Separation from Foreigners
1 When the Law of Moses was being read aloud to the people, they came to the passage that said that no Ammonite or Moabite was ever to be permitted to join God's people. 2 This was because the people of Ammon and Moab did not give food and water to the Israelites on their way out of Egypt. Instead, they paid money to Balaam to curse Israel, but our God turned the curse into a blessing. 3 When the people of Israel heard this law read, they excluded all foreigners from the community.
Nehemiah's Reforms
4 The priest Eliashib, who was in charge of the Temple storerooms, had for a long time been on good terms with Tobiah. 5 He allowed Tobiah to use a large room that was intended only for storing offerings of grain and incense, the equipment used in the Temple, the offerings for the priests, and the tithes of grain, wine, and olive oil given to the Levites, to the Temple musicians, and to the Temple guards. 6 While this was going on, I was not in Jerusalem, because in the thirty-second year that Artaxerxes was king of Babylon I had gone back to report to him. After some time I received his permission 7 and returned to Jerusalem. There I was shocked to find that Eliashib had allowed Tobiah to use a room in the Temple. 8 I was furious and threw out all of Tobiah's belongings. 9 I gave orders for the rooms to be ritually purified and for the Temple equipment, grain offerings, and incense to be put back.
10 I also learned that the Temple musicians and other Levites had left Jerusalem and gone back to their farms, because the people had not been giving them enough to live on. 11 I reprimanded the officials for letting the Temple be neglected. And I brought the Levites and musicians back to the Temple and put them to work again. 12 Then all the people of Israel again started bringing to the Temple storerooms their tithes of grain, wine, and olive oil. 13 I put the following men in charge of the storerooms: Shelemiah, a priest; Zadok, a scholar of the Law; and Pedaiah, a Levite. Hanan, the son of Zaccur and grandson of Mattaniah, was to be their assistant. I knew I could trust these men to be honest in distributing the supplies to the other workers.
14 Remember, my God, all these things that I have done for your Temple and its worship.
15 At that time I saw people in Judah pressing juice from grapes on the Sabbath. Others were loading grain, wine, grapes, figs, and other things on their donkeys and taking them into Jerusalem; I warned them not to sell anything on the Sabbath. 16 Some people from the city of Tyre were living in Jerusalem, and they brought fish and all kinds of goods into the city to sell to our people on the Sabbath. 17 I reprimanded the Jewish leaders and told them, “Look at the evil you're doing! You're making the Sabbath unholy. 18 This is exactly why God punished your ancestors when he brought destruction on this city. And yet you insist on bringing more of God's anger down on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”
19 So I gave orders for the city gates to be shut at the beginning of every Sabbath, as soon as evening began to fall, and not to be opened again until the Sabbath was over. I stationed some of my men at the gates to make sure that nothing was brought into the city on the Sabbath. 20 Once or twice merchants who sold all kinds of goods spent Friday night outside the city walls. 21 I warned them, “It's no use waiting out there for morning to come. If you try this again, I'll use force on you.” From then on they did not come back on the Sabbath. 22 I ordered the Levites to purify themselves and to go and guard the gates to make sure that the Sabbath was kept holy.
Remember me, O God, for this also, and spare me because of your great love.
23 At that time I also discovered that many of the Jewish men had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. 24 Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or some other language and didn't know how to speak our language. 25 I reprimanded the men, called down curses on them, beat them, and pulled out their hair. Then I made them take an oath in God's name that never again would they or their children intermarry with foreigners. 26 I told them, “It was foreign women that made King Solomon sin. Here was a man who was greater than any of the kings of other nations. God loved him and made him king over all of Israel, and yet he fell into this sin. 27 Are we then to follow your example and disobey our God by marrying foreign women?”
28 Joiada was the son of Eliashib the High Priest, but one of Joiada's sons married the daughter of Sanballat, from the town of Beth Horon, so I made Joiada leave Jerusalem.
29 Remember, God, how those people defiled both the office of priest and the covenant you made with the priests and the Levites.
30 I purified the people from everything foreign; I prepared regulations for the priests and the Levites so that all of them would know their duties; 31 I arranged for the wood used for burning the offerings to be brought at the proper times, and for the people to bring their offerings of the first grain and the first fruits that ripened.
