TORAH
NEVI'IM
KETUVIM
Chapter 5
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1Then the Neviim, Chagai the Navi and Zecharya son of Ido, prophesied to the Yehudim in Yehuda and Yerushalayim, inspired by the God of Yisrael.
אוְהִתְנַבִּי חַגַּי נביאה [נְבִיָּא] וּזְכַרְיָה בַר־עִדּוֹא נביאיא [נְבִיַּיָּא] עַל־יְהוּדָיֵא דִּי בִיהוּד וּבִירוּשְׁלֶם בְּשֻׁם אֱלָהּ יִשְׂרָאֵל עֲלֵיהוֹן׃
2Thereupon Zerubavel son of Shealtiel and Yeshua son of Yotzadak began rebuilding the House of Hashem in Yerushalayim, with the full support of the Neviim of Hashem.
bay-DA-yin KA-mu z'-ru-ba-VEL bar sh'-al-tee-AYL v'-yay-SHU-a bar yo-tza-DAK v'-sha-REEV l'-miv-NAY BAYT e-la-HA DEE vee-ru-sh'-LEM v'-i-m'-HON n'-vi-ya-YA dee e-la-HA m'-sa-a-DEEN l'-HON
בבֵּאדַיִן קָמוּ זְרֻבָּבֶל בַּר־שְׁאַלְתִּיאֵל וְיֵשׁוּעַ בַּר־יוֹצָדָק וְשָׁרִיו לְמִבְנֵא בֵּית אֱלָהָא דִּי בִירוּשְׁלֶם וְעִמְּהוֹן נביאיא [נְבִיַּיָּא] דִי־אֱלָהָא מְסָעֲדִין לְהוֹן׃
5:2 With the full support of the Neviim of Hashem
Eliezer Ben-Yehuda (1858-1922)
Starting with chapter 4, verse 8, the language of Sefer Ezra switches from Hebrew to Aramaic. However, the Neviim of the time, Chagai, Zecharya and Malachi, address the nation exclusively in Hebrew. The Jewish people have been exiled to every corner of the world and, in the process, have learned many different languages. This is as true in the modern Diaspora as it was during the Babylonian and Persian eras. And yet, with the minor exceptions of the Aramaic sections of Daniel and Ezra, the Tanakh was written entirely in Hebrew. Although the Jews spoke other languages, Hebrew remained their essential language. Even if they did not speak it for everyday matter, it continued to be the language used for prayer and study, connecting to Hashem.. The fact that Hebrew is again the vibrant and dynamic language of communication in contemporary Israel should not be underestimated. The revival of Hebrew as a spoken language in the 19th century, due largely to the efforts of Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, is as miraculous as the survival of the Hebrew people themselves. As Shimon Peres, former president of Israel, pointed out, “None in the Middle East speak their original language, except for Israel.”
3At once Tattenai, governor of the province of Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their colleagues descended upon them and said this to them, “Who issued orders to you to rebuild this house and complete its furnishing?”
גבֵּהּ־זִמְנָא אֲתָא עֲלֵיהוֹן תַּתְּנַי פַּחַת עֲבַר־נַהֲרָה וּשְׁתַר בּוֹזְנַי וּכְנָוָתְהוֹן וְכֵן אָמְרִין לְהֹם מַן־שָׂם לְכֹם טְעֵם בַּיְתָא דְנָה לִבְּנֵא וְאֻשַּׁרְנָא דְנָה לְשַׁכְלָלָה׃
4Then we said to them, “What are the names of the men who are engaged in the building?”
דאֱדַיִן כְּנֵמָא אֲמַרְנָא לְּהֹם מַן־אִנּוּן שְׁמָהָת גֻּבְרַיָּא דִּי־דְנָה בִנְיָנָא בָּנַיִן׃
5But Hashem watched over the elders of the Yehudim and they were not stopped while a report went to Darius and a letter was sent back in reply to it.
הוְעֵין אֱלָהֲהֹם הֲוָת עַל־שָׂבֵי יְהוּדָיֵא וְלָא־בַטִּלוּ הִמּוֹ עַד־טַעְמָא לְדָרְיָוֶשׁ יְהָךְ וֶאֱדַיִן יְתִיבוּן נִשְׁתְּוָנָא עַל־דְּנָה׃
6This is the text of the letter that Tattenai, governor of the province of Beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai and his colleagues, the officials of Beyond the River, sent to King Darius.
ופַּרְשֶׁגֶן אִגַּרְתָּא דִּי־שְׁלַח תַּתְּנַי פַּחַת עֲבַר־נַהֲרָה וּשְׁתַר בּוֹזְנַי וּכְנָוָתֵהּ אֲפַרְסְכָיֵא דִּי בַּעֲבַר נַהֲרָה עַל־דָּרְיָוֶשׁ מַלְכָּא׃
7They sent a message to him and this is what was written in it: “To King Darius, greetings, and so forth.
זפִּתְגָמָא שְׁלַחוּ עֲלוֹהִי וְכִדְנָה כְּתִיב בְּגַוֵּהּ לְדָרְיָוֶשׁ מַלְכָּא שְׁלָמָא כֹלָּא׃
8Be it known to the king, that we went to the province of Yehuda, to the house of the great Hashem. It is being rebuilt of hewn stone, and wood is being laid in the walls. The work is being done with dispatch and is going well.
