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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

⁶And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote 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, 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.

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

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

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

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,

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

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.

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

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.

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 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.

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

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.

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

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;

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

¹⁸tsamba yamakatitumira, ndairavirwa zvakanaka.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.