Remember all this, O God, and give me credit for it.
Okuhaṋika novandu wozonganda
1 Etwako ra Moses tji ra reserwa otjiwaṋa neraka enene, otji pa munika omahungi ngu maye tja kape nOmuamoni poo Omumoab ngu maa yandjerwa okuwana notjiwaṋa tja Ndjambi. 2 Pa tjitwa nao mena rokutja Ovaamoni nOvamoab kave yandjere ovikurya nomeva kOvaisrael morutjindo rwawo okuza kOengipte. Moruveze rwanao owo va suta ovimariva ku Balaam kokutja ve senge Ovaisrael; nungwari Ndjambi wetu wa rundurura osengiro okurira ondaya. 3 Ovaisrael tji va zuva etwako ndi amari resewa, otji va isa mo ovozonganda avehe mombongo yawo.
Omarundururiro Nehemia nga tjita
4 Omupristeri Eljasib, ngwa ri notjiungura tjokutjevera omatuwo womapwikiro wondjuwo ya Muhona wa kara pamwe nawa na Tobija oruveze orure tjinene. 5 Eye wa yandjera Tobija kutja a kare netuwo enene, rutenga nda ri etuwo romapwikiro roviṋa mbi porwavyo: Oviyambo vyozombunguhiro zovikurya, novyomoro omuwa, noviungurise vyondjuwo ya Muhona, noviyambo mbya tyerwa ovapristeri, notjitjamurongo tjovikokotwa notjomavinu notjomaze womiṋinga, mbya tyerwa Ovalevi novaimbure novatjevere vondjuwo ya Muhona. 6 Otjiṋa hi ngunda ama tji tjitwa, ami tjandje hi mo mOjerusalem, orondu mombura oitjamirongo vitatu na mbari youhona wa Artakerkes, ombara ya Babilon, ami mba yarukire okukaserekarera ku ye. Kombunda yoruveze rworive ami mba ningira ousemba wokuyaruka kOjerusalem, 7 notji mba yaruka. Nu ami mba kumwa tji mba kamuna kutja Eljasib wa yandjera Tobija okukara metuwo rimwe rondjuwo ya Muhona. 8 Mba pindikire tjinene, notji mba nakaurira oviṋa avihe vya Tobija pendje. 9 Ami mba rakiza kutja etuwo ndi ri kohororwe, nokutja oviungurise vyondjuwo ya Muhona noviyambo vyozombunguhiro zovikurya novyomoro omuwa vi yarurwe mo.
10 Wina mba tjivisiwa kutja ovaimbure vondjuwo ya Muhona nOvalevi varwe va zire mo mOjerusalem, nokutja va yaruka kozohambo zawo, otjiwaṋa tjinga aatji he ve pe mbya yenena okuvehupisa. 11 Ami mba tena ovahongore mena rokutja va tjinda ondjuwo ya Muhona ouhazendu. Otji mba kotora Ovalevi novaimbure kondjuwo ya Muhona, ne ve yarura moviungura vyawo. 12 Tjazumba Ovaisrael avehe otji va uta okueta rukwao otjitjamurongo tjawo tjovikokotwa notjomavinu notjomaze womiṋinga komatuwo womapwikiro wondjuwo ya Muhona. 13 Ami mba zika ovarumendu mba mokutjevera omatuwo womapwikiro: OSelemja, omupristeri, na Sadok, omuhongewa wOmatwako, na Pedaja, Omulevi. Hanan, omuzandu wa Sakur nondekurona ya Matanja, ongwa ri omuvatere wawo. Ami ee tjiwa kutja ovarumendu mba ovasemba mokuhaṋa oviyandjewa kovaungure ovakwao.