חיְדִיעַ לֶהֱוֵא לְמַלְכָּא דִּי־אֲזַלְנָא לִיהוּד מְדִינְתָּא לְבֵית אֱלָהָא רַבָּא וְהוּא מִתְבְּנֵא אֶבֶן גְּלָל וְאָע מִתְּשָׂם בְּכֻתְלַיָּא וַעֲבִידְתָּא דָךְ אָסְפַּרְנָא מִתְעַבְדָא וּמַצְלַח בְּיֶדְהֹם׃
9Thereupon we directed this question to these elders, ‘Who issued orders to you to rebuild this house and to complete its furnishings?'
טאֱדַיִן שְׁאֵלְנָא לְשָׂבַיָּא אִלֵּךְ כְּנֵמָא אֲמַרְנָא לְּהֹם מַן־שָׂם לְכֹם טְעֵם בַּיְתָא דְנָה לְמִבְנְיָה וְאֻשַּׁרְנָא דְנָה לְשַׁכְלָלָה׃
10We also asked their names so that we could write down the names of their leaders for your information.
יוְאַף שְׁמָהָתְהֹם שְׁאֵלְנָא לְּהֹם לְהוֹדָעוּתָךְ דִּי נִכְתֻּב שֻׁם־גֻּבְרַיָּא דִּי בְרָאשֵׁיהֹם׃
11This is what they answered us: ‘We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth; we are rebuilding the house that was originally built many years ago; a great king of Yisrael built it and completed it.
יאוּכְנֵמָא פִתְגָמָא הֲתִיבוּנָא לְמֵמַר אֲנַחְנָא הִמּוֹ עַבְדוֹהִי דִי־אֱלָהּ שְׁמַיָּא וְאַרְעָא וּבָנַיִן בַּיְתָא דִּי־הֲוָא בְנֵה מִקַּדְמַת דְּנָה שְׁנִין שַׂגִּיאָן וּמֶלֶךְ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל רַב בְּנָהִי וְשַׁכְלְלֵהּ׃
12But because our fathers angered the God of Heaven, He handed them over to Nebuchadnezzar the Chaldean, king of Babylon, who demolished this house and exiled the people to Babylon.
יבלָהֵן מִן־דִּי הַרְגִּזוּ אֲבָהֳתַנָא לֶאֱלָהּ שְׁמַיָּא יְהַב הִמּוֹ בְּיַד נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל כסדיא [כַּסְדָּאָה] וּבַיְתָה דְנָה סַתְרֵהּ וְעַמָּה הַגְלִי לְבָבֶל׃
13But in the first year of King Cyrus of Babylon, King Cyrus issued an order to rebuild this House of Hashem.
יגבְּרַם בִּשְׁנַת חֲדָה לְכוֹרֶשׁ מַלְכָּא דִּי בָבֶל כּוֹרֶשׁ מַלְכָּא שָׂם טְעֵם בֵּית־אֱלָהָא דְנָה לִבְּנֵא׃
14Also the silver and gold vessels of the House of Hashem that Nebuchadnezzar had taken away from the temple in Yerushalayim and brought to the temple in Babylon—King Cyrus released them from the temple in Babylon to be given to the one called Sheshbatzar whom he had appointed governor.
ידוְאַף מָאנַיָּא דִי־בֵית־אֱלָהָא דִּי דַהֲבָה וְכַסְפָּא דִּי נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר הַנְפֵּק מִן־הֵיכְלָא דִּי בִירוּשְׁלֶם וְהֵיבֵל הִמּוֹ לְהֵיכְלָא דִּי בָבֶל הַנְפֵּק הִמּוֹ כּוֹרֶשׁ מַלְכָּא מִן־הֵיכְלָא דִּי בָבֶל וִיהִיבוּ לְשֵׁשְׁבַּצַּר שְׁמֵהּ דִּי פֶחָה שָׂמֵהּ׃
15He said to him, “Take these vessels, go, deposit them in the temple in Yerushalayim, and let the House of Hashem be rebuilt on its original site.”
טווַאֲמַר־לֵהּ אלה [אֵל] מָאנַיָּא שֵׂא אֵזֶל־אֲחֵת הִמּוֹ בְּהֵיכְלָא דִּי בִירוּשְׁלֶם וּבֵית אֱלָהָא יִתְבְּנֵא עַל־אַתְרֵהּ׃
16That same Sheshbatzar then came and laid the foundations for the House of Hashem in Yerushalayim; and ever since then it has been under construction, but is not yet finished.'
טזאֱדַיִן שֵׁשְׁבַּצַּר דֵּךְ אֲתָא יְהַב אֻשַּׁיָּא דִּי־בֵית אֱלָהָא דִּי בִירוּשְׁלֶם וּמִן־אֱדַיִן וְעַד־כְּעַן מִתְבְּנֵא וְלָא שְׁלִם׃
17And now, if it please the king, let the royal archives there in Babylon be searched to see whether indeed an order had been issued by King Cyrus to rebuild this House of Hashem in Yerushalayim. May the king convey to us his pleasure in this matter.”
יזוּכְעַן הֵן עַל־מַלְכָּא טָב יִתְבַּקַּר בְּבֵית גִּנְזַיָּא דִּי־מַלְכָּא תַמָּה דִּי בְּבָבֶל הֵן אִיתַי דִּי־מִן־כּוֹרֶשׁ מַלְכָּא שִׂים טְעֵם לְמִבְנֵא בֵּית־אֱלָהָא דֵךְ בִּירוּשְׁלֶם וּרְעוּת מַלְכָּא עַל־דְּנָה יִשְׁלַח עֲלֶינָא׃