¹Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity were building a temple to Yahweh, the God of Israel;

¹重建圣殿的工作受拦阻

²then they drew near to Zerubbabel, and to the heads of fathers’ households, and said to them, “Let us build with you; for we seek your God, as you do; and we sacrifice to him since the days of Esar Haddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here.”

²就前来见所罗巴伯和众族长，对他们说：“请让我们与你们一起建造吧！因为我们也像你们那样寻求你们的　神。自从亚述王以撒哈顿把我们带上这里的日子以来，我们一直向他献祭。”

³But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers’ households of Israel, said to them, “You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves together will build to Yahweh, the God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”

³但所罗巴伯、耶书亚和以色列其余的族长对他们说：“你们不能与我们一同建筑　神的殿，因为波斯王古列王吩咐我们自己为耶和华以色列的　神建殿。”

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

⁴于是那地方的居民使犹大人的手发软，惊扰他们的建筑工程。

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

⁵又在波斯王古列的日子，直到波斯王大利乌在位的时候，常常贿买参谋，来敌对犹大人，要破坏他们的建殿计划。

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

⁶敌人上奏控告犹大人亚哈随鲁在位的初期，他们写了诉状，控告犹大和耶路撒冷的居民。

⁷In the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his companions, to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in Syrian, and set forth in the Syrian language.

⁷在亚达薛西年间，比施兰、米特利达、他别和其余的同僚，也上书给波斯王亚达薛西，反对耶路撒冷人，奏文是用亚兰文写成，也用亚兰语译出。

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

⁸省长利宏和秘书伸帅写奏本给亚达薛西王，控告耶路撒冷。奏文如下：

⁹then Rehum 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,

⁹省长利宏、秘书伸帅和他们其余的同僚：法官、钦差、议员、官长（“法官、钦差、议员、官长”或译：“底拿人、亚法萨提迦人、他毗拉人、亚法撒人”），亚基卫人、巴比伦人、书珊人，就是以拦人，

¹⁰and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar brought over, and set in the city of Samaria, and in the rest of the country beyond the River, and so forth, wrote.

¹⁰还有伟大尊贵的亚斯那巴掳来，安置在撒玛利亚城和河西那边其余地方的居民，呈上奏文。

¹¹This is the copy of the letter that they sent to Artaxerxes the king: Your servants the men beyond the River, and so forth.

¹¹这就是他们呈给亚达薛西王的奏文副本：“你的臣仆，就是河西那边的人，上奏亚达薛西王：

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

¹²奏知大王：从你那里上到我们这里来的犹大人，已经到了耶路撒冷这座叛逆和邪恶的城；他们进行建造，并且已经修好根基，开始建造城墙。

¹³Be it known now to the king that if this city is built, and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and in the end it will be hurtful to the kings.

¹³现在奏知大王：如果这城建成，墙垣筑好，他们就不再缴税、进贡和纳粮，王的国库收入必定受损。

¹⁴Now because we eat the salt of the palace, and it is not appropriate for us to see the king’s dishonor, therefore have we sent and informed the king;

¹⁴现在我们既食王家的盐，不该见王受剥夺，因此上奏禀告王，

¹⁵that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers: so you shall find in the book of the records, and know that this city is a rebellious city, and hurtful to kings and provinces, and that they have moved sedition within the same of old time; for which cause was this city laid waste.

¹⁵请王查考先王的记录，从记录中查知这城是叛逆的城，对列王和各省都有损害，自古以来，城中常有造反的事，因此这城被拆毁。

¹⁶We inform the king that, if this city be built, and the walls finished, by this means you shall have no portion beyond the River.

¹⁶我们告知王，如果这城建成，墙垣筑好，河西那边的地方就不再是王的了。”

¹⁷Then the king sent an answer to Rehum the chancellor, and to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their companions who dwell in Samaria, and in the rest of the country beyond the River: Peace, and so forth.

¹⁷王降旨下令停工王把谕旨送交省长利宏、秘书伸帅，以及其余住在撒玛利亚和河西的同僚，说：“愿你们平安。

¹⁸The letter which you sent to us has been plainly read before me.

¹⁸你们呈给我们的奏本已经在我面前清楚诵读了。

¹⁹I decreed, and search has been made, and it is found that this city of old time has made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made therein.

¹⁹我下令考查，发现这城自古以来反叛列王，城中常有造反叛乱的事。

²⁰There have been mighty kings also over Jerusalem, who have ruled over all the country beyond the River; and tribute, custom, and toll, was paid to them.

²⁰从前大能的君王统治耶路撒冷，治理河西那边的全地，接受他们缴税、进贡和纳粮。

²¹Make a decree now to cause these men to cease, and that this city not be built, until a decree shall be made by me.

²¹现在你们要下令叫这些人停工，不得重建这城，等候我的谕令。

²²Take heed that you not be slack herein: why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings?

²²你们要留心，不可疏忽这事，使王的亏损增加。”

²³Then when the copy of king Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went in haste to Jerusalem to the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power.

²³当亚达薛西王谕旨的副本在利宏和秘书伸帅，以及他们的同僚面前宣读出来以后，他们就急忙去耶路撒冷到犹大人那里，用武力强迫他们停工。

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

²⁴所以，在耶路撒冷的　神殿的工程就停止了，直到波斯王大利乌在位的第二年。