ǃHaokhoena xu ǀgoras
1 Moseb di ǂhanuban ge khoena khomaibahe, o i ge ǁnāpa Amonǁîn tsî Moabǁîn tsîn ge Elob ǀhaohâb ǃnâ ǂgâ tide ti a xoasa ǃkhai-e ge hōhe. 2 ǁNās ge ǁîn ge ǂû-i tsî ǁgam-i tsîna Israelǁîna Egipteba xun ge doeǂoagaru i daob ai mā tama i amagasa. ǁÎn ge ǁnās ǃgâ-ai Bileamma ge matare, îb Israelǁîna ǀâxare, xaweb ge sida Eloba ǁnā ǀâxareba ǀkhaeb ǃnâ ge ǀkharaǀkhara. 3 On ge Israelǁîna nē ǂhanuban ge ǁnâuo, ǃhaokhoena Israelǁîn di ǀhûhâsiba xu ge ǁaraǂui.
Nehemiab di dī-unudi
4 Prister Eljasib, Elob ommi di sâuǃnâ-omdi mûǂamaose ge mâihe hâ ib ge ǂomxa ǁaeba ge Tobiab di sîsenǁare-ao i. 5 ǁÎb ge kai ǃnā-oms, ǃhoro-i, ǀanǀanxūn, Tempeli di xapan, pristergu nî māhe ǁguibadi, disiǁîǃâs ǃhoro-i, ǂauxûi-i tsî ǀkhera-oli-i dis, Leviǁîgu, ǁnae-aogu tsî ǃûi-aogu dis tsîn ǀguin gere sâuǃnâhesa Tobiaba ge mā. 6 Nē ǃkhais ge ī, o ta ge tita Jerusalems ǃnâ ge ǀkhai i, ǃnonadisiǀgamǀaǁî kurib Babiloniab gao-aob Artaxerxesi ǂgaeǂguis dib ǃnâ ta ge gao-aob ǁga a ǃgû xui-ao. ǁAe-i khaoǃgâ ta ge gao-aoba xu mā-amsa ge ǃkhōǃoa 7 tsî Jerusalems ǁga ge oa. ǁNāpa ta ge Eljasib di ǂkhabadīb, Tobiabab ge Tempeli di ǃnā-omsa mās diba ge ǂanǂui. 8 O ta ge kaise ǁaixa tsî Tobiab di xūn hoana ǃnā-omsa xu ge aoǂui. 9 Tsî ta ge ge mîmā, îdi ǃnā-omde ǃanuǃanuhe tsî Elob ommi di xapan, ǁguibas ǃhoro-i tsî ǀanǀanxūn tsîna ǁkhawa ǂgâ-ūhe.
10 Tsî ta ge ǁkhāti ge ǂanǂui Tempelǁnae-aogu tsî Leviǁîgu tsîn ge ǁîgu nî ǃkhōǃoase i ǃâsa gu ge māhe tama hâ i amaga, ǁîgu di ǃgaroǃārode ǃoa oa ǃkhaisa. 11 Tita ge ǂamkhoega ge ǀau, Tempela gu ge ǀûǀkhā hâ i ǃkhais ǃaroma. Tsî ta ge ǁnās khaoǃgâ Leviǁîgu tsî ǁnae-aogu tsîga ǀhaoǀhao tsî ǁkhawa ǁîgu sîsenni ǃnâ ge mâi-oa. 12 On ge hoaraga Israelǁîna ǁkhawa disiǁîǃâs ǃhoro-i, ǂauxûi-i tsî ǀkhera-oli-i disa ge hā-ūtsoatsoa. 13 Sao ra khoega ta ge sâuǃnâ-omdi mûǂamaose ge mâi: Prister Selemjab, xoaǂanseb Sadoki, Leviǁîb Pedajab tsîgu tsî Hananni, Sakuri ôa tsî Matanjab ǁnurib, ǁîga gere huib tsîga. ǂAn ta ge i xui-ao, nē khoegu ǂhauǃnâse ǁîgu horesa ǃoaba-aoga xūna nî ǀgoraǂuiba ǃkhaisa.
