτος ἕκτον τῇ βασιλείᾳ Δαρείου τοῦ βασιλέως

And they finished this house until the third day of the month Adar, which is the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king

16

And the sons of Israel, the priests and the Levites and the rest of the sons of the exile, made the dedication of the house of God with gladness

17

And they brought for the dedication of the house of God one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and twelve male goats as a sin offering for all Israel, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.

18

And they set the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their portions for the service of the God who is in Jerusalem, according to the writing of the book of Moses

19

ἐποίησαν οἱ υἱοὶ τῆς ἀποικεσίας τὸ πασχα τῇ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτῃ τοῦ μηνὸς τοῦ πρώτου

And the sons of the exile kept the Passover on the fourteenth of the first month.

20

For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves, all of them as one, clean, and they slaughtered the passover for all the sons of the exile and for their brothers the priests and for themselves

21

And the sons of Israel ate the Passover, those from the exile and everyone separating himself from the uncleanness of the nations of the land to them, to seek the Lord God of Israel.

22

And they kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with gladness, because the Lord had gladdened them and had turned the heart of the king of Asshur toward them, to strengthen their hands in the works of the house of God, Israel.