Ezra 6

1 Τότε Δαρεῖος ὁ βασιλεὺς ἔθηκε γνώμην, καὶ ἐπεσκέψατο ἐν ταῖς βιβλιοθήκαις ὅπου ἡ γάζα κεῖται ἐν Βαβυλῶνι.

2 Καὶ εὑρέθη ἐν πόλει ἐν τῇ βάρει κεφαλὶς μία, καὶ τοῦτο γεγραμμένον ἐν αὐτῇ ὑπόμνημα.

3 Ἐν ἔτει πρώτῳ Κύρου βασιλέως, Κύρος ὁ βασιλεὺς ἔθηκε γνώμην περὶ οἴκου ἱεροῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ· οἶκος οἰκοδομηθήτω, καὶ τόπος οὗ θυσιάζουσι τὰ θυσιάσματα· καὶ ἔθηκεν ἔπαρμα ὕψος πήχεις ἑξήκοντα, πλάτος αὐτοῦ πήχεων ἑξήκοντα·

4 Καὶ δόμοι λίθινοι κραταιοὶ τρεῖς, καὶ δόμος ξύλινος εἷς, καὶ ἡ δαπάνη ἐξ οἴκου τοῦ βασιλέως δοθήσεται.

5 Καὶ τὰ σκεύη οἴκου τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ ἀργυρᾶ καὶ τὰ χρυσᾶ, ἃ Ναβουχοδονόσορ ἐξήνεγκεν ἀπὸ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ ἐκόμισεν εἰς Βαβυλῶνα, καὶ δοθήτω καὶ ἀπελθέτω εἰς τὸν ναὸν τὸν ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐπὶ τόπου οὗ ἐτέθη ἐν οἴκῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ.

6 Νῦν δώσετε ἔπαρχοι πέραν τοῦ ποταμοῦ Σαθαρβουζαναῒ, καὶ οἱ σύνδουλοι αὐτῶν Ἀφαρσαχαῖοι οἱ ἐν τῷ πέραν τοῦ ποταμοῦ μακρὰν ὄντες ἐκεῖθεν,

7 νῦν ἄφετε τὸ ἔργον οἴκου τοῦ Θεοῦ· οἱ ἀφηγούμενοι τῶν Ἰουδαίων καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι τῶν Ἰουδαίων οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκεῖνον οἰκοδομείτωσαν ἐπὶ τοῦ τόπου αὐτοῦ.

8 Καὶ ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ γνώμη ἐτέθη, μή ποτε τὶ ποιήσητε μετὰ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων τῶν Ἰουδαίων τοῦ οἰκοδομηθῆναι οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκεῖνον· καὶ ἀπὸ ὑπαρχόντων βασιλέως τῶν φόρων πέραν τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἐπιμελῶς δαπάνη ἔστω διδομένη τοῖς ἀνδράσιν ἐκείνοις τὸ μὴ καταργηθῆναι.

9 Καὶ ὃ ἂν ὑστέρημα, καὶ υἱοὺς βοῶν καὶ κριῶν, καὶ ἀμνοὺς εἰς ὁλοκαυτώσεις τῷ Θεῷ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, πυροὺς, ἅλας, οἶνον, ἔλαιον, κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμα ἱερέων τῶν ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἔστω διδόμενον αὐτοῖς, ἡμέραν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ, ὃ ἐὰν αἰτήσωσιν,

10 ἵνα ὦσιν εὐωδίας προσφέροντες τῷ Θεῷ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ προσεύχωνται εἰς ζωὴν τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ υἱῶν αὐτοῦ.

11 Καὶ ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ ἐτέθη γνώμη, ὅτι πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ὃς ἀλλάξει τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο, καθαιρεθήσεται ξύλον ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὠρθωμένος πληγήσεται ἐπʼ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὁ οἶκος αὐτοῦ τὸ κατʼ ἐμὲ ποιηθήσεται.

12 Καὶ ὁ Θεὸς οὗ κατασκηνοῖ τὸ ὄνομα ἐκεῖ, καταστρέψαι πάντα βασιλέα καὶ λαὸν ὃς ἐκτενεῖ τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἀλλάξαι ἢ ἀφανίσαι τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ· ἐγὼ Δαρεῖος ἔθηκα γνώμην, ἐπιμελῶς ἔσται.

13 Τότε Θανθαναῒ ὁ ἔπαρχος πέραν τοῦ ποταμοῦ, Σαθαρβουζαναῒ, καὶ οἱ σύνδουλοι αὐτοῦ, πρὸς ὃ ἀπέστειλε Δαρεῖος βασιλεὺς, οὕτως ἐποίησαν ἐπιμελῶς.

14 Καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι τῶν Ἰουδαίων ᾠκοδομοῦσαν καὶ οἱ Λευῖται ἐν προφητείᾳ Ἀγγαίου τοῦ προφήτου, καὶ Ζαχαρίου υἱοῦ Ἀδδώ· καὶ ἀνῳκοδόμησαν καὶ κατηρτίσαντο ἀπὸ γνώμης Θεοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἀπὸ γνώμης Κύρου, καὶ Δαρείου, καὶ Ἀρθασασθὰ βασιλέων Περσῶν.

15 Καὶ ἐτέλεσαν τὸν οἶκον τοῦτον ἕως ἡμέρας τρίτης μηνὸς Ἀδὰρ, ὅ ἐστιν ἔτος ἕκτον τῆς βασιλείας Δαρείου τοῦ βασιλέως.

