¹Zvino vadzivisi vavaJudha navaBhenjamini vakati vachinzwa kuti vatapwa vavakira Jehovha Mwari waIsiraeri temberi;

¹And adversaries of Judah and Benjamin hear that the sons of the captivity are building a temple to Jehovah, God of Israel,

²vakaswedera kuna Zerubhabheri, nokuvakuru vedzimba dzamadzibaba, vakati kwavari, Ngativake nemi, nekuti tinotsvaka Mwari wenyu, semiwo; tinomubayira kubva pamazuva aEsarihadhoni mambo waAsiria, wakatisvitsa pano.

²and they draw nigh unto Zerubbabel, and unto heads of the fathers, and say to them, `Let us build with you; for, like you, we seek to your God, and we are not sacrificing since the days of Esar-Haddon king of Asshur, who brought us up hither.`

³Asi Zerubhabheri, naJeshua, navamwe vakuru vedzimba dzamadzibaba aIsiraeri vakati kwavari, Imi hamungatongobatsirani nesu pakuvakira Mwari wedu imba; asi isu toga tichavakira Jehovha Mwari waIsiraeri, sezvatakarairwa namambo Koreshi mambo wePerisia.

³And Zerubbabel saith to them, also Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of the fathers of Israel, `Not for you, and for us, to build a house to our God; but we ourselves together do build to Jehovah God of Israel, as the king Cyrus, king of Persia, commanded us.`

⁴Ipapo vanhu venyika iyo vakashaisa maoko avanhu vaJudha simba, vakavatambudza pakuvaka;

⁴And it cometh to pass, the people of the land are making the hands of the people of Judah feeble, and troubling them in building,

⁵vakaripira vanhu vokuvaraira, kuti vakanganise zvavakanga vachida kuita, mazuva ose aKoreshi mambo wePerisia, kusvikira Dhariusi mambo wePerisia achizobata ushe.

⁵and are hiring against them counsellors to make void their counsel all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even till the reign of Darius king of Persia.

⁶Zvino Ahasheroshi akati obata ushe, vakanyora tsamba yokukwirira vakanga vagere kwaJudha neJerusaremu.

⁶And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the commencement of his reign, they have written an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem;

⁷Zvino pamazuva aAritashasita, Bhishirami, naMitiredhati, naTabheeri nedzimwe shamwari dzake, vakanyorera Aritashasita mambo wePerisia; iyo tsamba yakanga yakanyorwa namabhii echiAramia, nokududzirwawo nechiAramia.

⁷and in the days of Artaxerxes have Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his companions written unto Artaxerxes king of Persia, and the writing of the letter is written in Aramaean, and interpreted in Aramaean.

⁸Rehumi mukuru naShimishai munyori vakanyorera mambo Aritashasita tsamba yokukwirira veJerusaremu yaiti,

⁸Rehum counsellor, and Shimshai scribe have written a letter concerning Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king, thus:

⁹Rehumi mukuru, naShimishai munyori, namamwe makurukota avo, ivo vaDhinai, navaAfarisatiki, navaTariperi, navaAfarisi, navaArikevhi, navaBhabhironi, navaShushaniki, navaDhehai, navaErami,

⁹Then Rehum counsellor, and Shimshai scribe, and the rest of their companions, Dinaites, and Apharsathchites, Tarpelites, Apharsites, Archevites, Babylonians, Susanchites, (who are Elamites),

¹⁰nedzimwe ndudzi dzakauya naOsinapari mukuru wakakurumbira, dzikaiswa paguta reSamaria, napanamamwe mativi enyika mhiri korwizi, namamwe mashoko akadai.

¹⁰and the rest of the nations that the great and honourable Asnapper removed and set in the city of Samaria, and the rest beyond the river, and at such a time:

¹¹Ndicho chikoponorwa chetsamba yavakatuma kuna mambo Aritashasita , Varanda venyu, ivo varume vari mhiri korwizi, namamwe, mashoko akadai.

¹¹This [is] a copy of a letter that they have sent unto him, unto Artaxerxes the king: `Thy servants, men beyond the river, and at such a time;

¹²Mambo ngaaziviswe kuti vaJudha, vakabva kwenyu vakasvika kuno kwatiri paJerusaremu, vovaka guta rokumukira mambo, rakaipa; vapedza masvingo, nokugadzira nheyo.

