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!
Foreigners Are Sent Away
1 On that day when the Law of Moses was read aloud to everyone, it was discovered that Ammonites and Moabites were forbidden to belong to the people of God. 2 This was because they had refused to give food and water to Israel and had hired Balaam to call down a curse on them. However, our God turned the curse into a blessing. 3 Following the reading of the Law of Moses, the people of Israel started sending away anyone who had any foreign ancestors.
Nehemiah Makes Other Changes
4 The priest Eliashib was a relative of Tobiah and had earlier been put in charge of the temple storerooms. 5 So he let Tobiah live in one of these rooms, where all kinds of things had been stored—the grain offerings, incense, utensils for the temple, as well as the tenth of the grain, wine, and olive oil that had been given for the use of the Levites, singers, and temple guards, and the gifts for the priests.
6 This happened in the thirty-second year that Artaxerxes ruled Babylonia. I was away from Jerusalem at the time, because I was visiting him. Later I received permission from the king 7 to return to Jerusalem. Only then did I find out that Eliashib had done this terrible thing of letting Tobiah have a room in the temple. 8 It upset me so much that I threw out every bit of Tobiah's furniture. 9 Then I ordered the room to be cleaned and the temple utensils, the grain offerings, and the incense to be brought back into the room.
10 I also found out that the temple singers and several other Levites had returned to work on their farms, because they had not been given their share of the harvest. 11 I called the leaders together and angrily asked them, “Why is the temple neglected?” Then I told them to start doing their jobs. 12 After this, everyone in Judah brought a tenth of their grain, wine, and olive oil to the temple storeroom. 13 Finally, I appointed three men with good reputations to be in charge of what was brought there and to distribute it to the others. They were Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the teacher of the Law, and Pedaiah the Levite. Their assistant was Hanan, the son of Zaccur and the grandson of Mattaniah.
14 I pray that my God will remember these good things that I have done for his temple and for those who worship there.
The Sabbath
15 I also noticed what the people of Judah were doing on the Sabbath. Not only were they trampling grapes to make wine, but they were harvesting their grain, grapes, figs, and other crops, and then loading these on donkeys to sell in Jerusalem. So I warned them not to sell food on the Sabbath. 16 People who had moved to Jerusalem from the city of Tyre were bringing in fish and other things to sell there on the Sabbath. 17 I got angry and said to the leaders of Judah, “This evil you are doing is an insult to the Sabbath! 18 Didn't God punish us and this city because our ancestors did these very same things? And here you are, about to make God furious again by disgracing the Sabbath!”
19 I ordered the gates of Jerusalem to be closed on the eve of the Sabbath and not to be opened until after the Sabbath had ended. Then I put some of my own men in charge of the gates to make certain that nothing was brought in on the Sabbath. 20 Once or twice some merchants spent the night outside Jerusalem with their goods. 21 But I warned them, “If you do this again, I'll have you arrested.” From then on, they did not come on the Sabbath. 22 I ordered the Levites to make themselves holy and to guard the gates on the Sabbath, so that it would be kept holy.
God is truly merciful, and I pray that he will treat me with kindness and bless me for doing this.
Mixed Marriages
23 I discovered that some Jewish men had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. 24 About half of their children could not speak Hebrew—they spoke only the language of Ashdod or some other foreign language. 25 So in my anger, I called down curses on those men. I had them beaten and even pulled out the hair of some of them. Then I made them promise:
In the name of God we solemnly promise not to let our sons and daughters marry foreigners. 26 God dearly loved King Solomon of Israel and made him the greatest king on earth, but Solomon's foreign wives led him into sin. 27 So we will obey you and not rebel against our God by marrying foreign women.
28 Jehoiada, the son of the high priest Eliashib, had a son who had married a daughter of Sanballat from Horon, and I forced his son to leave.
29 I pray that God will punish them for breaking their priestly vows and disgracing the Levi tribe.
30 Then I made sure that the people were free from every foreign influence, and I assigned duties for the priests and Levites. 31 I also arranged for the people to bring firewood to the altar each day and for them to bring the first part of their harvest to the temple.
I pray that God will bless me for the good I have done.
