Esdra 4

NOVA VULGATA	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Audierunt autem hostes Iudae et Beniamin, quia filii captivita tisaedificarent templum Domino, Deo Israel,	1 Now the enemies of Judah and of Benjamin heard that the sons of the captivity were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel.
2 et accedentes ad Zorobabel et adprincipes familiarum dixerunt eis: “ Aedificemus vobiscum, quia ita ut vosquaerimus Deum vestrum et immolavimus victimas a diebus Asarhaddon regisAssyriae, qui adduxit nos huc ”.	2 And so, drawing near to Zerubbabel and to the leaders of the fathers, they said to them: “Let us build with you, for we seek your God just as you do. Behold, we have immolated victims to him from the days of Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, who brought us here.”
3 Et dixit eis Zorobabel et Iesua et reliquiprincipes familiarum Israel: “ Non est vobis et nobis, ut aedificemus domumDeo nostro, sed nos ipsi soli aedificabimus Domino, Deo Israel, sicut praecepitnobis Cyrus rex Persarum ”.	3 And Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the leaders of the fathers of Israel said to them: “It is not for you to build the house of our God with us. Instead, we alone shall build to the Lord our God, just as Cyrus, the king of the Persians, has commanded us.”
4 Factum est igitur, ut populus terrae impediretmanus populi Iudae et turbaret eos in aedificando.	4 Therefore, it happened that the people of the land impeded the hands of the people of Judah, and they troubled them in building.
5 Conduxerunt autem adversuseos consiliatores, ut destruerent consilium eorum omnibus diebus Cyri regisPersarum et usque ad regnum Darii regis Persarum.	5 Then they hired counselors against them, so that they might argue against their plan during all the days of Cyrus, king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius, king of the Persians.
6 In regno autem Asueri, in principio regni eius, scripserunt accusationemadversus habitatores Iudae et Ierusalem.	6 And so, during the reign of Ahasuerus, at the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and of Jerusalem.
7 Et in diebus Artaxerxis scripsitBeselam, Mithridates et Tabel et reliqui, qui erant in consilio eorum, adArtaxerxem regem Persarum; scriptura autem accusationis erat scripta litterisSyriacis et composita sermone Syro.	7 And so, in the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, and Tabeel, and the others who were in their council wrote to Artaxerxes, king of the Persians. Now the letter of accusation was written in Syriac, and was being read in the Syrian language.
8 Rehum praefectus et Samsai scribascripserunt epistulam unam de Ierusalem Artaxerxi regi huiuscemodi:	8 Rehum, the commander, and Shimshai, the scribe, wrote one letter from Jerusalem to king Artaxerxes, in this manner:
9 “ Rehumpraefectus et Samsai scriba et reliqui socii eorum, iudices et duces,magistratus Persae, Erchuaei, Babylonii, Susanechaei, hoc est Elamitae,	9 “Rehum, the commander, and Shimshai, the scribe, and the rest of their counselors, the judges, and rulers, the officials, those from Persia, from Erech, from Babylonia, from Susa, the Dehavites, and the Elamites,
10 etceteri de gentibus, quas transtulit Asenaphar magnus et gloriosus et habitarefecit in civitatibus Samariae et in reliquis regionibus trans flumen in pace ”.	10 and the rest of the nations, whom the great and glorious Osnappar transferred and caused to live in the cities of Samaria and in the rest of the regions across the river in peace:
11 Hoc est exemplar epistulae, quam miserunt ad eum: “ Artaxerxi regi, servi tui, viri, qui sunt trans fluvium. Igitur	11 to king Artaxerxes. (This is a copy of the letter, which they sent to him.) Your servants, the men who are across the river, send a greeting.
12 notum sitregi quia Iudaei, qui ascenderunt a te ad nos, venerunt in Ierusalem civitatemrebellem et pessimam, quam aedificant, exstruentes muros eius, fundamenta iamcomponentes.	12 Let it be known to the king, that the Jews, who ascended from you to us, have arrived in Jerusalem, a rebellious and most wicked city, which they are building, constructing its ramparts and repairing the walls.