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

¹³Zvino mambo ngaaziviswe, kuti kana guta iri rikavakwa, namasvingo aro akapera, havangabudisi mutero, kana zvipo, kana muripo wenzira, pashure uchatadzira homwe yamadzimambo.

¹³`Now, be it known to the king, that if this city be builded, and the walls finished, toll, tribute, and custom they do not give; and at length [to] the kings it doth cause loss.

¹⁴Zvino isu, zvatinodya munyu unobva paimba yamambo, uye zvatisingafaniri kuona mambo achininipiswa, tatuma tsamba kuzozivisa mambo;

¹⁴Now, because that the salt of the palace [is] our salt, and the nakedness of the king we have no patience to see, therefore we have sent and made known to the king;

¹⁵kuti vanzvere pabhuku yenhau yamadzibaba enyu; muchaona mubhuku yenhau, kuti guta iri raimukira mambo, raitadzira madzimambo nenyika, uye kuti mukati maro vairamba vachimukira madzimambo kubva kare nakare. Guta iri rakaparadzwa nemhaka iyo.

¹⁵so that he doth seek in the book of the records of thy fathers, and thou dost find in the book of the records, and dost know, that this city [is] a rebellious city, and causing loss [to] kings and provinces, and makers of sedition [are] in its midst from the days of old, therefore hath this city been wasted.

¹⁶Tinozivisa mambo kuti kana guta iri rikavakwazve, namasvingo akapera, nemhaka iyo hamungazovi nomugove mhiri korwizi.

¹⁶We are making known to the king that, if this city be builded and the walls finished, by this means a portion beyond the river thou hast none.`

¹⁷Ipapo mambo akatuma mhinduro kuna Rehumi mukuru, naShimishai munyori, nedzimwe shamwari dzavo dzaigara Samaria napamwe mhiri korwizi, achiti, Rugare ngaruve nemi, namamwe mashoko akadai.

¹⁷An answer hath the king sent unto Rehum counsellor, and Shimshai scribe, and the rest of their companions who are dwelling in Samaria, and the rest beyond the river, `Peace, and at such a time:

¹⁸tsamba yamakatitumira, ndairavirwa zvakanaka.

¹⁸The letter that ye sent unto us, explained, hath been read before me,

¹⁹Ndikaraira, vakanzvera vakaona kuti guta iri raimukira madzimambo kubva kare nakare, uye kuti mukati maro maiva nokumukira mambo nokurangana zvakaipa.

¹⁹and by me a decree hath been made, and they sought, and have found that this city from the days of old against kings is lifting up itself, and rebellion and sedition is made in it,

²⁰Uye madzimambo ane simba aivapo paJerusaremu, aibata ushe ose pamhiri porwizi; ivo vaibudisirwa mutero, nezvipo, nomuripo wenzira.

²⁰and mighty kings have been over Jerusalem, even rulers over all beyond the river, and toll, tribute, and custom is given to them.

²¹Zvino temai chirevo chokuti vanhu avo varege basa ravo, guta iri rirege kuvakwa, kusvikira ini ndatema chirevo.

²¹`Now, make ye a decree to cause these men to cease, and this city is not builded, till by me a decree is made.

²²Chenjerai, musanonoka pachinhu ichi; chakaipa chichakurireiko, kuzotadzira madzimambo?

²²And beware ye of negligence in doing this; why doth the hurt become great to the loss of the kings?`

²³Zvino mashoko etsamba yamambo Aritashasita akati aravirwa Rehumi, naShimishai munyori, namakurukota avo, vakakurumidza kuenda Jerusaremu kuvaJudha, vakavadzivisa nokumanikidza nesimba.

²³Then from the time that a copy of the letter of king Artaxerxes is read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they have gone in haste to Jerusalem, unto the Jews, and caused them to cease by force and strength;

²⁴Ipapo basa reimba yaMwari paJerusaremu rakaregwa; rikaregwa kusvikira pagore rechipiri rokubata ushe kwaDhariusi mambo wePerisia.

²⁴then ceased the service of the house of God that [is] in Jerusalem, and it ceased till the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.