Ezra 6

¹ Naso Darius the emperor issue command for a search in royal records wey dem keep for Babylon.

² But na for the city of Ecbatana in the province of Media dem find the scroll, wey contain the record wey follow:

³ "For the first year of the time wey he dey reign, Cyrus the emperor command say make dem rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem as a place where dem dey make sacrifice and where dem dey burn offering. Make the Temple be 27 meters high and 27 meters wide.

⁴ Make dem build the walls with one layer of wood on top of every three layers of stone. Make the royal treasury pay all the money wey dem use.

⁵ Also make dem return the gold and silver toolls wey king Nebuchadnezzar bring come Babylon from the Temple to their proper place in Jerusalem Temple."

⁶ Darius con send this reply: "To Tattenai, governor of West Euphrates, Shethar Bozenai, and una fellow-officials for West Euphrates. "Make una stay away from the Temple

⁷ And make una no disturb the construction. Make una allow the governor of Judah and the leaders of Jews rebuild the Temple of God for where e dey stand before.

⁸ I dey command una say make una rebuild am. Make una pay their expenses out of the royal money wey una receive from tax for West Euphrates, so that nothing go disturb the work.

⁹ Day by day, make e no fail, make una give the priests for Jerusalem anything wey dem tell una say dem need: young bulls, sheep, or lambs wey dem go burn as offerings to God of Heaven. Or wheat, salt, wine, or olive oil.

¹⁰ Make una do this so that dem fit offer sacrifice wey dey acceptable to God of Heaven and pray for him blessing for me and my sons.

¹¹ I also dey command say if anyone disobey this order, make una tear wooden beam out of him house, wey dey sharp for one end, and then chook am through him body. And make una destroy him house.

¹² Make God wey chose Jerusalem as the place wey dem go dey worship him overthrow any king or nation wey no obey this command and try to destroy the Temple for there. I, Darius, I don give this order. Make una obey am fully."

¹³ Then Tattenai the governor, Shethar Bozenai, and their fellow-officials don do exactly as the emperor don command.

¹⁴ The Jewish leaders dey make good progress with the building of the Temple, wey the prophets Haggai and Zechariah encourage. Dem complete the Temple as God of Israel don command them by Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, emperors of Persia.

¹⁵ Dem finish the Temple on the third day of the month of Adar for the sixth year of the time wey Darius the emperor dey reign.

¹⁶ Then the people of Israel - the priests, the Levites, and all the others wey don return from foreign land - con dedicate the Temple with joy.

¹⁷ Dem offer 100 bulls, 200 sheep, and 400 lambs as sacrifice for the dedication, and dem offer twelve goats as offering for sin, one for each tribe of Israel.

¹⁸ Dem also organize the priests and the Levites for the temple service for Jerusalem, according to the instructions wey dey for book of Moses.

¹⁹ The people wey don return from foreign land celebrate Passover for the fourteenth day of the first month of the year wey follow.

²⁰ All the priests and the Levites don purify themselves and dem dey ritually clean. The Levites kill the animals for the Passover sacrifice for all the people wey don return, for the priests, and for themselves.

²¹ Na all the Israelites wey return from foreign land and all those wey don give up the pagan ways of the other people wey dey live for the land and wey don come worship the LORD God of Israel chop the sacrifice.

²² Dem celebrate the Festival of bread wey no get yeast with joy. Joy full them because God don make the emperor of Assyria favor them so tey he support them in their work to rebuild the Temple of the God of Israel.