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Yna gwrthwynebwyr Jwda a Benjamin a glywsant fod meibion y gaethglud yn adeiladu y deml i Arglwydd Dduw Israel; Ac a ddaethant at Sorobabel, ac at y pennau‐cenedl, ac a ddywedasant wrthynt, Adeiladwn gyda chwi: canys fel chwithau y ceisiwn eich Duw chwi; ac iddo ef yr ydym ni yn aberthu, er dyddiau Esarhadon brenin Assyria, yr hwn a’n dug ni i fyny yma. Eithr dywedodd Sorobabel a Jesua, a’r rhan arall o bennau‐cenedl Israel, wrthynt, Nid yw i chwi ac i ninnau adeiladu tŷ i’n Duw ni; eithr nyni a gyd-adeiladwn i Arglwydd Dduw Israel, megis y’n gorchmynnodd y brenin Cyrus, brenin Persia. A phobl y wlad oedd yn anghysuro pobl Jwda, ac yn eu rhwystro hwy i adeiladu, Ac yn cyflogi cynghorwyr yn eu herbyn hwynt, i ddiddymu eu cyngor hwynt, holl ddyddiau Cyrus brenin Persia, a hyd deyrnasiad Dareius brenin Persia. Ac yn nheyrnasiad Ahasferus, yn nechreuad ei deyrnasiad ef, yr ysgrifenasant ato achwyn yn erbyn trigolion Jwda a Jerwsalem.

Ac yn nyddiau Artacsercses yr ysgrifennodd Bislam, Mithredath, Tabeel, a’r rhan arall o’u cyfeillion, at Artacsercses brenin Persia; ac ysgrifen y llythyr a ysgrifennwyd yn Syriaeg, ac a eglurwyd yn Syriaeg. Rehum y cofiadur a Simsai yr ysgrifennydd a ysgrifenasant lythyr yn erbyn Jerwsalem at Artacsercses y brenin, fel hyn: Yna yr ysgrifennodd Rehum y cofiadur, a Simsai yr ysgrifennydd, a’r rhan arall o’u cyfeillion, y Dinaiaid, yr Affarsathchiaid, y Tarpeliaid, yr Affarsiaid, yr Archefiaid, y Babiloniaid, y Susanchiaid, y Dehafiaid, yr Elamiaid, 10 A’r rhan arall o’r bobl y rhai a ddug Asnappar mawr ac enwog, ac a osododd efe yn ninasoedd Samaria, a’r rhan arall tu yma i’r afon, a’r amser a’r amser.

11 Dyma ystyr y llythyr a anfonasant ato ef, sef at Artacsercses y brenin; Dy wasanaethwyr o’r tu yma i’r afon, a’r amser a’r amser. 12 Bid hysbys i’r brenin, fod yr Iddewon a ddaethant i fyny oddi wrthyt ti atom ni, wedi dyfod i Jerwsalem, ac yn adeiladu y ddinas wrthryfelgar ddrygionus, a’r muriau a sylfaenasant hwy, ac a gydwniasant y sylfaenau. 13 Yn awr bydded hysbys i’r brenin, os adeiledir y ddinas hon, a gorffen ei chaerau, na roddant na tholl, na theyrnged, na threth; felly y drygi drysor y brenhinoedd. 14 Ac yn awr oherwydd ein bod ni yn cael ein cynhaliaeth o lys y brenin, ac nad oedd weddaidd i ni weled gwarth y brenin; am hynny yr anfonasom ac yr hysbysasom i’r brenin, 15 Fel y ceisier yn llyfr historïau dy dadau: a thi a gei yn llyfr yr historïau, ac a elli wybod, fod y ddinas hon yn ddinas wrthryfelgar, niweidiol i frenhinoedd a thaleithiau, a bod yn gwneuthur brad‐fwriad o fewn hon er ys talm: am hynny y dinistriwyd y ddinas hon. 16 Yr ydym yn hysbysu i’r brenin, os y ddinas hon a adeiledir, a’r muriau a sylfaenir, wrth hynny ni fydd i ti ran o’r tu yma i’r afon.

