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 ta itavelelwa okuya kuJerusalem
1 Ndele mohani yaNisan momudo omutimilongo mbali wohamba Artasasta, omaviinyu eshi a li koshipala shayo, ame nda kufa omaviinyu ndele handi pindile ohamba. Ndele inandi kala shito nda nyika oluhodi koshipala shayo. 2 Ohamba ya pula nge: “Omolwashike oshipala shoye tashi nyika oluhodi? To vele? Omutima woye tau fi oluhodi.” Ndele nda tila unene 3 ndele handi ti kohamba: “Ohamba nai kale nomwenyo fiyo alushe! Omolwashike oshipala shange shiha nyike oluhodi, eshi oshilando omo ootate va pakwa sha tokekwa noivelo ya xwikwa po nomundilo?” 4 Opo nee ohamba tai pula nge: “Ove wa hala shike hano?” Ndele ame nda indila Kalunga komeulu 5 ndele nda lombwela ohamba: “Ngeenge tashi wapalele ohamba nongeenge omupiya woye we mu hokwa, tume nge hano kuJuda, koshilando omo ootate va pakwa, opo ndi shi tungulule.” 6 Opo nee ohamba ya pula nge fimbo omumbada a kala omutumba puyo: To ka kala efimbo li fike peni meengeda doye, nonaini to aluka? Nohamba ya tala osha wapala okutuma nge. Naame nde i lombwela efiku 7 ndele nda lombwela ohamba: Ngeenge tashi wapalele ohamba, nandi pewe eenhumwafo kovapangeli vokouninginino waEufrat, vo va itavelele nge okutaulula fiyo handi fiki kuJuda; 8 nonhumwafo kuAsaf, omupashukili womuulu wohamba, ye a pe nge omiti dokupangela oivelo yohotengulu yotembeli noyohotekuma yoshilando noyongulu omo ndi nokukala mo. Nohamba oye shi itavelela nge, shaashi eke liwa laKalunga kange la li kombada yange. 9 Ndele nde uya kovapangeli ovo ve li mouninginino waEufrat neenhumwafo dohamba onde di va pa. Ohamba ya tuma pamwe naame ovakulunhu vomatanga ovakwaita novalondi veenghambe. 10 Ndelenee Sanballat, Omuhoroni, naTobia, omupiya Omuammoni, eshi va uda, nokutya umwe e uya okukongela ovana vaIsrael ouwa, ova ninga omwenyo mwii.
11 Ndele eshi nde uya kuJerusalem ndele nda kala ko omafiku atatu, 12 ame nda fikama oufiku novalumenhu vamwe pamwe naame. Ndelenee inandi shiivifila nande omunhu umwe osho Kalunga kange e shi tula momutima wange ndi shi ningile Jerusalem. Pwaame kapa li nande oshilondomwa ponho yoshilondomwa osho nda li nda londa. 13 Ndele nda pita mo mOshivelo shefilu oufiku, nda londa nda yuka kombinga yOfifiya yeyoka nokOshivelo shoushosho. Ndele nda konakona eehotekuma daJerusalem, odo da ngumaunwa po, noivelo yasho ya xwikwa nomundilo. 14 Ndele nda ehena ko nda ya kOshivelo shofifiya nokEtale Lohamba. Ndelenee kapa li nande onhele yokupitila oshilondomwa osho nde shi londa. 15 Opo nee oufiku mefilu nda londa ndele nda konakona ohotekuma. Opo nee nda aluka vali handi piti mOshivelo shefilu nde uya mo. 16 Ndelenee ovakomesho inava shiiva apa nda ile naashi nda ninga. Osheshi natango tuu inandi shiivifila Ovajuda novapristeli novanamadina novakomesho novakwao ovo va li ve nokukala moshilonga. 17 Opo nee handi ti kuvo: “Nye mu wete oluhepo eli tu li mulo, nokutya Jerusalem sha tokekwa noivelo yasho ya xwikwa nomundilo. Ileni tu tungululeni ohotekuma yaJerusalem, tuha kale vali oshitevo shokushekwa.” 18 Ndele nde va hepaululila nhumbi eke liwa laKalunga kange la li kombada yange, nosho yo eendjovo dohamba, yo eshi ye di lombwela nge. Ndele vo va tya: “Natu fikameni ndele tu tungeni!” Ndele va pameka omake avo va longe oshilonga shiwa.
19 Ndelenee Sanballat, Omuhoroni, naTobia, omupiya Omuammoni, naGesem, Omuarabi, eshi ve shi uda, vo ove tu dina noku tu sheka ndele tava ti: “Oshike osho tamu ningi? Mwa hala hamba okutwa ondubo nohamba?” 20 Opo nee nde va nyamukula ndele handi ti kuvo: “Kalunga komeulu, Ye ote ke shi tu wanifila, nafye, ovapiya vaye, ohatu ka fikama tu tunge. Ndele nye kamu na nande oshitukulwa ile oshipewa ile oshidimbulukifo muJerusalem.”
