Nehemiah Goes to Jerusalem
1 One day four months later, when Emperor Artaxerxes was dining, I took the wine to him. He had never seen me look sad before, 2 so he asked, “Why are you looking so sad? You aren't sick, so it must be that you're unhappy.”
I was startled 3 and answered, “May Your Majesty live forever! How can I keep from looking sad when the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
4 The emperor asked, “What is it that you want?”
I prayed to the God of Heaven, 5 and then I said to the emperor, “If Your Majesty is pleased with me and is willing to grant my request, let me go to the land of Judah, to the city where my ancestors are buried, so that I can rebuild the city.”
6 The emperor, with the empress sitting at his side, approved my request. He asked me how long I would be gone and when I would return, and I told him.
7 Then I asked him to grant me the favor of giving me letters to the governors of West-of-Euphrates Province, instructing them to let me travel to Judah. 8 I asked also for a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal forests, instructing him to supply me with timber for the gates of the fort that guards the Temple, for the city walls, and for the house I was to live in. The emperor gave me all I asked for, because God was with me.
9 The emperor sent some army officers and a troop of cavalry with me, and I made the journey to West-of-Euphrates. There I gave the emperor's letters to the governors. 10 But Sanballat, from the town of Beth Horon, and Tobiah, an official in the province of Ammon, heard that someone had come to work for the good of the people of Israel, and they were highly indignant.
11 I went on to Jerusalem, and for three days 12 I did not tell anyone what God had inspired me to do for Jerusalem. Then in the middle of the night I got up and went out, taking a few of my companions with me. The only animal we took was the donkey that I rode on. 13 It was still night as I left the city through the Valley Gate on the west and went south past Dragon's Fountain to the Rubbish Gate. As I went, I inspected the broken walls of the city and the gates that had been destroyed by fire. 14 Then on the east side of the city I went north to the Fountain Gate and the King's Pool. The donkey I was riding could not find any path through the rubble, 15 so I went down into Kidron Valley and rode along, looking at the wall. Then I returned the way I had come and went back into the city through the Valley Gate.
16 None of the local officials knew where I had gone or what I had been doing. So far I had not said anything to any of the other Jews—the priests, the leaders, the officials, or anyone else who would be taking part in the work. 17 But now I said to them, “See what trouble we are in because Jerusalem is in ruins and its gates are destroyed! Let's rebuild the city walls and put an end to our disgrace.” 18 And I told them how God had been with me and helped me, and what the emperor had said to me.
They responded, “Let's start rebuilding!” And they got ready to start the work.
19 When Sanballat, Tobiah, and an Arab named Geshem heard what we were planning to do, they laughed at us and said, “What do you think you're doing? Are you going to rebel against the emperor?”
20 I answered, “The God of Heaven will give us success. We are his servants, and we are going to start building. But you have no right to any property in Jerusalem, and you have no share in its traditions.”
Nehemia ma i kOjerusalem
1 Eyuva rimwe momueze Nisan wombura oitjamirongo vivari youhona wombara Artakerkes, eye ngunda ama ri ami mbe mu etera omavinu. Eye ke na pe ndji munine amba yumana nai. 2 Ombara arire tji ye ndji pura ai tja: “Okutjavi tji wa yumana nai au haverere? Ngahino u nongendo momutima.”
Ami mba uruma, 3 ne ziri nai: “Omuhona wandje ombara nga hupe orure! Hi nokukara vi nondjenda, otjihuro mu mwa pakwa ootate mukururume ngunda atja nyonoka, nomivero vyatjo avya sesetwa i omuriro?”
4 Ombara arire tji ye ndji pura ai tja: “Otjikeṋa tji movanga?”
Nu ami mba kumba ku Ndjambi weyuru, 5 nu tjazumba e tja nai kombara: “Omuhona ombara tje nonyuṋe mu ami, nu tji ma vanga okundjipa imbi mbi me ningire, nge ndji ese mbi yende kehi ra Juda, kotjihuro ku kwa pakwa ootate mukururume, kokutja mbi ketjitungurure.”
