Ezra 4

NEW JERUSALEM	VULGATA
1 When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building the Temple of Yahweh,God of Israel,	1 Audierunt autem hostes Judæ et Benjamin, quia filii captivitatis ædificarent templum Domino Deo Israël :
2 they came to Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the heads of families and said, 'Let us help you build, for weresort to your God as you do and we have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria,who brought us here.'	2 et accedentes ad Zorobabel, et ad principes patrum, dixerunt eis : Ædificemus vobiscum, quia ita ut vos, quærimus Deum vestrum : ecce nos immolavimus victimas a diebus Asor Haddan regis Assur, qui adduxit nos huc.
3 Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other heads of Israelite families replied, 'It is out of the question that youshould join us in building a Temple for our God. We shal build for Yahweh, God of Israel, on our own, as KingCyrus king of Persia has commanded us.'	3 Et dixit eis Zorobabel, et Josue, et reliqui principes patrum Israël : Non est vobis et nobis ut ædificemus domum Deo nostro, sed nos ipsi soli ædificabimus Domino Deo nostro, sicut præcepit nobis Cyrus rex Persarum.
4 The people of the country then set about demoralising the people of Judah and deterring them frombuilding;	4 Factum est igitur ut populus terræ impediret manus populi Judæ, et turbaret eos in ædificando.
5 they also bribed counsellors against them to frustrate their purpose throughout the lifetime of Cyrus kingof Persia right on into the reign of Darius king of Persia.	5 Conduxerunt autem adversus eos consiliatores, ut destruerent consilium eorum omnibus diebus Cyri regis Persarum, et usque ad regnum Darii regis Persarum.
6 In the reign of Xerxes, at the beginning of his reign, they drew up an accusation against the inhabitantsof Judah and Jerusalem.	6 In regno autem Assueri, in principio regni ejus, scripserunt accusationem adversus habitatores Judæ et Jerusalem.
7 In the days of Artaxerxes, Mithredath, Tabeel and their other associates wrote to Artaxerxes king ofPersia against Jerusalem; the text of the letter was written in Aramaic writing and dialect.	7 Et in diebus Artaxerxis scripsit Beselam, Mithridates, et Thabeel, et reliqui qui erant in consilio eorum, ad Artaxerxem regem Persarum : epistola autem accusationis scripta erat syriace, et legebatur sermone syro.
8 Then Rehum the governor and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter to King Artaxerxes, denouncingJerusalem as fol ows:	8 Reum Beelteem, et Samsai scriba, scripserunt epistolam unam de Jerusalem Artaxerxi regi, hujuscemodi :
9 'From Rehum the governor and Shimshai the secretary and their other associates, the judges, thelegates, the Persian officials, the people of Uruk, Babylon and Susa -- that is, the Elamites-	9 Reum Beelteem, et Samsai scriba, et reliqui consiliatores eorum, Dinæi, et Apharsathachæi, Terphalæi, Apharsæi, Erchuæi, Babylonii, Susanechæi, Dievi, et Ælamitæ,
10 and the other peoples whom the great and il ustrious Ashurbanipal deported and settled in the towns ofSamaria and in the rest of Transeuphrates.'	10 et ceteri de gentibus, quas transtulit Asenaphar magnus et gloriosus, et habitare eas fecit in civitatibus Samariæ, et in reliquis regionibus trans flumen in pace
11 This is the text of the letter which they sent him: 'To King Artaxerxes, from your servants the people ofTranseuphrates:	11 (hoc est exemplar epistolæ, quam miserunt ad eum), Artaxerxi regi, servi tui, viri qui sunt trans fluvium, salutem dicunt.
12 'May the king now please be informed that the Jews, who have come up from you to us, have arrivedin Jerusalem and are rebuilding the rebel ious and evil city; they have begun rebuilding the wal s and are layingthe foundations;	12 Notum sit regi quia Judæi, qui ascenderunt a te ad nos, venerunt in Jerusalem civitatem rebellem et pessimam, quam ædificant exstruentes muros ejus, et parietes componentes.
13 and now the king should be informed that once this city is rebuilt and the wal s are restored, they wilrefuse to pay tribute, tax or toll, thus the king will incur a loss;	13 Nunc igitur notum sit regi, quia si civitas illa ædificata fuerit, et muri ejus instaurati, tributum, et vectigal, et annuos reditus non dabunt, et usque ad reges hæc noxa perveniet.
14 and now, because we eat the palace salt, it is not proper for us to see this affront offered to the king;we therefore send this information to the king	14 Nos autem memores salis, quod in palatio comedimus, et quia læsiones regis videre nefas ducimus, idcirco misimus et nuntiavimus regi,
15 so that a search may be made in the archives of your ancestors: in which archives you will find andlearn that this city is a rebellious city, the bane of kings and provinces, and that sedition has been stirred upthere from ancient times; that is why this city was destroyed.	15 ut recenseas in libris historiarum patrum tuorum, et invenies scriptum in commentariis : et scies quoniam urbs illa, urbs rebellis est, et nocens regibus et provinciis, et bella concitantur in ea ex diebus antiquis : quam ob rem et civitas ipsa destructa est.
16 We inform the king that if this city is rebuilt and its wal s are restored, you wil soon have no territoriesleft in Transeuphrates.'	16 Nuntiamus nos regi, quoniam si civitas illa ædificata fuerit, et muri ipsius instaurati, possessionem trans fluvium non habebis.
17 The king sent this reply: 'To Rehum the governor, to Shimshai the secretary, and to their otherassociates resident in Samaria and elsewhere in Transeuphrates: Greetings!	17 Verbum misit rex ad Reum Beelteem, et Samsai scribam, et ad reliquos, qui erant in consilio eorum habitatores Samariæ, et ceteris trans fluvium, salutem dicens et pacem.
18 'And now, the document which you sent us has been accurately translated for me,	18 Accusatio, quam misistis ad nos, manifeste lecta est coram me,
19 and by my orders search has been made, and it has been found that this city has rebel ed against thekings in the past and that revolt and sedition have been contrived in it;	19 et a me præceptum est : et recensuerunt, inveneruntque quoniam civitas illa a diebus antiquis adversum reges rebellat, et seditiones, et prælia concitantur in ea :
20 and that powerful kings have reigned in Jerusalem, governing the whole of Transeuphrates andexacting tribute, tax and tol ;	20 nam et reges fortissimi fuerunt in Jerusalem, qui et dominati sunt omni regioni quæ trans fluvium est : tributum quoque et vectigal, et reditus accipiebant.
21 now give orders for these men to cease work; this city is not to be rebuilt until I give the order.	21 Nunc ergo audite sententiam : prohibeatis viros illos, ut urbs illa non ædificetur donec si forte a me jussum fuerit.
22 Beware of acting negligently in this matter. Why should the harm grow, to endanger the king?'	22 Videte ne negligenter hoc impleatis, et paulatim crescat malum contra reges.
23 As soon as the text of King Artaxerxes' document had been read to Rehum the governor, Shimshai thesecretary and their associates, they hurried to the Jews in Jerusalem and stopped their work by force of arms.	23 Itaque exemplum edicti Artaxerxis regis lectum est coram Reum Beelteem, et Samsai scriba, et consiliariis eorum : et abierunt festini in Jerusalem ad Judæos, et prohibuerunt eos in brachio et robore.
24 Work on the Temple of God in Jerusalem then ceased, and was discontinued until the second year ofthe reign of Darius King of Persia.	24 Tunc intermissum est opus domus Domini in Jerusalem, et non fiebat usque ad annum secundum regni Darii regis Persarum.