Ithempeli liyaqedwa; liyahlanjululwa
1Khona uDariyu wakhipha isimemezelo, kwacingwa endlini yezincwadi, lapho ingcebo yayibekelelwa khona eBabele. 2Kwafunyanwa e-Akimetha endlini yamakhosi esezweni laseMediya umqulu okwakulotshwe kuwo isikhumbuzo sokuthi:
3“Ngomnyaka wokuqala kaKoresi inkosi, uKoresi inkosi wakhipha isimemezelo sokuthi: Ngendlu kaNkulunkulu eseJerusalema, indlu mayakhiwe endaweni lapho benikelela khona ngemihlatshelo, zibekwe izisekelo zayo, ziqine, ukuphakama kwayo kube yizingalo ezingamashumi ayisithupha, ububanzi bayo bube yizingalo ezingamashumi ayisithupha; 4ayibe nezinhla ezintathu zamatshe amakhulu, nohla lwemithi emisha, izindleko zikhishwe endlini yenkosi; 5futhi izitsha zegolide nezesiliva zendlu kaNkulunkulu, uNebukadinesari azikhipha ethempelini eliseJerusalema waziyisa eBabele, mazibuyiswe, ziyiswe ethempelini eliseJerusalema, kube yileso naleso endaweni yaso, zibekwe endlini kaNkulunkulu.
6“Ngalokho, Thathenayi, mbusi phesheya koMfula,* nawe Shethari Bozenayi nabangane benu ama-Afarisaki abangaphesheya koMfula, manibe kude nalapho; 7wuyekeni umsebenzi waleyo ndlu kaNkulunkulu; umbusi wabaJuda namalunga abaJuda mabakhe le ndlu kaNkulunkulu endaweni yayo.
8“Futhi ngikhipha isimemezelo ngeniyakukwenza kulawo malunga abaJuda ukuba kwakhiwe leyo ndlu kaNkulunkulu: labo bantu mabanikwe kakhulu izindleko empahleni yenkosi, intela yaphesheya koMfula,* ukuba bangathiywa. 9Abakudingayo, amaduna, nezinqama, namawundlu okuyakuba yiminikelo yokushiswa kuNkulunkulu wezulu, kanye nokolweni, nosawoti, newayini, namafutha, njengezwi labapristi abaseJerusalema, mabanikwe khona imihla ngemihla kungaphuthi 10ukuba banikele ngemihlatshelo yephunga elimnandi kuNkulunkulu wezulu, bakhulekele ukuphila kwenkosi namadodana ayo.
11“Futhi ngikhiphe isimemezelo sokuthi yilowo nalowo oguqula leli zwi, makukhishwe umuthi endlini yakhe, aphakanyiswe, abethelwe kuwo, indlu yakhe yenziwe ibe yiquba ngenxa yalokho, 12uNkulunkulu ohlalise khona igama lakhe awise phansi onke amakhosi nabantu abayakwelula izandla zabo ukuba baguqule lokho, bachithe le ndlu kaNkulunkulu eseJerusalema. Mina Dariyu ngikhiphe isimemezelo; masenziwe ngaso sonke isineke.”
13Khona uThathenayi umbusi waphesheya koMfula,* noShethari Bozenayi, nabangane babo benza kanjalo ngesineke sonke, ngokuba uDariyu inkosi wayethumele. 14Amalunga abaJuda ayesakha, aba nempumelelo ngokuprofetha kukaHagayi umprofethi noZakariya indodana ka-Ido. Akha, aqeda njengokwesiyalezo sikaNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, nanjengokwesiyalezo sikaKoresi, noDariyu, no-Aritahishashita, inkosi yasePheresiya. 15Yaqedwa leyo ndlu ngosuku lwesithathu lwenyanga ka-Adari ngomnyaka wesithupha wokubusa kukaDariyu inkosi.
16Abantwana bakwa-Israyeli, abapristi namaLevi nabanye abathunjwa, bagcina ukuhlanjululwa kwaleyo ndlu kaNkulunkulu ngokuthokoza. 17Banikela ekuhlanjululweni kwaleyo ndlu kaNkulunkulu ngezinkunzi eziyikhulu, nangezinqama ezingamakhulu amabili, nangamawundlu angamakhulu amane, kanye nezimpongo eziyishumi nambili zibe ngumnikelo wokona ngo-Israyeli wonke njengokomumo wezizwe zakwa-Israyeli. 18Bamisa abapristi ngamaqembu abo namaLevi ngezigaba zawo ukuba baphathe inkonzo kaNkulunkulu eseJerusalema njengokulotshiweyo encwadini kaMose.
19Abathunjwa bagcina iphasika ngolweshumi nane lwenyanga yokuqala. 20Ngokuba abapristi namaLevi babezihlambululile kanyekanye; bonke babehlambulukile; bahlabela bonke abathunjwa iphasika, nabafowabo abapristi, bazihlabela nabo uqobo lwabo. 21Abantwana bakwa-Israyeli ababebuyile ekuthunjweni, nabo bonke ababezahlukanisele kubo nokungcola kwabezizwe balelo zwe ukuba bafune uJehova uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli badla; 22bagubha umkhosi wesinkwa esingenamvubelo izinsuku eziyisikhombisa ngokuthokoza, ngokuba uJehova wayebathokozisile, waguqulela inhliziyo yenkosi yase-Asiriya kubo ukuba kuqiniswe izandla zabo emsebenzini wendlu kaNkulunkulu, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli.
