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;

¹Men da Judas og Benjamins Fjender hørte, at de, der havde været i Landflygtighed, byggede HERREN, Israels Gud, en Helligdom,

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.”

²henvendte de sig til Zerubbabel, Jesua og Overhovederne for Fædrenehusene og sagde til dem: Lad os være med til at bygge, thi vi søger eders Gud såvel som I, og ham har vi ofret til, siden Assyrerkongen Asarhaddon førte os herhen!

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.”

³Men Zerubbabel, Jesua og de andre Overhoveder for Israels Fædrenehuse svarede: I skal ikke være fælles med os om at bygge vor Gud et Hus, men vi vil være ene om at bygge for HERREN, Israels Gud, således som Kong Kyros, Perserkongen, pålagde os!"

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

⁴Så bragte Hedningerne i Landet Judas Folks Hænder til at synke og skræmmede dem fra at bygge;

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.

⁵og de købte Folk til med deres Råd at modarbejde dem og bringe deres Planer til at strande; således gik det, så længe Perserkongen Kyros levede, lige til Perserkongen Darius's Regering.

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

⁶Under Ahasverus's Regering, i hans første Regeringstid, skrev de en Klage oer Judas og Jerusalems lodbyggere.

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 Artaxerxes's Dage affattede Bisjlam, Mitredat, Tabe'el og alle hans andre Embedsbrødre en Skrivelse til Perserkongen Artaxerxes. Skrivelsen var affattet på Aramaisk og oversat.

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

⁸Statholderen Rehum og Skriveren Sjimsjaj skrev et Brev mod Jerusalem til Kong Artaxerxes af følgende Indhold.

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,

⁹De, der dengang skrev, var Statholderen Rehum og Skriveren Sjimsjaj og alle deres andre Embedsbrødre, Diniterne, Afarsatkiterne, Tarpeliterne, Afaresiterne, Arkiterne, Babylonerne,

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.

¹⁰Susaniterne, Dehaviterne,Elamiterne og de andre Folk, som den store og navnkundige Asenappar havde ført bort og ladet bosætte sig i Samarias Byer og andensteds hinsides Floden, og så videre.

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

¹¹Dette er en Afskrift af Brevet, de sendte ham: "Til Kong Artaxerxes. Dine Trælle, Folkene hinsides Floden, og så videre:

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.

¹²Det være Kongen kundgjort, at Jøderne, som drog op til os fra dig, er kommet til Jerusalem; de er i Færd med at genopbygge denne oprørske og onde By; de genopfører Murene og udbedrer Grunden.

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.

¹³Men nu være det Kongen kundgjort, at hvis denne By bygges op og Murene genopføres, så vil de ikke svare Skat, Afgift eller Skyld, og der bliver Skår i Kongens Indtægter.

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;

¹⁴Da vi nu spiser Paladsets Salt, og det ikke sømmer sig for os at se på, at Kongen lider Skade, sender vi herved Bud og lader Kongen det vide,

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.

¹⁵for at der kan blive set efter i dine Fædres Krønikebog; i den vil du finde og se, at denne By er en oprørsk By, der har voldt Konger og Lande Skade, og at der fra gammel Tid har fundet Opstande Sted i den. Det er Grunden til, at denne By blev ødelagt.

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.

¹⁶Så lader vi da Kongen vide, at hvis denne By bygges op og Murerne genopføres, har du ikke mere nogen Besiddelse hinsides Floden!"

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.

¹⁷Kongen sendte da følgende Svar til Statholderen Rehum, Skriveren Sjimsjaj og alle deres andre Embeddsbrødre, som boede i Samaria og de andre Lande hinsides Floden: "Hilsen, og så videre.

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

¹⁸Den Skrivelse, I har sendt mig, er forelæst mig grundigt.

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.

¹⁹Og på mit Bud har man set efter og fundet, at denne By fra gammel Tid har sat sig op mod Konger, og at der har fundet Oprør og Opstande Sted i den;

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.

²⁰over Jerusalem har der hersket mægtige Konger, som udstrakte deres Magt over alt hinsides Floden, og til hvem der svaredes Skat, Afgift og Skyld.

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.

²¹Giv derfor Ordre til at standse disse Mænd og til, at denne By ikke må genopbygges, før der kommer Befaling fra mig;

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

²²og tag eder vel i Vare for at vise Forsømmelighed i denne Sag, at ikke der skal lides store Tab til Skade for Kongerne!

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.

²³Så snart Afskriften af denne Skrivelse fra Kong Artaxerxes var blevet læst for Rehum, Skriveren Sjimsjaj og deres Embedsbrødre, begav de sig uopholdelig til Jøderne i Jerusalem og tvang dem med Magt til at standse Arbejdet.

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.

²⁴Så standsede Arbejdet på Guds Hus i Jerusalem, og det hvilede til Perserkongen Darius's andet Regeringsår.