14 Ndjambi wandje, ndji zemburukira oviṋa mbi avihe oviwa mbi mba tjitira ondjuwo yoye nomerikotameneno wayo.
15 Momayuva ngo ami mba muna ovandu mehi ra Juda mbaa ve kama oruaze rwomandjembere mesabata. Varwe aave kutire ovikokotwa nomavinu nomandjembere nomakuyu noviṋa vyarwe kousino wawo, nokuvihitisa mOjerusalem mesabata; ami mbe ve ronga kutja ave ha randisa ngamwa otjiṋa mesabata. 16 Ovarumendu tjiva, mba zire motjihuro Tirus, va turire mOjerusalem; nowo va eta ozohi noviṋa ngamwa avihe motjihuro kokutja ve vi randise kotjiwaṋa tjetu mesabata. 17 Ami mba tena ovanane vOvajuda ne tja nai: “Tareye ouvi mbu mu tjiti. Kamu nokuyapura esabata. 18 Muhona opa za okuvera ooiho mukururume, indu tja eta onyoneno kotjihuro hi. Nu ingee mamu etere ko omazenge wa Ndjambi kOvaisrael mokuyamburura esabata.”
19 Ami otji mba rakiza kutja omivero vyotjihuro vi patwe momautiro wesabata arihe tjimanga omuihi tji mau utu nokutja avi ha patururwa nga esabata tji ra kapita. Mba twa ovarumendu vandje tjiva pomivero, ve tjevere nawa kutja ape ha etwa otjiṋa motjihuro mesabata. 20 Potjikando tjimwe poo povikando vivari ovarandise mbaa ve randisa oviṋa ngamwa avihe, aave rara pendje yorumbo rwa Jerusalem ouṱuku wOritjatano. 21 Mbe ve ronga e tja nai: “Kahepero okuundjira pendje nao uriri nga tji pa tji. Tji mwa tjiti nai rukwao, ami me mu kambura. Okuzambo owo kave na pu va kotoka mesabata rukwao.” 22 Ami mba rakiza kOvalevi kutja ve rikohorore oveni, nokutja ve katjevere omivero nokukonḓonona kutja esabata ri yapurwe tjiri.
Ndji zemburuka motjiṋa hi wina, Ndjambi wandje, nu u ndji yame motjari tjoye otjinene.
23 Moruveze ndo wina ami mba muna kutja ovarumendu ovengi Ovajuda va kupire ovakazendu, mba zire kotjihuro Asdod na kehi ra Amon nora Moab. 24 Orumbembera rumwe rwovanatje vawo aa ru hungire Otjiasdod poo eraka rimwe rarwe, nu kaa ru tjiwa okuhungira eraka retu. 25 Ami mba tena ovarumendu mba, e ve sengi, e ve tono, ne ve nana ozondjise. Tjazumba e ve yanisa mena ra Ndjambi kutja owo poo ovanatje vawo ave ha kupasana novandu wozonganda rukwao. 26 Mba tja nai: “Ovakazendu wozonganda omba turisa Salomo ondjo. Eye wa ri omurumendu omunauvara pozombara azehe zoviwaṋa vyarwe. Ndjambi we mu suverere, neye ope mu zikira a rire ombara ya Israel atjihe, nungwari eye wa wira mouvi mbwi. 27 Nambano ngatu horere kotjihorera tjeṋu tjokukara nokuhinonḓuviro ku Ndjambi wetu mokukupa ovakazendu wozonganda are?”
28 Jojada wa ri omuzandu wa Eljasib, Omupristeri Otjiuru, nungwari umwe wovazandu va Jojada wa kupa omusuko wa Sanbalat ngwa zire kotjirongo Bet-Horon; ami otji mba ramba Jojada mOjerusalem.
29 Ndjambi, zemburuka ovandu mbo mba yamburura oupristeri nomerikutiropamwe ove ngu wa tjita novapristeri nOvalevi.
30 Ami otji mba kohorora otjiwaṋa koviṋa avihe vyambangu; mba ṱunina ovapristeri nOvalevi omazikamisiro kutja auhe wawo a tjiwe otjiungura tje. 31 Wina mba ṱuna ozonguṋe zozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa kutja ze etwe motuveze otusemba, nokutja ovandu ve ete oviyambo vyawo vyozombunguhiro zovitengakuhora vyovikokotwa novyovihape.
Zemburuka avihe mbi, Ndjambi wandje, nu u ndji pe ondjambi yandje!
