Now Aggeus the prophet, and Zacharias the son of Addo, prophesied to the Jews that were in Judea and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel.

Prophetaverunt autem Aggæus propheta, et Zacharias filius Addo, prophetantes ad Judæos qui erant in Judæa et Jerusalem, in nomine Dei Israël.

But the God of Israel had still his prophets, Aggaeus, and Zacharias son of Addo, to give his message to the Jews, now that they had returned to their own country and city.

Then rose up Zorobabel the son of Salathiel, and Josue the son of Josedec, and began to build the temple of God in Jerusalem, and with them were the prophets of God helping them.

Tunc surrexerunt Zorobabel filius Salathiel, et Josue filius Josedec, et cœperunt ædificare templum Dei in Jerusalem, et cum eis prophetæ Dei adjuvantes eos.

With these prophets to aid them, Zorobabel son of Salathiel and Josue son of Josedec did set about providing the Lord with a temple of his own at Jerusalem;

And at the same time came to them Thathanai, who was governor beyond the river, and Stharbuzanai, and their counsellors: and said thus to them: Who hath given you counsel to build this house, and to repair the walls thereof?

In ipso autem tempore venit ad eos Thathanai, qui erat dux trans flumen, et Stharbuzanai, et consiliarii eorum: sicque dixerunt eis: Quis dedit vobis consilium ut domum hanc ædificaretis, et muros ejus instauraretis?

and all at once there were protests from Thathanai, who had charge of affairs west of the river, and Stharbuzanai, and all their partisans; Who commissioned you, they asked, to rebuild this temple, and put its walls in repair?

In answer to which we gave them the names of the men who were the promoters of that building.

Ad quod respondimus eis, quæ essent nomina hominum auctorum ædificationis illius.

We must ask of you besides the names of those who are promoting the enterprise.

But the eye of their God was upon the ancients of the Jews, and they could not hinder them. And it was agreed that the matter should be referred to Darius, and then they should give satisfaction concerning that accusation.

Oculus autem Dei eorum factus est super senes Judæorum, et non potuerunt inhibere eos. Placuitque ut res ad Darium referretur, et tunc satisfacerent adversus accusationem illam.

But there was no withholding the elders of the Jews, so sure were they of the divine protection; the matter must be referred to Darius himself before they would meet the charge against them.

The copy of the letter that Thathanai governor of the country beyond the river, and Stharbuzanai, and his counsellors the Arphasachites, who dwelt beyond the river, sent to Darius the king.

Exemplar epistolæ, quam misit Thathanai dux regionis trans flumen, et Stharbuzanai, et consiliatores ejus Arphasachæi, qui erant trans flumen, ad Darium regem.

Here is a copy of the letter sent by the governor Thathanai, by Stharbuzanai, and their Arphasachite partisans west of the river, to king Darius.

The letter which they sent him, was written thus: To Darius the king all peace.

Sermo, quem miserant ei, sic scriptus erat: Dario regi pax omnis.

To king Darius, all peace (their message ran).

Be it known to the king, that we went to the province of Judea, to the house of the great God, which they are building with unpolished stones, and timber is laid in the walls: and this work is carried on diligently, and advanceth in their hands.

Notum sit regi, isse nos ad Judæam provinciam, ad domum Dei magni, quæ ædificatur lapide impolito, et ligna ponuntur in parietibus: opusque illud diligenter exstruitur, et crescit in manibus eorum.

This is to inform the king’s grace that we have paid a visit to Judaea, where they are building a temple of rough-hewn stone in honour of the great God; timber is already being fitted into the walls; they are busily employed, and have the work well in hand.

And we asked those ancients, and said to them thus: Who hath given you authority to build this house, and to repair these walls?

Interrogavimus ergo senes illos, et ita diximus eis: Quis dedit vobis potestatem ut domum hanc ædificaretis, et muros hos instauraretis?

We summoned their elders, and asked who had given the commission for such building and such repairs,

We asked also of them their names, that we might give thee notice: and we have written the names of the men that are the chief among them.

