¹فتنبأ النبيان حجي النبي وزكريا ابن عدّو لليهود الذين في يهوذا واورشليم باسم اله اسرائيل عليهم.

¹Now the prophets, Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem; in the name of the God of Israel [did they prophesy] to them.

²حينئذ قام زربابل بن شألتئيل ويشوع بن يوصاداق وشرعا ببنيان بيت الله الذي في اورشليم ومعهما انبياء الله يساعدونهما.

²Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem; and with them were the prophets of God, who helped them.

³في ذلك الزمان جاء اليهم تتناي والي عبر النهر وشتر بوزناي ورفقاؤهما وقالوا لهم هكذا. من أمركم ان تبنوا هذا البيت وتكملوا هذا السور.

³At that time came to them Tatnai, governor on this side the river, and Shethar-boznai, and their companions, and said thus to them: Who gave you orders to build this house and to complete this wall?

⁴حينئذ اخبرناهم على هذا المنوال ما هي اسماء الرجال الذين يبنون هذا البناء.

⁴And they said to them after this manner: What are the names of the men that build this building?

⁵وكانت على شيوخ اليهود عين الههم فلم يوقفوهم حتى وصل الأمر الى داريوس وحينئذ جاوبوا برسالة عن هذا.

⁵But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, and they did not make them cease till the matter came to Darius; and then they returned answer by letter concerning it.

⁶صورة الرسالة التي ارسلها تتناي والي عبر النهر وشتر بوزناي ورفقاؤهما الافرسكيين الذين في عبر النهر الى داريوس الملك.

⁶The copy of the letter that Tatnai, governor on this side the river, and Shethar-boznai, and his companions the Apharsachites, who were on this side the river, sent to Darius the king.

⁷ارسلوا اليه رسالة وكان مكتوبا فيها هكذا لداريوس الملك كل سلام.

⁷They sent a report to him in which was written thus: To Darius the king, all peace!

⁸ليكن معلوما لدى الملك اننا ذهبنا الى بلاد يهوذا الى بيت الاله العظيم واذا به يبنى بحجارة عظيمة ويوضع خشب في الحيطان وهذا العمل يعمل بسرعة وينجح في ايديهم.

⁸Be it known to the king that we went into the province of Judah, to the house of the great God, which is being built with great stones, and timber is laid in the walls, and this work is being carried on with diligence, and prospers in their hand.

⁹حينئذ سألنا اولئك الشيوخ وقلنا لهم هكذا. من أمركم ببناء هذا البيت وتكميل هذه الاسوار.

⁹Then asked we those elders: thus we said to them, Who gave you orders to build this house and to complete this wall?

¹⁰وسألناهم ايضا عن اسمائهم لنعلمك وكتبنا اسماء الرجال رؤوسهم.

¹⁰We asked their names also, to inform thee, that we might write the names of the men that were the chief of them.

¹¹وبمثل هذا الجواب جاوبوا قائلين نحن عبيد اله السماء والارض ونبني هذا البيت الذي بني قبل هذه السنين الكثيرة وقد بناه ملك عظيم لاسرائيل واكمله

¹¹And thus they returned us answer, saying, We are the servants of the God of the heavens and the earth, and build the house that was built these many years ago; and a great king of Israel built and completed it.

¹²ولكن بعد ان اسخط آباؤنا اله السماء دفعهم ليد نبوخذناصّر ملك بابل الكلداني الذي هدم هذا البيت وسبى الشعب الى بابل.

¹²But after that our fathers had provoked the God of the heavens to wrath, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, and he destroyed this house, and carried the people away unto Babylon.

¹³على انه في السنة الاولى لكورش ملك بابل اصدر كورش الملك أمرا ببناء بيت الله هذا.

¹³But in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, king Cyrus gave orders to build this house of God.

¹⁴حتى ان آنية بيت الله هذا التي من ذهب وفضة التي اخرجها نبوخذناصّر من الهيكل الذي في اورشليم واتى بها الى الهيكل الذي في بابل اخرجها كورش الملك من الهيكل الذي في بابل وأعطيت لواحد اسمه شيشبصّر الذي جعله واليا.

¹⁴And the vessels also of gold and silver of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that was at Jerusalem and brought into the temple of Babylon, those did king Cyrus take out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered to one Sheshbazzar by name, whom he had appointed governor.

¹⁵وقال له خذ هذه الآنية واذهب واحملها الى الهيكل الذي في اورشليم وليبن بيت الله في مكانه.

¹⁵And he said to him, Take these vessels, go, carry them into the temple that is at Jerusalem, and let the house of God be built in its place.

¹⁶حينئذ جاء شيشبصّر هذا ووضع اساس بيت الله الذي في اورشليم ومن ذلك الوقت الى الآن يبنى ولمّا يكمل.

¹⁶Then came the same Sheshbazzar, [and] laid the foundation of the house of God which is at Jerusalem; and since that time even until now has it been in building, and it is not completed.

¹⁷والآن اذا حسن عند الملك فليفتش في بيت خزائن الملك الذي هو هناك في بابل هل كان قد صدر أمر من كورش الملك ببناء بيت الله هذا في اورشليم وليرسل الملك الينا مراده في ذلك

¹⁷And now, if it seem good to the king, let search be made in the king's treasure-house, which is there at Babylon, whether it be so, that orders were given by king Cyrus to build this house of God at Jerusalem; and let the king send his pleasure to us concerning this matter.