Nehemiah 2 - GNTD & KKG20

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.”

Nehemiab ge Jerusalems ǁga ra ǃgû

1 Haka ǁkhâgu khaoǃgâ ta ge ǀguitsē, gao-aob Artaxerxesa ǂûb ra hîa ǂauxûi-e ge sī-ūba. ǁÎb ge tita noxopa nēti ǃoasase ge mû tama hâ i, 2 ǁnā-amagab ge ǁîba ge dî te: “Tarexats nēti ǃkhobo hâse ra mûsen? ǀAesen tamats kom hâo. Tsûaǂgaob xas kom nēsao.”

O ta ge kaise ǃao 3 tsî ge ǃeream: “Ab gao-aoba ǀamose ûi re. Mâtis kha ti aisa ǃkhobosase ī tide, ti aboxagu ǁîs tawa ǁkhōhe hâ ǃās khôaǂkhūhe hâ tsî di dao-amdi âsa khauǃkhūhe hâ hîa?”

4 Ob ge gao-aoba ge dî: “Tare-ets ra ǂgao?”

O ta ge ǀhommi di Elob ǃoa ǀgore 5 tsî ǁnās khaoǃgâ gao-aob ǃoa ge mî: “Gao-aots ga tita ǀkha ǂkhîǂâixa tsî ti ǂgansa ūǃoao, mā-am te re, î ta Judab ǃhūb ǁga, ti aboxan ǁîs tawa ǁkhōhe hâ ǃās ǃoa ǃgû tsî ǁîsa ǁkhawa ǂnubikhâi ǁkhā.”

6 Ob ge gao-aoba, gao-aos tsîn ǁîb xōǀkhā ǂnôa hîa, ti ǂgansa ge mā-am te. ǁÎb ge mâtikō ǁaeba ta nî ǃgûs tsî mâ ǁaeb ai ta nî oaǀkhīs tsîna ge dî te, o ta ge ge mîba bi.

7 Tsî ta ge gao-aoba ge ǂgan, îb ǁîb ga ǃgâibaheo, Eufrati huriǂoasǀkhāb di gowoniaga ǃoa hâ sîǂkhanide mā te, î gu ǁîga Judab kōse ta nî ǃkharu ǁkhāsa mā-am te. 8 Tita ge ǁkhāti Asafi, gao-aob di haixa ǃhūb mûǂamaob ǃoa hâ sîǂkhanisa ge ǂgan, îb ǁîba Tempeli dao-ams tawa mâ ommi tsî hâǃnâ ta nî oms tsîra di dao-amdi ǃaroma ǃnaoga mā te. Ob ge gao-aoba ǂgan ta ge xūn hoana ge mā-am te, Elob ge hâǀkhā te i xui-ao.

9 Gao-aob ge ǀnî ǂamkhoegu tsî hāǃgapi ra toroǃkhamaogu tsîga tita ǀkha ge sîsao. Tsî ta ge Eufrati huriǂoasǀkhāb tawa ta ge sī, o gao-aob di sîǂkhanide gowoniaga ge mā. 10 Xawe kha ge Sanbalati, Bet-Horons dib tsî Amonǁî ǂamkhoeb Tobiab tsîkha, khoe-i go Israelǁîn ǃgâib ǃoa i nî sîsense hāsa ǁnâuo, kaise ge tsūbahe.

11 Tsî ta ge Jerusalems tawa ge sī tsî ǃnona tsēdi kōse 12 khoe-i xare-e, tare-e ta Jerusalemsa nî dībasab ge Eloba ǂanǂan te ǃkhaisa ge mîba tama hâ i. ǁNās khaoǃgâ ta ge tsuxuba khâimâ tsî ǀnî aogu ǀkha ge ǃgûǂoa. Tita ge ǃgapi hâ i dâukib ǀguiba ta ge ûitsama xūse ge ūhâ i. 13 ǁNā tsuxub ǃnâ ta ge ǃGoaǃnāb Dao-ams huriǂoasǀkhāb ai ǂnôas ǃnâ-u ǃāsa xu ǂoa tsî ǀGiriguǀausa-u ǃkharu tsî ǀapob ǀgūse ǂnôa dao-ams tawa ge sī. Tsî ta ge ǁnāti ta ǃgûgaruse khôa hâ ǂnubiǂgoagu ǃās digu tsî dao-amdi khauǃkhūhe hâdi tsîna gere kōma. 14 ǁNāpa xu ta ge ǀAus Dao-ams tsî Gao-aob ǁGams kōse ge sī. Xaweb ge ǃgapi ta ge hâ i dâukiba ǃkharuǃkhai-e hō tama ge i, 15 ǁnā-amaga ta ge Kidronǃgoaǃnāba-u ǂoa tsî ǃgapigaruse ǂnubiǂgoaba gere kōma. ǁNās khaoǃgâ ta ge hāxū ta ge ǀkhāb ǁga dabasen tsî ǃGoaǃnāb Dao-amsa-u oms ǁga ge oa.

16 Nau ǂamkhoegu ge mâǀî ta go ī hâ is, tamas ka io tare-e ta go dīs tsîna ge ǀū i. Nēs kōse ta ge Jodeǁîn, pristergu, ǂgaeǂgui-aogu, ǂamkhoegu tamas ka io nē sîsenna nî dī khoe-i tsîna xū-i xare-e ge ǂanǂan tama hâ i. 17 Xawe ta ge nēsi ǁîna go mîba: “Kō re mâti ī ǃgommi ǃnâ da hâsa, Jerusalems khôaǂkhūhe hâ tsî dao-amdi âs khauǃkhūhe hâ xui-ao. Hā, î da Jerusalems ǂnubiǂgoaba omkhâi tsî ǁnās ǀkha sada ǃharaxūba ǀamǀam.” 18 Tsî ta ge ǁîna mâtib ge Eloba hui tes tsî tare-eb ge gao-aoba mîba tes tsîna ge mîba. On ge “A da Jerusalemsa ǁkhawa omkhâi” ti mî tsî nē sîsenni ǃaroma ge ǂhomisen.

19 Xawe gu ge Sanbalati, Tobiab tsî Arabiaǁîb Gesemmi tsîga tare-e da ra dī ǂgaosa gu ge ǁnâuo, âiǂui da tsî ǃhō rase ge mî: “Tare xū-e koma nē du ra dī-e? Gao-aob ǃoagu du ra khâikhâisen ǂgao?”

20 O ta ge ǁîga ge ǃeream: “ǀHommi di Elob ge nî ǃgâiǃgâ kai da. Sida ǁîb di ǃgāda ge nî ǂnubikhâi, xawe sadu ge amǃnâ-i xare-e Jerusalems ǃnâ ūhâ tama tsî ǁîs ǂhanugu ǃnâ amǃnâxa tama hâ.”