14 Elotse ǂâi re, sa Tempeli tsî ǁîb di ǃoabasa ta ge dība ǃgâin xa.
15 ǁNā ǁaeb ǃnâ ta ge Sabbattsēs ai ǀāǃnâǃkhais ǃnâ draibena ra dāǃnâ khoena ge mû. ǀNîn ge ǃhoro-i, ǂauxûi-i, draiben, ǀnoman tsî nau xūna dâukin ai ǃnao hâse Jerusalems ǃnâ gere ǂgâxa-ū. O ta ge ǁîna ge ǃkhâikhom, în tā xū-i xare-e Sabbattsēs ai ǁamaxū. 16 Tirus di khoen Jerusalems ǃnâ ge ǁan hâ in ge ǁaun tsî ǀnî ǃkharagaǃnâgu xūn tsîna ǃās ǃnâ hā-ū, tsî Sabbattsēs ai Judab khoen ai gere ǁamaxū. 17 Tita ge Jodeǁî ǂgaeǂgui-aoga ǂgōǀau tsî ge mî: “Kō re, mâtikō ǂkhabadība go ra dīsa. Sago ge Sabbattsēsa ra ǃanuoǃnâ kai. 18 ǁNātin ge dī ǃkhais ǃaromas ge Elob ge sada aboxan tsî nē ǃās tsîna ǁkhara hâ isa. Tsî go ge nēsi Sabbattsēsa ǃanuoǃnâ kais ǀkha, Elob di kai ǁaiba Israeli ǂama ra hā-ū.”
19 ǁNā-amaga ta ge ge mîmā ǃās di dao-amdi mâ Sabbattsēs di tsoatsoas hoasa, ǃui i ra hîa nî ǂganamhe tsî Sabbattsēs ǃkharu tama hîa ǁkhowa-amhe tidesa. Tsî ta ge ǀnîgu, ti ǃgāgu diga dao-amdi tawa ge mâi, î gu ǃûiǃgâ xū-i xare-i Sabbattsēs ai ǃās ǃnâ ǂgâxa-ūhe tidesa. 20 On ge ǃkharagaǃnâgu xūn di ǁamaxū-aona, ǀgui tamas ka io ǀgam ǃnāra ǃās ǃauga gere ǁomǂkhai. 21 Tita ge ǁîga ge ǃkhâikhom: “Tare-i ǃaroma go ǂnubiǂgoab tawa ra ǁomǂkhai? ǁKhawa go ga ǁnāsa dī, o ta ge ǀgaisase sago ǃoagu nî khâimâ.” ǁNās khaoǃgâ gu ge ǁkhawa Sabbattsēs ai hā tama ge i. 22 Tsî ta ge Leviǁîga ge mîmā, î gu ǃanuǃanusen tsî dao-amde sī ǃûi, îs Sabbattsēsa ǃanuse ūhâhe.
Nēs tsîn xa ǂâi re, ti Elotse, î sa kai ǀnammi ǃaroma sâu te re.
23 ǁNā ǁaeb ǃnâ ta ge Jodeǁîgu, Asdodǁîdi, Amonǁîdi tsî Moabǁîdi tsîn ǀkha ǃgame hâ ǃkhaisa ge mû. 24 ǃKhare ǃâb ǁîgu ôan dib ge Asdodgowab tamas ka io ǀnî ǀkhara gowaba gere ǃhoa tsî Jodeǁîn di gowaba ge ǃhoa ǁoa i. 25 Tita ge ǁîga ǂgōǀau, ǁîga ǀâxare, ǀnîga ǂnau tsî ǀûn âga ge tsuruǂui. Tsî ta ge ǁîga Elob ǀons ǃnâ ge nū kai ǁkhawa gu ǁîgu kas, ǁîgu ôan kas hoasa ǃhaokhoen ǀkha ǃgameǃnâgu kai tidesa. 26 Tita ge ǁîga ge mîba: “ǃHao tarade xus ge gao-aob Salomob ge ǁoresa. ǁÎb ge nau ǃhaodi di gao-aogu hoagu ǃgâ-ai ge kai i. Elob ge ǁîba ge ǀnam i tsî ǁîba hoaraga Israeli ǂama ge gao-aodī, xaweb ge ǁoreb ǃnâ ge ǁnā. 27 Sago aiǁgausa sao tsî ǃhao tarade ǃgames ǀkha ge kha sada Eloba nî ǁnâuǀnamoǃnâ?”
28 Jojadab ge ǀgapipristeri Eljasib di ôa ge iba, xaweb ge Jojadab ôagu di ǀguiba Sanbalati, Bet-Horons dib di ôas ǀkha ge ǃgame, ǁnā-amaga ta ge ǁîba Jerusalemsa xu ge ǃhaebē.
29 ǂÂi re ti Elotse, mâti gu ge pristersis tsî sa ǃgaeǀhaos, pristergu tsî Leviǁîgu ǀkhats ge dī hâ isa ǀuriǀuri ǃkhais xa.
30 Tita ge khoena ǃhao xūn hoana xu ge ǃanuǃanu, tsî ta ge pristergu tsî Leviǁîga ǃoabaǁaega ge ǀgoraǂgāba, mâb hoaba ǁîb di sîsenna ǃoa; 31 ǁkhāti ta ge ǁguibas ǀaen mîmâisa ǁaegu ai nî hā-ūhesa ge ǂhomi, tsî khoen ǂguro ǃhanaǂûna ǁguibase nî hā-ūsa.
Nēn hoan xa ǂâi re ti Elotse, î ǃgâidī te re.
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.
