Nehemiah's Enemies
1 When Sanballat, the governor of Samaria, heard that we were rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, he became angry and started insulting our people. 2 In front of his friends and the Samaritan army he said, “What is this feeble bunch of Jews trying to do? Are they going to rebuild the wall and offer sacrifices all in one day? Do they think they can make something out of this pile of scorched stones?”
3 Tobiah from Ammon was standing beside Sanballat and said, “Look at the wall they are building! Why, even a fox could knock over this pile of stones.”
4 But I prayed, “Our God, these people hate us and have wished horrible things for us. Please answer our prayers and make their insults fall on them! Let them be the ones to be dragged away as prisoners of war. 5 Don't forgive the mean and evil way they have insulted the builders.”
6 The people worked hard, and we built the walls of Jerusalem halfway up again. 7 But Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the people from the city of Ashdod saw the walls going up and the holes being repaired. So they became angry 8 and decided to stir up trouble, and to fight against the people of Jerusalem. 9 But we kept on praying to our God, and we also stationed guards day and night.
10 Meanwhile, the people of Judah were singing a sorrowful song:
“So much rubble for us to haul!
Worn out and weary,
will we ever finish this wall?”
11 Our enemies were saying, “Before those Jews know what has happened, we will sneak up and kill them and put an end to their work.”
12 On at least ten different occasions, the Jews living near our enemies warned us against attacks from every side, 13 and so I sent people to guard the wall at its lowest places and where there were still holes in it. I placed them according to families, and they stood guard with swords and spears and with bows and arrows. 14 Then I looked things over and told the leaders, the officials, and the rest of the people, “Don't be afraid of your enemies! The Lord is great and fearsome. So think of him and fight for your relatives and children, your wives and homes!”
15 Our enemies found out that we knew about their plot against us, but God kept them from doing what they had planned. So we went back to work on the wall.
16 From then on, I let half of the young men work while the other half stood guard. They wore armor and had spears and shields, as well as bows and arrows. The leaders helped the workers 17 who were rebuilding the wall. Everyone who hauled building materials kept one hand free to carry a weapon. 18 Even the workers who were rebuilding the wall strapped on a sword. The worker who was to blow the signal trumpet stayed with me.
19 I told the people and their officials and leaders, “Our work is so spread out, that we are a long way from one another. 20 If you hear the sound of the trumpet, come quickly and gather around me. Our God will help us fight.”
21 Every day from dawn to dark, half of the workers rebuilt the walls, while the rest stood guard with their spears.
22 I asked the men in charge and their workers to stay inside Jerusalem and stand guard at night. So they guarded the city at night and worked during the day. 23 I even slept in my work clothes at night; my relatives, the workers, and the guards slept in theirs as well. And we always kept our weapons close by.
Khākhoen ge ǂnubisîsenna noxopa ra mâǃoa
1 Sanbalati ge Jodeǁîda ǂnubiǂgoaba ra ǂnubikhâi ǃkhaisab ge ǁnâu, o kaise ǁaixa tsî sida ge ǃhōtsoatsoa. 2 ǁÎb di sîsenǁare-aogu tsî Samariab toroǂnubis tsîn mâ ra ǁnâuseb ge ge mî: “Tare-en nē ǀkhomǀkhomsa Jodeǁîna ra dī? ǂNubiǂgoaban kha ǁkhawa ra ǂnubikhâi ǂgao? ǁGuibade dīs ǀkhan ǁîba ǀgui tsēs ǃnâ nî ǂnubitoa tin ra ǂâi? ǂNubi-ū ǀuide nē khauǃkhūhe hâ ǂgoaǁkhoposa xu ǂnubi ǁkhān nî?”
3 Tobiab ge ǁnāpa ǁîb xōǀkhā mâ tsî ge mî: “Mâ ǂnubiǂgoa ǃnôa-en kha ǁîna nî ǂnubimâi ǁkhā? Nē ǂnubiǂgoab ge ǀgirib ga ǁîb ai uri, o nî ǁnā.”
4 O ta ge ge ǀgore: “Sida Elotse ǁnâu re, mâti da ra ǃhōhesa. Ab nē ǃharaxūba ǁîn ǂûn di danadi ai ǁgôaxa re. An ǃkhōsabese ǃhao ǃhū-e ǃoa ǃgû-ūhe re. 5 Tā ǁîn di ǂkhabadība ǀûba ni, î ǁîn di ǁoreba tā ǀuru, ǁîn ge sida, ǂnubi rada go ǃhasara.”
6 ǁNāti da ge ǂnubiǂgoaba ǂnubis ǀkha aiǃgû tsî ǁîba ǃkhareǀgapib kōse ǂnubikhâise, khoen ge kaise sîsenturaxa i xui-ao.
