¹Ali kada su čuli Judini i Benjaminovi neprijatelji da povratnici iz sužanjstva grade svetište Jahvi, Bogu Izraelovu,

¹And the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity were building the temple to Jehovah the God of Israel;

²potražiše Zerubabela, Ješuu i glavare obiteljske i rekoše im: "Mi želimo s vama graditi, jer, kao i vi, tražimo Boga vašega i njemu prinosimo žrtve od vremena Esar Hadona, asirskoga kralja, koji nas je ovamo doveo."

²and they came to Zerubbabel and to the chief fathers, and said to them, We would build with you; for we seek your God, as ye; and we have sacrificed to him since the days of Esar-haddon king of Assyria, who brought us up hither.

³Zerubabel, Ješua i glavari izraelskih obitelji odgovoriše im: "Nije na vama da s nama gradite Dom našemu Bogu: gradit ćemo mi sami Jahvi, Bogu Izraelovu, kako nam je naredio Kir, kralj perzijski."

³But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the chief fathers of Israel said to them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build a house to our God, but we alone will build to Jehovah the God of Israel, as king Cyrus, the king of Persia, has commanded us.

⁴Tada je narod one zemlje plašio ljude Judeje i smetao im u gradnji.

⁴And the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building;

⁵Podmitili su savjetnike da im ometaju naum: tako je bilo za vrijeme perzijskoga kralja Kira sve do perzijskoga kralja Darija. Samarijanske smetnje za Kserksove i Artakserksove vladavine

⁵and they hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

⁶Za Kserksova kraljevanja, na početku njegove vladavine, sastaviše tužbu protiv stanovnika Judeje i Jeruzalema.

⁶And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

⁷I za vremena Artakserksova pisali su Bišlam, Mitredat, Tabel i ostali njihovi drugovi protiv Jeruzalema perzijskom kralju Artakserksu. Podnesak je bio pisan aramejskim pismom i jezikom.

⁷And in the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his companions, wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in Aramaic, and interpreted in Aramaic.

⁸Zatim su upravitelj Rehum i tajnik Šimšaj napisali kralju Artakserksu slijedeće pismo protiv Jeruzalema -

⁸Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king after this sort:

⁹upravitelj Rehum, tajnik Šimšaj i ostali drugovi njihovi: perzijski suci, poslanici, činovnici; Arkevajci, Babilonci, Suzanci - to jest Elamci -

⁹Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions, the Dinaites, and the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Shushanchites, the Dehaites, the Elamites,

¹⁰i ostali narodi koje je veliki i slavni Asurbanipal bio odveo u sužanjstvo i naselio ih u gradove Samarije i druge krajeve s onu stranu Rijeke.

¹⁰and the rest of the peoples whom the great and noble Osnappar brought over and settled in the cities of Samaria, and the rest [of the country] on this side the river, and so forth.

¹¹Evo prijepisa pisma koje su mu poslali: "Kralju Artakserksu, tvoje sluge, ljudi s onu stranu Rijeke. Sada, dakle,

¹¹This is the copy of the letter that they sent to him: To Artaxerxes the king: Thy servants the men on this side the river, and so forth.

¹²neka zna kralj da su Judejci stigli k nama od tebe; došavši u Jeruzalem, žele ponovo sagraditi odmetnički i opaki grad; podižu zidine, a temelje su već postavili.

¹²Be it known to the king that the Jews who came up from thee unto us have come to Jerusalem; they are building the rebellious and the bad city, and they complete the walls and join up the foundations.

¹³Neka zna kralj: ako ovaj grad bude sagrađen i zidovi podignuti, neće se više plaćati porez, ni danak, ni carina, i ovaj će grad biti na štetu kraljevske riznice.

¹³Be it known therefore unto the king, that, if this city be built and the walls be completed, they will not pay tribute, tax, and toll, and in the end it will bring damage to the kings.

¹⁴Budući da jedemo dvorsku sol, ne čini nam se doličnim gledati ovu sramotu nanesenu kralju. Zato, dakle, obavještavamo kralja:

¹⁴Now, since we eat the salt of the palace, and it is not right for us to see the king's injury, therefore have we sent and informed the king;

¹⁵neka se poduzmu istraživanja u ljetopisima tvojih očeva: u tim ćeš ljetopisima naći i utvrditi da je ovaj grad odmetnički grad, nesretan za kraljeve i pokrajine i da su se u njemu od davnine dizale bune. Zato je ovaj grad bio razoren.

¹⁵that search may be made in the book of the annals of thy fathers: so shalt thou find in the book of the annals and know that this city is a rebellious city, which has done damage to kings and provinces, and that they have raised sedition within the same of old time, for which cause this city was destroyed.

¹⁶Obavješćujemo kralja da neće biti više tvoje područje preko Rijeke ako ovaj grad bude ponovo sagrađen i zidovi podignuti!"

¹⁶We inform the king that if this city be built and its walls be completed, by this means thou shalt have no portion on this side the river.

¹⁷Kralj je poslao ovaj odgovor: "Rehumu, upravitelju, Šimšaju, tajniku, i ostalim drugovima njihovim koji borave u Samariji i drugdje, s onu stranu Rijeke - mir! Evo,

¹⁷The king sent an answer to Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions that dwell in Samaria, and the other places beyond the river: Peace, and so forth.

¹⁸podnesak koji ste mi poslali bio je preda mnom pričitan u njegovu prijevodu.

¹⁸The letter that ye sent to us has been read before me distinctly.

¹⁹Po mojoj su naredbi poduzeli istraživanja i utvrdili da se taj grad dizao od davnine protiv kraljeva i da su u njemu bivali ustanci i bune.

¹⁹And I gave orders, and search has been made, and it has been found that this city of old time has made insurrection against the kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been raised therein.

²⁰I moćni su kraljevi kraljevali u Jeruzalemu, koji su gospodarili svime s onu stranu Rijeke: njima se plaćao danak, porez i carina.

²⁰And there have been mighty kings over Jerusalem, who have ruled over all beyond the river; and tribute, tax, and toll were paid to them.

²¹Zapovjedite, dakle, da se prekine pothvat onih ljudi: taj se grad neće zidati dok ja o tome ne odlučim.

²¹Now give order to make these men to cease, and that this city be not built, until the order shall be given from me;

²²Čuvajte se svakog propusta u postupku, da ne bi zlo poraslo na štetu kraljeva."

²²and take heed that ye fail not to do this: why should harm grow to the damage of the kings?

²³Pošto je prijepis otpisa kralja Artakserksa pročitan pred Rehumom, upraviteljem, Šimšajem, tajnikom, i pred njihovim drugovima, oni brzo odoše u Jeruzalem k Judejcima te im oružanom snagom zabraniše radove.

²³As soon as the copy of king Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem to the Jews, and made them cease by force and power.

²⁴Tako su obustavljeni poslovi oko gradnje Doma Božjega u Jeruzalemu. Bili su prekinuti sve do druge godine kraljevanja Darija, perzijskoga kralja.

²⁴Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem; and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.