¹Zvino shure kwaizvozvo, Aritashasita mambo wePerisia achibata ushe, Ezira mwanakomana waSeraya, mwanakomana waAzaria, mwanakomana waHirikia,

¹Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,

²mwanakomana waSharumi, mwanakomana waZadhoki, mwanakomana waAhitubhi,

²The son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub,

³mwanakomana waAmaria, mwanakomana waAzaria, mwanakomana waMerayoti,

³The son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth,

⁴mwanakomana waZerahia, mwanakomana waUzi, mwanakomana waBhuki,

⁴The son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki,

⁵mwanakomana waAbhishua, mwanakomana waPinehasi, mwanakomana waEreazari, mwanakomana waAroni, mupristi mukuru

⁵The son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest:

⁶uyu Ezira akaenda achibva Bhabhironi; iye akanga ari munyori akangwara pamurayiro waMozisi, akanga wapiwa naJehovha Mwari walsiraeri; mambo akamupa zvose zvaakakumbira, nokuda koruoko rwaJehovha rwakanga ruri pamusoro pake.

⁶This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him.

⁷Navamwe vavana vaIsiraeri, navapristi, navaRevhi, navaimbi, navarindi vemikova, navaNetinimi, vakaenda Jerusaremu negore rechinomwe ramambo Aritashasita.

⁷And there went up some of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, unto Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king.

⁸Akasvika Jerusaremu nomwedzi wechishanu pagore rechinomwe ramambo.

⁸And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king.

⁹nekuti akatanga kubva Bhabhironi nezuva rokutanga romwedzi wokutanga, akasvika Jerusaremu nezuva rokutanga romwedzi wechishanu, nokuda koruoko rwakanaka rwaMwari wake rwakanga ruri pamusoro pake.

⁹For upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him.

¹⁰nekuti Ezira akanga ashingaira nomoyo wake wose kutsvaka murayiro waJehovha, nokuuita, nokudzidzisa pakati paIsiraeri zvaakatema nezvaakatonga.

¹⁰For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.

¹¹Zvino ndiwo mashoko etsamba iyo mambo Aritashasita yaakapa Ezira mupristi nomunyori iye munyori wamashoko emirairo yaJehovha nezvaakatemera Isiraeri,

¹¹Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a scribe of the words of the commandments of the LORD, and of his statutes to Israel.

¹²Aritashasita mambo wamadzimambo, kuna Ezira mupristi, munyori womurayiro waMwari wokudenga, rugare rwakakwana, nenguva yakadai.

¹²Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time.

¹³Ini ndinotema chirevo, kuti vanhu vose vaIsiraeri, navapristi vavo, navaRevhi, vari paushe hwangu, vanoda nokuda kwazvo kuenda Jerusaremu, ngavaende havo newe.

¹³I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee.

¹⁴Zvawatumwa namambo namakurukota ake manomwe kundobvunzisisa pamusoro paJudha neJerusaremu, sezvakarehwa nomurayiro waMwari wako uri muruoko rwako.

¹⁴Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king, and of his seven counsellors, to enquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy God which is in thine hand;

¹⁵Nokuenda nesirivha nendarama yakapiwa namambo namakurukota ake nokuda kwavo Mwari waIsiraeri, iye agere Jerusaremu,

¹⁵And to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellors have freely offered unto the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem,

¹⁶nesirivha nendarama yose yaungawana parutivi rwenyika yose yeBhabhironi, pamwechete nezvipo zvavanhu zvavachapa nokuda kwavo, nezvavapristi, zvavachapa imba yaMwari wavo iri paJerusaremu nomoyo yavo;

¹⁶And all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill offering of the people, and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem:

¹⁷zvino unofanira kukurumidza kutenga nemari iyo nzombe, namakondobwe, namakwayana, pamwechete nezvipiriso zvazvo zvoupfu, nezvinodururwa, ugozviisa paaritari paimba yaMwari wenyu iri Jerusaremu.

¹⁷That thou mayest buy speedily with this money bullocks, rams, lambs, with their meat offerings and their drink offerings, and offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem.

¹⁸Kana iri sirivha nendarama yakasara, itai nazvo sezvamunofunga, iwe nehama dzako, sezvinodikamwa naMwari wenyu.

¹⁸And whatsoever shall seem good to thee, and to thy brethren, to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do after the will of your God.

¹⁹Nemidziyo yaunopiwa kundobata nayo paimba yaMwari wako, uiise pamberi paMwari weJerusaremu.

¹⁹The vessels also that are given thee for the service of the house of thy God, those deliver thou before the God of Jerusalem.

²⁰Nezvimwe zvinhu zvipi nezvipi zvinodikamwa paimba yaMwari wako, zvaunofanira kuripa, uzviripe uchitora paimba yefuma yamambo.

²⁰And whatsoever more shall be needful for the house of thy God, which thou shalt have occasion to bestow, bestow it out of the king's treasure house.

²¹Ini, iyeni mambo Aritashasita, ndinoraira vachengeti vose vefuma mhiri korwizi, ndichiti, Zvose Ezira mupristi, munyori womurayiro waMwari wokudenga, zvaanokumbira kwamuri, ngazviitwe nokukurumidza,

²¹And I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers which are beyond the river, that whatsoever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it be done speedily,

²²kusvikira pamatarenda* esirivha ane zana, nezviyero zvine zana zvezviyo, namabhati ewaini ane zana, namabhati amafuta ane zana, nomunyu usingaverengwi.

²²Unto an hundred talents of silver, and to an hundred measures of wheat, and to an hundred baths of wine, and to an hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much.

²³Zvose zvinorairwa naMwari wokudenga, ngazviitirwe zvakanaka imba yaMwari wokudenga; nekuti ushe hwamambo nohwavanakomana vake huchatsamwirweiko?

²³Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven: for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?

²⁴Tinokuzivisaiwo, kuti kana vari vapristi vose, navaRevhi, navaimbi, navarindi vemikova, navaNetinimi, navaranda veimba iyi yaMwari, havangaripiswi mutero, kana zvipo, kana muripo wenzira.

²⁴Also we certify you, that touching any of the priests and Levites, singers, porters, Nethinims, or ministers of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose toll, tribute, or custom, upon them.

²⁵Zvino iwe Ezira, nenjere dzaMwari wako, dzawakapiwa iwe, chigadza vatambi vemhosva, navatongi, vangatongera vanhu vose vari mhiri korwizi mhaka dzavo, vave vanhu vanoziva mirairo yaMwari wako, ugodzidzisa mumwe nomumwe asingaizivi.

²⁵And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that is in thine hand, set magistrates and judges, which may judge all the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God; and teach ye them that know them not.

²⁶Ani naani, asingadi kuita murayiro waMwari wako, nomurayiro wamambo, ngaakurumidze kupiwa mhaka, kana yorufu, kana yokudzingwa kana yokutorerwa nhumbi dzake, kana yokusungwa mutirongo.

²⁶And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether it be unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.

²⁷Jehovha Mwari wamadzibaba edu ngaakudzwe, iye akaisa chinhu chakadai mumoyo wamambo, kuti anatse imba yaJehovha iri Jerusaremu;

²⁷Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem:

²⁸iye akandinzwisa tsitsi pamberi pamambo, napamberi pamakurukota ake, napamberi pamachinda ose ane simba amambo. Ini ndikasimbiswa nekuti ruoko rwaJehovha Mwari wangu rwakanga ruri pamusoro pangu, ndikakoka varume vakuru pakati paIsiraeri, kuti vaende neni.

²⁸And hath extended mercy unto me before the king, and his counsellors, and before all the king's mighty princes. And I was strengthened as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me.