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;

¹Ali kada su čuli Judini i Benjaminovi neprijatelji da povratnici iz sužanjstva grade svetište Jahvi, Bogu Izraelovu,

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.”

²potražiše Zerubabela, Ješuu i glavare obiteljske i rekoše im: "Mi želimo s vama graditi, jer, kao i vi, tražimo Boga vašega i njemu prinosimo žrtve od vremena Esar Hadona, asirskoga kralja, koji nas je ovamo doveo."

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.”

³Zerubabel, Ješua i glavari izraelskih obitelji odgovoriše im: "Nije na vama da s nama gradite Dom našemu Bogu: gradit ćemo mi sami Jahvi, Bogu Izraelovu, kako nam je naredio Kir, kralj perzijski."

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

⁴Tada je narod one zemlje plašio ljude Judeje i smetao im u gradnji.

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.

⁵Podmitili su savjetnike da im ometaju naum: tako je bilo za vrijeme perzijskoga kralja Kira sve do perzijskoga kralja Darija. Samarijanske smetnje za Kserksove i Artakserksove vladavine

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

⁶Za Kserksova kraljevanja, na početku njegove vladavine, sastaviše tužbu protiv stanovnika Judeje i Jeruzalema.

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.

⁷I za vremena Artakserksova pisali su Bišlam, Mitredat, Tabel i ostali njihovi drugovi protiv Jeruzalema perzijskom kralju Artakserksu. Podnesak je bio pisan aramejskim pismom i jezikom.

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

⁸Zatim su upravitelj Rehum i tajnik Šimšaj napisali kralju Artakserksu slijedeće pismo protiv Jeruzalema -

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,

⁹upravitelj Rehum, tajnik Šimšaj i ostali drugovi njihovi: perzijski suci, poslanici, činovnici; Arkevajci, Babilonci, Suzanci - to jest Elamci -

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.

¹⁰i ostali narodi koje je veliki i slavni Asurbanipal bio odveo u sužanjstvo i naselio ih u gradove Samarije i druge krajeve s onu stranu Rijeke.

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

¹¹Evo prijepisa pisma koje su mu poslali: "Kralju Artakserksu, tvoje sluge, ljudi s onu stranu Rijeke. Sada, dakle,

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.

¹²neka zna kralj da su Judejci stigli k nama od tebe; došavši u Jeruzalem, žele ponovo sagraditi odmetnički i opaki grad; podižu zidine, a temelje su već postavili.

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.

¹³Neka zna kralj: ako ovaj grad bude sagrađen i zidovi podignuti, neće se više plaćati porez, ni danak, ni carina, i ovaj će grad biti na štetu kraljevske riznice.

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;

¹⁴Budući da jedemo dvorsku sol, ne čini nam se doličnim gledati ovu sramotu nanesenu kralju. Zato, dakle, obavještavamo kralja:

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.

¹⁵neka se poduzmu istraživanja u ljetopisima tvojih očeva: u tim ćeš ljetopisima naći i utvrditi da je ovaj grad odmetnički grad, nesretan za kraljeve i pokrajine i da su se u njemu od davnine dizale bune. Zato je ovaj grad bio razoren.

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.

¹⁶Obavješćujemo kralja da neće biti više tvoje područje preko Rijeke ako ovaj grad bude ponovo sagrađen i zidovi podignuti!"

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.

¹⁷Kralj je poslao ovaj odgovor: "Rehumu, upravitelju, Šimšaju, tajniku, i ostalim drugovima njihovim koji borave u Samariji i drugdje, s onu stranu Rijeke - mir! Evo,

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

¹⁸podnesak koji ste mi poslali bio je preda mnom pričitan u njegovu prijevodu.

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.

¹⁹Po mojoj su naredbi poduzeli istraživanja i utvrdili da se taj grad dizao od davnine protiv kraljeva i da su u njemu bivali ustanci i bune.

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.

²⁰I moćni su kraljevi kraljevali u Jeruzalemu, koji su gospodarili svime s onu stranu Rijeke: njima se plaćao danak, porez i carina.

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.

²¹Zapovjedite, dakle, da se prekine pothvat onih ljudi: taj se grad neće zidati dok ja o tome ne odlučim.

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

²²Čuvajte se svakog propusta u postupku, da ne bi zlo poraslo na štetu kraljeva."

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.

²³Pošto je prijepis otpisa kralja Artakserksa pročitan pred Rehumom, upraviteljem, Šimšajem, tajnikom, i pred njihovim drugovima, oni brzo odoše u Jeruzalem k Judejcima te im oružanom snagom zabraniše radove.

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.

²⁴Tako su obustavljeni poslovi oko gradnje Doma Božjega u Jeruzalemu. Bili su prekinuti sve do druge godine kraljevanja Darija, perzijskoga kralja.