Tunc Darius rex præcepit: et recensuerunt in bibliotheca librorum, qui erant repositi in Babylone.

Then king Darius gave orders, and they searched in the library of the books that were laid up in Babylon,

Thereupon, at king Darius’ orders, research was made in the archives laid up at Babylon;

Et inventum est in Ecbatanis, quod est castrum in Medena provincia, volumen unum: talisque scriptus erat in eo commentarius:

And there was found in Ecbatana, which is a castle in the province of Media, a book in which this record was written.

and at last in Ecbatana, a city of the Median province, a document was found to this effect:

Anno primo Cyri regis, Cyrus rex decrevit ut domus Dei ædificaretur, quæ est in Jerusalem, in loco ubi immolent hostias, et ut ponant fundamenta supportantia altitudinem cubitorum sexaginta, et latitudinem cubitorum sexaginta,

In the first year of Cyrus the king: Cyrus the king decreed, that the house of God should be built, which is in Jerusalem, in the place where they may offer sacrifices, and that they lay the foundations that may support the height of threescore cubits, and the breadth of threescore cubits,

In the first year of king Cyrus a royal decree was made about the house of God at Jerusalem. It is to be rebuilt, for the better offering of sacrifice; foundations to be laid that will support a structure sixty cubits … high and sixty wide;

ordines de lapidibus impolitis tres, et sic ordines de lignis novis: sumptus autem de domo regis dabuntur.

Three rows of unpolished stones, and so rows of new timber: and the charges shall be given out of the king’s house.

upon these three rows of rough-hewn stone, and then courses of timber. For all this, the expense to be defrayed by the royal treasury.

Sed et vasa templi Dei aurea et argentea, quæ Nabuchodonosor tulerat de templo Jerusalem, et attulerat ea in Babylonem, reddantur, et referantur in templum in Jerusalem in locum suum, quæ et posita sunt in templo Dei.

And also let the golden and silver vessels of the temple of God, which Nabuchodonosor took out of the temple of Jerusalem, and brought to Babylon, be restored, and carried back to the temple of Jerusalem to their place, which also were placed in the temple of God.

All the gold and silver ware from the temple at Jerusalem that was brought to Babylon by Nabuchodonosor is to be restored, and carried back to Jerusalem, to find its fitting place in the temple of God.

Nunc ergo Thathanai dux regionis, quæ est trans flumen, Stharbuzanai, et consiliarii vestri Apharsachæi, qui estis trans flumen, procul recedite ab illis,

Now therefore Thathanai, governor of the country beyond the river, Stharbuzanai, and your counsellors the Apharsachites, who are beyond the river, depart far from them,

… It is my will that Thathanai, governor of the province beyond the river, and Stharbuzanai, and the Apharsachites beyond the river, their associates, should cease interfering with the Jews;

et dimittite fieri templum Dei illud a duce Judæorum, et a senioribus eorum, ut domum Dei illam ædificent in loco suo.

And let that temple of God be built by the governor of the Jews, and by their ancients, that they may build that house of God in its place.

the Jewish ruler and the Jewish elders must be allowed to go on with their temple-building, so that this house of God may be re-established on its ancient site.

Sed et a me præceptum est quid oporteat fieri a presbyteris Judæorum illis ut ædificetur domus Dei, scilicet ut de arca regis, id est, de tributis quæ dantur de regione trans flumen, studiose sumptus dentur viris illis, ne impediatur opus.

I also have commanded what must be done by those ancients of the Jews, that the house of God may be built, to wit, that of the king’s chest, that is, of the tribute that is paid out of the country beyond the river, the charges be diligently given to those men, lest the work be hindered.

And to the intent that these elders of the Jews may be able to continue the said building without intermission, my will is that moneys should be paid to them with all diligence out of the royal chest, and namely out of the tribute that is collected beyond the river;

Quod si necesse fuerit, et vitulos, et agnos, et hædos in holocaustum Deo cæli, frumentum, sal, vinum, et oleum, secundum ritum sacerdotum, qui sunt in Jerusalem, detur eis per singulos dies, ne sit in aliquo querimonia.

And if it shall be necessary, let calves also, and lambs, and kids, for holocausts to the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the custom of the priests that are in Jerusalem, be given them day by day, that there be no complaint in any thing.

moreover that if there is need of calves, lambs or kids for burnt-sacrifice to the God of heaven, or of corn, salt, wine and oil to perform the ceremonies practised at Jerusalem, supplies of these should be given them daily, without fail.

Et offerant oblationes Deo cæli, orentque pro vita regis, et filiorum ejus.

And let them offer oblations to the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king, and of his children.

So let them be enabled to make their offerings to the God of heaven, and let them pray for the welfare of the king and royal princes.

A me ergo positum est decretum: ut omnis homo qui hanc mutaverit jussionem, tollatur lignum de domum ipsius, et erigatur, et configatur in eo, domus autem ejus publicetur.

And I have made a decree: That if any whosoever, shall alter this commandment, a beam be taken from his house, and set up, and he be nailed upon it, and his house be confiscated.