13 Nunc notum sit regi quia, si civitas illa aedificata fuerit, etmuri eius instaurati, tributum et annonam et vectigal non dabunt, et ad ultimumregibus noxa erit.	13 And now let be it known to the king, that if this city will have been built up, and its walls repaired, they will not pay tribute, nor tax, nor yearly revenues, and this loss will affect even the kings.
14 Nos autem, memores salis, quod in palatio comedimus, etquia laesiones regis videre nefas ducimus, idcirco misimus et nuntiavimus regi,	14 But, remembering the salt that we have eaten in the palace, and because we are led to believe that it a crime to see the king harmed, we have therefore sent and reported to the king,
15 ut recenseas in libris historiarum patrum tuorum, et invenies in hishistoriis et scies quoniam urbs illa urbs rebellis est et nocens regibus etprovinciis, et seditiones concitantur in ea ex diebus antiquis; quam ob rem etcivitas ipsa destructa est.	15 so that you may search in the books of the histories of your fathers, and you may find written in the records, and you may know that this city is a rebellious city, and that it is harmful to the kings and the provinces, and that wars were incited within it from the days of antiquity. For which reason also, the city itself was destroyed.
16 Nuntiamus nos regi quoniam, si civitas illaaedificata fuerit, et muri ipsius instaurati, possessionem trans fluvium nonhabebis ”.	16 We report to the king that if this city will have been built, and its walls repaired, you will have no possession across the river.”
17 Verbum misit rex ad Rehum praefectum et Samsai scribam et ad reliquos, quierant in consilio eorum, qui habitabant in Samaria et in regione trans fluvium:“ Pax. Nunc igitur scriptura,	17 The king sent word to Rehum, the commander, and to Shimshai, the scribe, and to the rest who were in their council, to the inhabitants of Samaria, and to the others across the river, offering a greeting and peace.
18 quam misistis ad nos, manifeste lecta estcoram me.	18 “The accusation, which you have sent to us, has been read aloud before me.
19 Et a me praeceptum est, et recensuerunt inveneruntque quoniamcivitas illa a diebus antiquis adversum reges rebellabat, et rebelliones etseditiones concitabantur in ea;	19 And it was commanded by me, and they searched and found that this city, from the days of antiquity, has rebelled against the kings, and that seditions and battles have been incited within it.
20 nam et reges fortissimi fuerunt in Ierusalem,qui et dominati sunt omni regioni, quae trans fluvium est, tributum quoque etannonam et vectigal accipiebant.	20 Then too, there have been very strong kings in Jerusalem, who also ruled over the entire region which is across the river. They have also taken tribute, and tax, and revenues.
21 Nunc ergo praecipite, ut desistant istihomines, et urbs illa non aedificetur, donec forte a me iussum fuerit.	21 Now therefore, hear the sentence: Prohibit those men, so that this city may be not built, until perhaps there may be further orders from me.
22 Videte, ne negligenter hoc impleatis, et paulatim crescat malum contra reges ”.	22 See to it that you are not negligent in fulfilling this, otherwise, little by little, the evil may increase against the kings.”
23 Itaque exemplum edicti Artaxerxis regis lectum est coram Rehum praefectum etSamsai scriba et consiliariis eorum; et abierunt festini in Ierusalem ad Iudaeoset prohibuerunt eos in brachio et robore.	23 And so a copy of the edict of king Artaxerxes was read before Rehum, the commander, and Shimshai, the scribe, and their counselors. And they went away hurriedly to Jerusalem, to the Jews. And they prohibited them by force and by strength.
24 Tunc intermissum est opus domusDomini in Ierusalem et non fiebat usque ad annum secundum regni Darii regisPersarum.	24 Then the work of the house of the Lord in Jerusalem was interrupted, and it did not resume until the second year of the reign of Darius, the king of the Persians.