6 Ombara ya zira komaningiriro wandje, oserekaze ngunda aya haama posi yayo. Oyo ye ndji pura kutja me kakara oure mbu ṱa pi, nu me kotoka ruṋe. Ami otji mba raera ombara oruveze ndwa pu ku yo; noyo arire tji ye ndji yandjere okuyenda.
7 Ami mba ningira kombara kutja tji ma vanga me ndji pe otutuu okutwara kozongooneya morukondwa rokongurova kwa Eufrat kutja ve ndji pe ousemba wokuyenda kOjuda. 8 Ami wina mba ningira orutuu okutwara ku Asaf, omuṱakamise wehwa rouhona, ndu maru mu raere kutja e ndji pe omiti vyomivero vyotjiṱunga tji tji tjevera ondjuwo ya Muhona, novyorumbo rwotjihuro, novyondjuwo mu me kakara. Ombara ye ndji pa avihe, mbi mba ningira, Ndjambi tjinga a ri puna ami.
9 Ombara ya hinda ovahongore tjiva votjimbumba tjovita notjira tjovakavire puna ami, nami mba ya kehi rokongurova kwa Eufrat. Ingo oku mba kayandjera otutuu twombara kozongooneya. 10 Nungwari Sanbalat ngwa zire kotjihuro Horon, na Tobija, Omuamoni, omuungurire wouhona, va zuva kutja kwe ya umwe ngu ma ungurire otjiwaṋa tjOvaisrael ouwa. Nowo arire tji va nyengwa tjinene.
11 Ami mba vaza kOjerusalem, ne kakara ngo oure womayuva yetatu. 12 Hi na umwe ku mba raera otjiṋa Ndjambi tje ndji pa momutima okutjitira Jerusalem. Nu mokati kouṱuku mba penduka e toora ovarumendu tjiva mba ri puna ami. Otjinamuinyo tji twa ri na tjo porwatjo tja ri okasino ku mba kavirire. 13 Ngunda e ri ouṱuku arire tji mba zu motjihuro e pitire mOmuvero wOmukutu mbwa ri kuṱa kongurova, ne i komukuma wokeyuva kokumuho okuvarama Oruharwi rwa Dragon nga kOmuvero wOviyaya. Nu ngunda ame kayenda, tjandje me konḓonona orumbo rwotjihuro ndwa haṋika, nomivero mbya sesetwa i omuriro. 14 Okuzambo otji mba ya kOmuvero wOruharwi na kErindi rOmbara. Okasino ku mba kavirire kaake sora okumuna ondjira mokati komawe wotjitambatundu. 15 Otji mba varama oruronḓu Kidron ame konḓonona orumbo. Tjazumba e kotoka nondjira, ndji mbe ya na yo, ne yaruka motjihuro ame hitire mOmuvero wOmukutu.
16 Kapa ri umwe wovahongore votjihuro ngwaa tjiwa koṋa ku mba ire, noviṋa mbi mba katjitire. Nga nai ami hi na pu mba hungira otjiṋa ku ngamwa Ovajuda ovakwetu, imba ovapristeri novanane novahongore poo ku ngamwa auhe ngwaa yenene okuvatera moviungura. 17 Nungwari ami mba tja nai ku wo: “Tareye oumba mu tu ri mbwi! Jerusalem tja nyonwa, nomivero vya haṋewa. Ngatu tungurure orumbo rwotjihuro, tu yandise ohoṋi yetu.” 18 Ami mbe ve raera kutja Ndjambi wa kara puna ami, nokutja we ndji vatera; nu wina mbe ve raera imbi ombara mbi ya hungira ku ami.
Owo va zira ave tja: “Ngatu ute okutungurura.” Nowo ve rirongerera okuuta oviungura.
19 Nu ooSanbalat na Tobija nOmuraba wena Gesem tji va zuva imbi mbi twe ripura okutjita, ve tu yora ave tja: “Mamu ripura okuungura tjike? Mamu vanga okupirukira ombara are?”
20 Ami mba zira nai: “Ndjambi weyuru me tu pe outoṋi. Oweṱe ovakarere ve, nu matu utu okutunga. Nungwari eṋe kamu nousemba nouini mOjerusalem, nu kamu norupa mongaro novitjitwa vyomuhoko!”