7 Sanbalati tsî Tobiab tsî Arabiab, Amonni tsî Asdods di khoen tsîn ge Jerusalems ǂnubiǂgoab ǁkhawa ra ǂnubikhâihe tsîdi khôa hâ ǃkhaide ra omǂganhe ǃkhaisan ge ǁnâu, o kaise ge ǁaixa. 8 Tsîn ge ǁîn hoana ge ǀapeǀhao, în Jerusalemsa hā ǁnāǂam tsî ǀgaruǀgarusiba hā-ū, 9 xawe da ge sida, sida Elob ǃoa ǀgore tsî tsēs tsî tsuxuba ǃûi-aoga ǁîn ǃoagu ge mâi.
10 Judab khoen ge ǁnaetsana-e gere ǁnae:
“ǃGom xūna tanis xa da ge ra ǂkhabu;
Ūkhâi da nîse i ǁkhopos ge kaise a kai.
ǂNubiǂgoaba da ge a ǂnubitoa ǁoa.”
11 Sida khākhoen ge ǁîna da mû tide tamas ka io tare-i ra īsa ǂan tide, sida hāǂam tsî ǃgam tsîn sîsenna nî ǀam kais kōse, ti ge ǂâi hâ i. 12 Xawen ge sida khākhoen ǁaegu ǁan hâ Jodeǁîna, sida khākhoen sida ǃoagu ra dī ǀapede ǃnākorobe hā gere mîba da. 13 ǁNā-amaga ta ge gôagu, ǁhâigôagu tsî khādi ǀkha ǁâtanisen hâ khoena, ǁîn ǃhaoǃnāde ǃoa ǀgoraǂgā tsî ǂnubiǂgoab noxopa dītoahe tama ǃkhaidi tawa ǃgâbǀkhāb ai ge mâ kai.
14 ǁAes gere ǂâiǂhansen ǃkhaisa ta ge mû, xui-ao ta ge ǁîn tsî ǁîn ǂgaeǂgui-aogu tsî ǂamkhoegu tsîna ǃoa ge mî: “Tā sada khākhoen xa ǃao. ǂÂi re mâtikōseb ǃKhūba kai tsî ǃaoǃaosa ǃkhaisa, î sadu ǃhūǁîn, sadu ôan, sadu taradi tsî sadu omdi tsîna ǃkhamba.” 15 Sida khākhoen ge ǁîn ǀapede da ge ǂanǃnâ ǃkhaisa ge ǁnâu, tsî Elob ge ǁîn di ǀapeǀhaosa ǁauǁau ǃkhaisa ge hōǃâ. Tsî da ge sida hoada ǁkhawa ǂnubiǂgoab ǁga, sida sîsenna ǃoa ge oa.
16 ǁNā ǁaeba xub ge ǀgui ǃkhare ǃâb, ti aogu diba sîsen tsî nau ǃkhareǃâba ǁkhaubasen saragu, ǁhâigôagu, ǁkhaukhōdi tsî khādi tsîn ǀkha gere ǃûimâ. Tsî sida ǂgaeǂgui-aogu ge sida khoen, 17 ǂnubiǂgoaba gere ǂnubina ǀoasa ǂkhâǃnâsa gere mā. ǂNubi-ū xūna gere tani khoegu tsîn ge ǀgui ǃommi ǀkha sîsen tsî naub ǀkha ǁâtani-e gere tani. 18 ǂNubi ra aogu ge mâb hoaba, gôaba ǁîb gamanab ai ge ǃgae hâ i. Xâiǁnâsa nî xâi khoeb ge tita ǀkha ge hâ i. 19 Tita ge ǁaes tsî ǁîn ǂamkhoegu tsî ǂgaeǂgui-aogu tsîna ge mîba: “Sîsenni ra dīhe ǃkhaib ge kaise a kai tsî da ge ǂnubiǂgoab ai kaise ǀgorasase hâ. 20 Xâiǁnâs ǀōba du ga ǁnâu, o sikhom tawa ǀhao. Sada Elob ge nî ǃkhamba da.” 21 ǁNāti ge ge ǃkhare ǃâb âge mâ tsēs hoasa, ǁgoaǃaromasa xu ǀgamirodi nî ǁhais kōse sîsenni ǀkha gere aiǃgû, nau ǃkhare ǃâb ǁhâigôagu ǀkha ǃûimâ hîa.
22 ǁNā ǁaeb ǃnâ ta ge sîsenaogu tsî ǁîgu di hui-aogu tsîga ge mîba tsuxuba Jerusalems ǃnâ hâsa, î gu tsuxuba ǃāsa ǃûi tsî tsēa sîsenna dī. 23 Tita kas, ti sîsenǁare-aogu kas, ti ǃgāgu kas, ǃûi-aogu kas hoas ge tsuxubas tsîna ge ǁhûsen tama hâ i. Sige hoage ge ǁâtanin âge ǃomǁae gere ūhâ.