17 Yna yr anfonodd y brenin air at Rehum y cofiadur, a Simsai yr ysgrifennydd, a’r rhan arall o’u cyfeillion hwynt y rhai a drigent yn Samaria, ac at y lleill o’r tu hwnt i’r afon, Tangnefedd, a’r amser a’r amser. 18 Y llythyr a anfonasoch ataf, a ddarllenwyd yn eglur ger fy mron. 19 A mi a osodais orchymyn, a chwiliwyd; a chafwyd fod y ddinas hon er ys talm yn ymddyrchafu yn erbyn brenhinoedd, a gwneuthur ynddi anufudd‐dod a gwrthryfel. 20 A brenhinoedd cryfion a fu ar Jerwsalem, yn llywodraethu ar bawb o’r tu hwnt i’r afon; ac iddynt hwy y rhoddid toll, teyrnged, a threth. 21 Yn awr rhoddwch orchymyn, i beri i’r gwŷr hynny beidio, ac nad adeilader y ddinas honno, hyd oni roddwyf fi orchymyn eto. 22 A gwyliwch wneuthur yn amryfus yn hyn: paham y tyf niwed i ddrygu y brenhinoedd?

23 Yna pan ddarllenwyd ystyr llythyr Artacsercses y brenin o flaen Rehum a Simsai yr ysgrifennydd, a’u cyfeillion, hwy a aethant i fyny ar frys i Jerwsalem at yr Iddewon, ac a wnaethant iddynt beidio trwy fraich a chryfder. 24 Yna y peidiodd gwaith tŷ Dduw yr hwn sydd yn Jerwsalem; ac y bu yn sefyll hyd yr ail flwyddyn o deyrnasiad Dareius brenin Persia.

Opposition to the Rebuilding

When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building(A) a temple for the Lord, the God of Israel, they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families and said, “Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon(B) king of Assyria, who brought us here.”(C)

But Zerubbabel, Joshua and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel answered, “You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us.”(D)

Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building.[a](E) They bribed officials to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Later Opposition Under Xerxes and Artaxerxes

At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes,[b](F) they lodged an accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.(G)

And in the days of Artaxerxes(H) king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. The letter was written in Aramaic script and in the Aramaic(I) language.[c][d]

Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows:

Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary, together with the rest of their associates(J)—the judges, officials and administrators over the people from Persia, Uruk(K) and Babylon, the Elamites of Susa,(L) 10 and the other people whom the great and honorable Ashurbanipal(M) deported and settled in the city of Samaria and elsewhere in Trans-Euphrates.(N)

11 (This is a copy of the letter they sent him.)

To King Artaxerxes,

From your servants in Trans-Euphrates:

12 The king should know that the people who came up to us from you have gone to Jerusalem and are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are restoring the walls and repairing the foundations.(O)

13 Furthermore, the king should know that if this city is built and its walls are restored, no more taxes, tribute or duty(P) will be paid, and eventually the royal revenues will suffer.[e] 14 Now since we are under obligation to the palace and it is not proper for us to see the king dishonored, we are sending this message to inform the king, 15 so that a search may be made in the archives(Q) of your predecessors. In these records you will find that this city is a rebellious city, troublesome to kings and provinces, a place with a long history of sedition. That is why this city was destroyed.(R) 16 We inform the king that if this city is built and its walls are restored, you will be left with nothing in Trans-Euphrates.

17 The king sent this reply:

To Rehum the commanding officer, Shimshai the secretary and the rest of their associates living in Samaria and elsewhere in Trans-Euphrates:(S)

Greetings.

18 The letter you sent us has been read and translated in my presence. 19 I issued an order and a search was made, and it was found that this city has a long history of revolt(T) against kings and has been a place of rebellion and sedition. 20 Jerusalem has had powerful kings ruling over the whole of Trans-Euphrates,(U) and taxes, tribute and duty were paid to them. 21 Now issue an order to these men to stop work, so that this city will not be rebuilt until I so order. 22 Be careful not to neglect this matter. Why let this threat grow, to the detriment of the royal interests?(V)

23 As soon as the copy of the letter of King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum and Shimshai the secretary and their associates,(W) they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and compelled them by force to stop.

24 Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius(X) king of Persia.

Footnotes

  1. Ezra 4:4 Or and troubled them as they built
  2. Ezra 4:6 Hebrew Ahasuerus
  3. Ezra 4:7 Or written in Aramaic and translated
  4. Ezra 4:7 The text of 4:8–6:18 is in Aramaic.
  5. Ezra 4:13 The meaning of the Aramaic for this clause is uncertain.