My will is, further, that if any man presume to alter the tenour of this decree, a beam should be taken from his house, and himself nailed up on it; the said house to be confiscated.

Deus autem, qui habitare fecit nomen suum ibi, dissipet omnia regna, et populum qui extenderit manum suam ut repugnet, et dissipet domum Dei illam, quæ est in Jerusalem. Ego Darius statui decretum, quod studiose impleri volo.

And may the God, that hath caused his name to dwell there, destroy all kingdoms, and the people that shall put out their hand to resist, and to destroy the house of God, that is in Jerusalem. I Darius have made the decree, which I will have diligently complied with.

And may the God, who has made Jerusalem the shrine of his name, destroy every kingdom and people which attempts to injure or destroy this temple of his that is built there. I, Darius, am the author of this decree, and will have it carried out with all diligence.

Igitur Thathanai dux regionis trans flumen, et Stharbuzanai, et consiliarii ejus, secundum quod præceperat Darius rex, sic diligenter executi sunt.

So then Thathanai, governor of the country beyond the river, and Stharbuzanai, and his counsellors diligently executed what Darius the king had commanded.

Carry it out they did, and diligently, both Thathanai and Stharbuzanai and all their partisans.

Seniores autem Judæorum ædificabant, et prosperabantur juxta prophetiam Aggæi prophetæ, et Zachariæ filii Addo: et ædificaverunt et construxerunt, jubente Deo Israël, et jubente Cyro, et Dario, et Artaxerxe regibus Persarum:

And the ancients of the Jews built, and prospered according to the prophecy of Aggeus the prophet, and of Zacharias the son of Addo: and they built and finished, by the commandment of the God of Israel, and by the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes kings of the Persians.

As for the elders of the Jews, they built on, and all went favourably; true prophets were Aggaeus and Zacharias son of Addo; higher and higher the fabric rose, with the God of Israel for its speed, with Cyrus for its speed, and Darius, (and Artaxerxes), kings of Persia.

et compleverunt domum Dei istam, usque ad diem tertium mensis Adar, qui est annus sextus regni Darii regis.

And they were finishing this house of God, until the third day of the month of Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of king Darius.

It was on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of king Darius, that they finished God’s house;

Fecerunt autem filii Israël sacerdotes et Levitæ, et reliqui filiorum transmigrationis, dedicationem domus Dei in gaudio.

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 joy.

great joy had priest and Levite, great joy had all the returned exiles, as they consecrated God’s house together.

Et obtulerunt in dedicationem domus Dei, vitulos centum, arietes ducentos, agnos quadringentos, hircos caprarum pro peccato totius Israël duodecim, juxta numerum tribuum Israël.

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

The offerings they made at the dedication were a hundred calves, two hundred rams, and four hundred lambs; besides twelve goats to atone for the faults of all Israel, one for each of Israel’s tribes.

Et statuerunt sacerdotes in ordinibus suis, et Levitas in vicibus suis, super opera Dei in Jerusalem, sicut scriptum est in libro Moysi.

And they set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses over the works of God in Jerusalem, as it is written in the book of Moses.

Row upon row the priests stood, turn and turn about the Levites ministered, as the law of Moses bade them, doing the Lord’s errand there at Jerusalem.

Fecerunt autem filii Israël transmigrationis Pascha, quartadecima die mensis primi.

And the children of Israel of the captivity kept the phase,on the fourteenth day of the first month.

Afterwards, on the fourteenth day of the first month, Israel’s sons, returned from captivity, kept the paschal feast.

Purificati enim fuerant sacerdotes et Levitæ quasi unus: omnes mundi ad immolandum Pascha universis filiis transmigrationis, et fratribus suis sacerdotibus, et sibi.

For all the priests and the Levites were purified as one man: all were clean to kill the phase for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and themselves.

All the priests had rid themselves of defilement, and so had the Levites to a man; cleansed they must be, to slay the paschal victim for the returned exiles, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves besides.

Et comederunt filii Israël, qui reversi fuerant de transmigratione, et omnes qui se separaverant a coinquinatione gentium terræ ad eos, ut quærerent Dominum Deum Israël.

And the children of Israel that were returned from captivity, and all that had separated themselves from the filthiness of the nations of the earth to them, to seek the Lord the God of Israel, did eat.

So the Israelites who had come back from Babylon ate the pasch; and with them those others who had remained in the country, and been defiled by contact with its inhabitants; now they united with their brethren in having recourse to the Lord, the God of Israel.

Et fecerunt solemnitatem azymorum septem diebus in lætitia, quoniam lætificaverat eos Dominus, et converterat cor regis Assur ad eos, ut adjuvaret manus eorum in opere domus Domini Dei Israël.

And they kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy, for the Lord had made them joyful, and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them, that he should help their hands in the work of the house of the Lord the God of Israel.

And all through the week following they kept the feast of unleavened bread, glad at heart. Glad indeed the Lord had made them, Assyria’s king no more their enemy, their task so lightened for them in building a house for the Lord God of Israel.