1 Then the Lord God of Israel told the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to speak in his name to the people of Judah and Jerusalem. And they did. 2 So Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the priest urged the people to start working on the temple again, and God's prophets encouraged them.
3 Governor Tattenai of Western Province and his assistant Shethar Bozenai got together with some of their officials. Then they went to Jerusalem and said to the people, “Who told you to rebuild this temple? 4 Give us the names of the workers!”
5 But God was looking after the Jewish leaders. So the governor and his group decided not to make the people stop working on the temple until they could report to Darius and get his advice.
6 Governor Tattenai, Shethar Bozenai, and their advisors sent a report to Darius, 7 which said:
King Darius, we wish you the best! 8 We went to Judah, where the temple of the great God is being built with huge stones and wooden beams set in the walls. Everyone is working hard, and the building is going up quickly.
9 We asked those in charge to tell us who gave them permission to rebuild the temple. 10 We also asked for the names of their leaders, so that we could write them down for you.
11 They claimed to be servants of the God who rules heaven and earth. And they said they were rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago by one of Israel's greatest kings.
12 We were told that their people had made God angry, and he let them be captured by Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king who took them away as captives to Babylonia. Nebuchadnezzar tore down their temple, 13-15 took its gold and silver articles, and put them in the temple of his own god in Babylon.
They also said that during the first year Cyrus was king of Babylonia, he gave orders for God's temple to be rebuilt in Jerusalem where it had stood before. So Cyrus appointed Sheshbazzar governor of Judah and sent these gold and silver articles for him to put in the temple. 16 Sheshbazzar then went to Jerusalem and laid the foundation for the temple, and the work is still going on.
17 Your Majesty, please order someone to look up the old records in Babylonia and find out if King Cyrus really did give orders to rebuild God's temple in Jerusalem. We will do whatever you think we should.
1 ǁNā ǁaeb ǃnâ kha ge ǀgam kēbo-aokha, Hagaib tsî Idob ôab Saxariab hâkha, Israeli di Elob di ǀons ǃnâ, Judab tsî Jerusalems tsîra Jodeǁîna ge mîba. 2 O kha ge Sealtieli ôab Serubabeli tsî Josadaki ôab Josuab tsîkha nē ǂhôasa kha ge ǁnâuo, Jerusalems ǃnâ Tempela ǂnubis ǀkha ǁkhawa ge tsoatsoa, tsî kha ge ǁnā kēbo-aokha ǁîkha gere hui.
3 ǁNā ǁaeb ǂûb ai gu ge Eufrati huriǂoasǀkhāb di gowoniab Tatenaib, Setar-Bosnaib tsî ǁîkha di sîsenǁare-aogu tsîga Jerusalems tawa hā tsî Jodeǁîna ge dî: “Tari-i xa du nē Tempela du ǂnubikhâi tsî nî ǀgaiǀgai ǃkhaisa ge mîmāhe?” 4 ǁÎgu ge ǁkhāti Tempela ǂnubis ǀkha ra hui aogu di ǀonde ge dî. 5 Xawes ge Elob di mûsa Jodeǁîn ǂgaeǂgui-aogu ai ge hâ i, tsî gu ge Persiab ǂamkhoega, Dariusi ǃoa xoa tsî gu ǃereamsa nî hōs kōse, ǁîga omma ǂnubis ǀkha aiǃgûsa ǂkhā kai tama ge i. 6 Nēs ge ǁîgu ge gao-aob Dariusa sîba ǂhôasa:
7 “Gao-ao Dariusi ǃoa. Hoa ǃgâina ge ge ra ǁkhoreba tsi.
8 “Gao-aotsa ge ge ra ǂanǂan, Judab di ǃhūǃâs ǁga ge ge ǃgû hâ i ǃkhaisa. Tsî ge ge ǁnāpa kai Elob di Tempeli, kai ǀuidi ǀkha ra ǂnubikhâihe tsî gu ǃnaoga ǂnubiǂgoagu ǃnâ ra ǁguihe ǃkhaisa ge mû. Nē sîsenni ge kai ǃûiǃgâs ǀkha ra dīhe tsî ǃgâise ra aiǃgû.
9 “Sige ge tari-i xan ge nē Tempela ǂnubikhâi tsî ǀgaiǀgaisa mā-amhe ǃkhaisa ǂgaeǂgui-aogu ai ge dî. 10 ǁKhāti ge ge ǁîga ǁîgu ǀonde ge dî, î ge satsa tarigu nē sîsenna ra ǂgaeǂgui ǃkhaisa ǂanǂan.
11 “O gu ge ǁîga nēti ge ǃeream: ‘Sige ge ǀhommi tsî ǃhūbaib tsîkha Elob di ǃgāge tsî ge ge Tempeli, ǂgui kurigu ǃkharu hâse ge kai gao-aob Israeli dib xa nēpa ǂnubihe tsî dītoahe hâ iba ǁkhawa ra omkhâi. 12 Sida aboxan ge ǀhommi di Eloba ǁaiǁai, xui-aob ge ǁîba ǁîna Babiloniab di gao-aob Nebukadnesari, Xaldeaǁîb di ǀgaib ǃnâ ge māǁnâ. Tsîb ge Tempela hîkākāhe tsî ǁaesa ǃkhōsabese Babiloniab ǃoa ge ǃgû-ūhe. 13 ǁNās khaoǃgâb ge Babiloniab gao-aob Koresa, ǂguro kurib ǁîb ǂgaeǂguis dib ǃnâ, Tempeli ǁkhawa nî ǂnubikhâihe ǃkhaisa ge mîmā. 14 ǁÎb ge ǁkhāti ǃhuniǀuri tsî ǀhaiǀuri xapan, Nebukadnesari ge Jerusalems ǃnâ mâ Tempela xu ū tsî Babilons di tempeli tawa sī-ū hâ ina ge ǁkhaeǁnâ. ǁÎdeb ge Babilons di tempela xu ūǂui tsî Sesbasari, Judab di gowoniaseb ge mâi hâ ib ǃomǁae ge mā. 15 Tsîb ge ǁîba ge mîba, îb ǁîna Jerusalems ǃnâ mâ Tempela ǃoa oa-ū tsî Tempela ǀnaib ge mâ i ǃkhaib ai ǁkhawa ǂnubikhâi. 16 Ob ge Sesbasara Tempeli ǃgaoǃgaoba Jerusalems ǃnâ hā ge ǁgui. ǁNā ǁaeba xu tsoatsoa tsî nēsis kōseb ge Tempela ra ǂnubihe, xaweb ge noxopa toa tama hâ.’
17 “ǃGôahesa gao-aotse, ǁnās xats ga ǃgâibaheo, as gao-aogu ǃnaeǃkhaidi xoaǁguigu, Babilons ǃnâ hâgu ǃnâ ôaǃnâsa dīhe, ǂanǂuihe i nîse, iseb ge gao-aob Koresa nē Tempeli Jerusalems ǃnâ nî ǂnubikhâihe ǃkhaisa mîmāsa; ǁnās khaoǃgâ gao-aots di mîǁguiba ǂanǂan ge re.”
