¹Zvino vaporofita, vaiti muporofita Hagai, naZekariya mwanakomana waIdho, vakaporofitira vaJudha vakanga vari paJudha neJerusaremu; vakaporofitira nezita raMwari waIsiraeri.

¹And prophesied have the prophets, (Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah son of Iddo) unto the Jews who [are] in Judah and in Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel — unto them.

²Ipapo Zerubhabheri mwanakomana waShearitieri, naJeshua mwanakomana waJozadhaki, vakasimuka, vakatanga kuvaka imba yaMwari paJerusaremu; vaporofita vaMwari, vakanga vanavo, vachivabatsira.

²Then have Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua son of Jozadak, risen, and begun to build the house of God, that [is] in Jerusalem, and with them are the prophets of God supporting them.

³Zvino panguva iyo Tatenai, mubati wenyika mhiri korwizi, naShetaribhozenai, namakurukota avo vakasvika kwavari, vakati kwavari, Makarairwa nani kuvaka imba iyi, nokupedza rusvingo urwu here?

³At that time come to them hath Tatnai, governor beyond the river, and Shethar-Boznai, and their companions, and thus they are saying to them, `Who hath made for you a decree this house to build, and this wall to finish?`

⁴Ipapo vakataurawo navo, vakati, Mazita avarume vanovaka imba iyi ndivanaani ?

⁴Then thus we have said to them, `What [are] the names of the men who are building this building?`

⁵Asi ziso raMwari wavo rakanga rakatarira vakuru vavaJudha, havana kuvaregesa basa, kusvikira mhaka yaiswa kuna Dhariusi nemhinduro pamusoro payo ichizodzoka netsamba.

⁵And the eye of their God hath been upon the elders of the Jews, and they have not caused them to cease till the matter goeth to Darius, and then they send back a letter concerning this thing.

⁶Ndiwo mashoko etsamba yakatumirwa mambo Dhariusi naTatenai mubati mhiri korwizi, naShetaribhozenai, nemakurukota ake vaAfarishaki, vakanga vari mhiri korwizi;

⁶The copy of a letter that Tatnai, governor beyond the river, hath sent, and Shethar-Boznai and his companions, the Apharsachites who [are] beyond the river, unto Darius the king.

⁷vakamutumira tsamba makanga makanyorwa kudai, Kuna mambo Dhariusi, rugare rwose ngaruve nemi.

⁷A letter they have sent unto him, and thus is it written in it:

⁸Mambo ngaaziviswe kuti takaenda kurutivi rwenyika yaJudha, kuimba yaMwari mukuru, inovakwa namabwe makuru, uye matanda anoiswa mumasvingo, basa iri rinoshingairirwa, rinopfuurira mberi zvakanaka pamaoko avo.

⁸`To Darius the king, all peace! be it known to the king that we have gone to the province of Judah, to the great house of God, and it is built [with] rolled stones, and wood is placed in the walls, and this work is done speedily, and prospering in their hand.

⁹Zvino takabvunza vakuru ivavo, tikati kwavari, Ndianiko wakakurairai kuvaka imba iyi nokupedza rusvingo urwu?

⁹Then we have asked of these elders, thus we have said to them, Who hath made for you a decree this house to build, and this wall to finish?

¹⁰Takavabvunzawo mazita avo, kuti tikuzivisei, tinyore mazita avarume vanovatungamirira.

¹⁰And also their names we have asked of them, to let thee know, that we might write the names of the men who [are] at their head.

¹¹Vakapindura vachiti, Isu tiri varanda vaMwari wokudenga napasi, tinovaka imba yakadeya kuvakwa makore mazhinji akapfuura, yakavakwa nomumwe mambo mukuru waIsiraeri, ikapera.

¹¹`And thus they have returned us word, saying, We [are] servants of the God of heaven and earth, and are building the house that was built many years before this, that a great king of Israel built and finished:

¹²Asi madzibaba edu akati atsamwisa Mwari wokudenga, iye akavaisa mumaoko aNebhukadhenezari mambo weBhabhironi, muKaradhea; iye akaparadza imba ino, akatapa vanhu, ndokuenda navo Bhabhironi.

¹²but after that our fathers made the God of heaven angry, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon the Chaldean, and this house he destroyed, and the people he removed to Babylon;

¹³Asi negore rokutanga raKoreshi mambo weBhabhironi, mambo Koreshi akaraira, kuti imba ino yaMwari ivakwe.

¹³but in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree to build this house of God,

¹⁴Nemidziyo yendarama neyesirivha yeimba yaMwari, yakanga yatorwa naNebhukadhinezari patemberi yaiva Jerusaremu, ikaiswa mutemberi yeBhabhironi, mambo Koreshi akabvisa izvozvo mutemberi yeBhabhironi, zvikapiwa mumwe wainzi Sheshibhazari, waakanga aita mubati;

¹⁴and also, the vessels of the house of God, of gold and silver, that Nebuchadnezzar had taken forth out of the temple that [is] in Jerusalem, and brought them to the temple of Babylon, them hath Cyrus the king brought forth out of the temple of Babylon, and they have been given to [one], Sheshbazzar [is] his name, whom he made governor,

¹⁵akati kwaari, Tora midziyo iyi, undoiisa mutemberi iri Jerusaremu, imba yaMwari ivakwe panzvimbo yayo.

¹⁵and said to him, These vessels lift up, go, put them down in the temple that [is] in Jerusalem, and the house of God is builded on its place.

¹⁶Ipapo uyu Sheshibhazari wakauya, akateya nheyo dzeimba yaMwari iri Jerusaremu; zvino kubva panguva iyo kusvikira zvino yakaramba ichivakwa, nazvino ichigere kupera.

¹⁶Then hath this Sheshbazzar come — he hath laid the foundations of the house of God that [is] in Jerusalem, and from thence even till now it hath been building, and is not finished.

¹⁷Naizvozvo zvino, kana mambo achifara nazvo, ngavanzvere muimba yefuma yamambo iri Bhabhironi, vawone kana zviri izvo, kana mambo Koreshi akaraira kuti imba ino yaMwari ivakwe Jerusaremu, mambo agotizivisa kuda kwake pamusoro pemhaka iyi.

¹⁷`And now, if to the king it be good, let search be made in the treasure-house of the king, that [is] there in Babylon, whether it be that of Cyrus the king there was made a decree to build this house of God in Jerusalem, and the will of the king concerning this thing he doth send unto us.`