Sed et nomina eorum quæsivimus ab eis, ut nuntiaremus tibi: scripsimusque nomina eorum virorum, qui sunt principes in eis.

and also demanded, for thy better information, a list of their leaders, which is given below.

And they answered us in these words, saying: We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are building a temple that was built these many years ago, and which a great king of Israel built and set up.

Hujuscemodi autem sermonem responderunt nobis dicentes: Nos sumus servi Dei cæli et terræ, et ædificamus templum, quod erat exstructum ante hos annos multos, quodque rex Israël magnus ædificaverat, et exstruxerat.

Their answer was, The God we worship is the Lord of heaven and earth; the temple we are rebuilding is an edifice built by a great king of Israel, long ago.

But after that our fathers had provoked the God of heaven to wrath, he delivered them into the hands of Nabuchodonosor the king of Babylon the Chaldean: and he destroyed this house, and carried away the people to Babylon.

Postquam autem ad iracundiam provocaverunt patres nostri Deum cæli, tradidit eos in manus Nabuchodonosor regis Babylonis Chaldæi, domum quoque hanc destruxit, et populum ejus transtulit in Babylonem.

Years passed, and the God of heaven, goaded to anger by our fathers, left them at the mercy of Nabuchodonosor, the Chaldaean king who then ruled in Babylon; he it was laid the temple in ruins, and carried off as exiles to Babylon the men who worshipped there.

But in the first year of Cyrus the king of Babylon, king Cyrus set forth a decree, that this house of God should be built.

Anno autem primo Cyri regis Babylonis, Cyrus rex proposuit edictum ut domus Dei hæc ædificaretur.

Then Cyrus became king of Babylon; and Cyrus, in his first year, gave order that this house of God should be rebuilt.

And the vessels also of gold and silver of the temple of God, which Nabuchodonosor had taken out of the temple, that was in Jerusalem, and had brought them to the temple of Babylon, king Cyrus brought out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered to one Sassabasar, whom also he appointed governor,

Nam et vasa templi Dei aurea et argentea, quæ Nabuchodonosor tulerat de templo, quod erat in Jerusalem, et asportaverat ea in templum Babylonis, protulit Cyrus rex de templo Babylonis, et data sunt Sassabasar vocabulo, quem et principem constituit,

There was gold ware and silver in the temple of our God; all this Nabuchodonosor had carried off from Jerusalem and laid it up in another temple, there at Babylon. What did Cyrus? He stripped the Babylonian temple in his turn; all must be given over to one Sassabasar, the man he had appointed to rule us;

And said to him: Take these vessels, and go, and put them in the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be built in its place.

dixitque ei: Hæc vasa tolle, et vade, et pone ea in templo, quod est in Jerusalem, et domus Dei ædificetur in loco suo.

Take these, he said, and lay them up in the temple at Jerusalem. The house of God, he said, must be rebuilt on its old foundations.

Then came this same Sassabasar, and laid the foundations of the temple of God in Jerusalem, and from that time until now it is in building, and is not yet finished.

Tunc itaque Sassabasar ille venit et posuit fundamenta templi Dei in Jerusalem, et ex eo tempore usque nunc ædificatur, et necdum completum est.

But all Sassabasar did, when he reached Jerusalem, was to lay the foundations of God’s temple; it has been in building ever since, and remains unfinished.

Now therefore if it seem good to the king, let him search in the king’s library, which is in Babylon, whether it hath been decreed by Cyrus the king, that the house of God in Jerusalem should be built, and let the king send his pleasure to us concerning this matter.

Nunc ergo si videtur regi bonum, recenseat in bibliotheca regis, quæ est in Babylone, utrumnam a Cyro rege jussum fuerit ut ædificaretur domus Dei in Jerusalem, et voluntatem regis super hac re mittat ad nos.

May it please the king’s grace to have research made in the royal archives, there at Babylon, to find out whether Cyrus did indeed give any orders for God’s house at Jerusalem to be rebuilt; meanwhile, we await the royal pleasure.