16 Καὶ ἐποίησαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ, οἱ ἱερεῖς καὶ οἱ Λευῖται, καὶ οἱ κατάλοιποι υἱῶν ἀποικεσίας ἐγκαίνια τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ.

17 Καὶ προσήνεγκαν εἰς τὰ ἐγκαίνια τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ Θεοῦ μόσχους ἑκατὸν, κριοὺς διακοσίους, ἀμνοὺς τετρακοσίους, χιμάῤῥους αἰγῶν ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτίας ὑπὲρ παντὸς Ἰσραὴλ δώδεκα εἰς ἀριθμὸν φυλῶν Ἰσραήλ.

18 Καὶ ἔστησαν τοὺς ἱερεῖς ἐν διαιρέσεσιν αὐτῶν, καὶ τοὺς Λευίτας ἐν μερισμοῖς αὐτῶν, ἐπὶ δουλείας Θεοῦ ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, κατὰ τὴν γραφὴν βίβλου Μωυσῆ.

19 Καὶ ἐποίησαν οἱ υἱοὶ τῆς ἀποικεσίας τὸ πάσχα τῇ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτῃ τοῦ μηνὸς τοῦ πρώτου.

20 Ὅτι ἐκαθαρίσθησαν οἱ ἱερεῖς καὶ Λευῖται, ἕως εἷς πάντες καθαροί· καὶ ἔσφαξαν τὸ πάσχα τοῖς πᾶσιν υἱοῖς τῆς ἀποικεσίας καὶ τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς αὐτῶν τοῖς ἱερεῦσι καὶ ἑαυτοῖς.

21 Καὶ ἔφαγον υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ τὸ πάσχα, οἱ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀποικεσίας, καὶ πᾶς ὁ χωριζόμενος τῆς ἀκαθαρσίας ἐθνῶν τῆς γῆς πρὸς αὐτοῦς, τοῦ ἐκζητῆσαι Κύριον Θεὸν Ἰσραήλ.

22 Καὶ ἐποίησαν τὴν ἑορτὴν τῶν ἀζύμων ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ, ὅτι εὔφρανεν αὐτοὺς Κύριος, καὶ ἐπέστρεψε καρδίαν βασιλέως Ἀσσοὺρ ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς κραταιῶσαι τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῶν ἐν ἔργοις οἴκου τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἰσραήλ.

1 Then Darius the king made a decree, and caused a search to be made in the record-offices, where the treasure is stored in Babylon.

2 And there was found in the city, in the palace, a volume, and this was the record written in it.

3 In the first year of king Cyrus, Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the holy house of God that was in Jerusalem, saying , Let the house be built, and the place where they sacrifice the sacrifices. (Also he appointed its elevation, in height sixty cubits; its breadth was of sixty cubits.)

4 And let there be three strong layers of stone, and one layer of timber; and the expense shall be paid out of the house of the king.

5 And the silver and the gold vessels of the house of God, which Nabuchodonosor carried off from the house that was in Jerusalem, and carried to Babylon, let them even be given, and be carried to the temple that is in Jerusalem, and put in the place where they were set in the house of God.

6 Now, ye rulers beyond the river, Satharbuzanai, and their fellow-servants the Apharsachæans, who are on the other side of the river, give these things , keeping far from that place.

7 Now let alone the work of the house of God: let the rulers of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build that house of God on its place.

8 Also a decree has been made by me, if haply ye may do somewhat in concert with the elders of the Jews for the building of that house of God: to wit, out of the king's property, even the tributes beyond the river, let there be money to defray the expenses carefully granted to those men, so that they be not hindered.

9 And whatever need there may be , ye shall give both the young of bulls and rams, and lambs for whole-burnt-offerings to the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, oil:—let it be given them according to the word of the priests that are in Jerusalem, day by day whatsoever they shall ask;

10 that they may offer sweet savours to the God of heaven, and that they may pray for the life of the king and his sons.

11 And a decree has been made by me, that every man who shall alter this word, timber shall be pulled down from his house, and let him be lifted up and slain upon it, and his house shall be confiscated.

12 And may the God whose name dwells there, overthrow every king and people who shall stretch out his hand to alter or destroy the house of God which is in Jerusalem. I Darius have made a decree; let it be diligently attended to .

13 Then Thanthanai the governor on this side beyond the river, Satharbuzanai, and his fellow-servants, according to that which king Darius sent, so they did diligently.

14 And the elders of the Jews and the Levites built, at the prophecy of Aggæus the prophet, and Zacharias the son of Addo: and they built up, and finished it , by the decree of the God of Israel, and by the decree of Cyrus, and Darius, and Arthasastha, kings of the Persians.

15 And they finished this house by the third day of the month Adar, which is the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.

16 And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of the house of God with gladness.

17 And they offered for the dedication of the house of God a hundred calves, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, twelve kids of the goats for a sin-offering for all Israel, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.

18 And they set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their separate orders, for the services of God in Jerusalem, according to the writing of the book of Moses.

19 And the children of the captivity kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.

20 For the priests and Levites were purified, all were clean to a man, and they slew the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.

21 And the children of Israel ate the passover, even they that were of the captivity, and every one who separated himself to them from the uncleanness of the nations of the land, to seek the Lord God of Israel.

22 And they kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with gladness, because the Lord made them glad, and he turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them, to strengthen their hands in the works of the house of the God of Israel.