Nehemia ta yi kuJerusalem
1 Sho pwa piti oomwedhi ne; esiku limwe momwedhi Nisan gwomumvo omutimilongombali gwelelo lyomupangeli Artakserkses, onda li tandi mu pindile omaviinu. Sho inaa tseya ndje nale ndi na oshipala shi na oshizimbi, 2 okwa pula ndje a ti: “Omolwashike wa sa oluhodhi? Ngoye inoo gomboka, shila ou na uudhigu washa?”
Onda haluka 3 e te yamukula te ti: “Nkeyama, kala u na omwenyo sigo aluhe! Otandi kala ngiini ndaa na luhodhi, sho oshilando shoka sha fumvikwa ootatekulu, osha kumunwa po nomiyelo dhasho dha fikwa po?”
4 Omupangeli okwa pula a ti: “Owa hala nduno shike?”
Onda galikana Kalunga komegulu, 5 nonda ti komupangeli: “Nkeyama, ngele ou uvitile ndje ohenda nowa hala u kwathe ndje, taamba eindilo lyandje, u tume ndje kevi lyaJuda, koshilando shoka sha fumvikwa ootatekulu, opo ndi ke shi tungulule.”
6 Omupangeli okwa li pamwe nomunyekadhi a kuutumba ontega naye, nokwa taamba eindilo lyandje. Okwa pula ndje kutya uunake tii ka kala nda za po nuunake tandi ka galuka, nonde mu lombwele.
7 Onde mu pula, a pe ndje oontumwafo dha nyolelwa aaniikandjo yoshitopolwa shokuuninginino waEufrat, e ya lombwele, ya pitike ndje ndi ye kuJuda. 8 Ondi indile ishewe, omupangeli a nyolele wo Asaf, omulangeli gwomakuti guuwa, ontumwafo, e mu lombwele, a kwathe ndje omiti dhokupangela omiyelo dhepopilongulu moka tamu tonatelelwa otempeli, nodhomomadhingililokuma goshilando nodhongulu ndjoka tandi ka kala mo. Omupangeli okwa pe ndje ayihe nda li nde yi pula, oshoka Kalunga okwa li pamwe nangame.
9 Omupangeli okwa tumu aaniihako yamwe yetangakwiita naakayilinkambe pamwe nangame nonda tameke ondjenda yu uka koshitopolwa shokuuninginino waEufrat. Nkoka onda pe aaniikandjo oontumwafo dhomupangeli. 10 Ihe Sanballat gwokuBethoron naTobia, omukwanepangelo moshikandjo Ammon, sho yu uvu kutya okwe ya omuntu gumwe a kalele po Aaisraeli, oya ningi omwenyo omwiinayi.
11 Onda yi kuJerusalem nonda kala mo omasiku gatatu 12 inaandi lombwela nando olye shoka Kalunga a uthile ndje, ndi shi ningile Jerusalem. Nena onda penduka mokati kuusiku e te piti mo naalumentu yamwe. Otwa kutha okasino kamwe akeke hoka nda kayile. 13 Okwa li uusiku natango, sho nda zi moshilando nda pitile mOsheelo shopesilu kuuninginino nondu uka kuumbugantu te pitilile Oluthithiya lwomayoka ndu uka kOsheelo shuuhoho. Mokweenda onda tala omadhingililokuma goshilando ga kumuka nomiyelo dha fikwa po. 14 Kombinga yokuuzilo woshilando onda yi kuumbangalantu kOsheelo shopoluthithiya nokEdhiya lyuuwa. Okasino hoka nda kayila inaka wapa we okupandakana miitandu yomamanya. 15 Okuza mpoka onda silukile kokalonga Kidron nda kayila, te talatala edhingililokuma. Opo ihe onda shuna nondjila nde endele nayo nonda yi moshilando nda pitile mOsheelo shopesilu.
16 Ihe aawiliki inaa tseya manga mpoka nda yile naashoka nda ningi, oshoka onda li inaandi shi tseyithila nando Aajuda, ongele aayambi, aawiliki, omalenga nenge mboka ye na okukala miilonga mbyoka. 17 Onda ti kuyo: “Omu wete tuu uudhigu mboka tu u na, molwaashoka Jerusalem oshi li momakulukuma, nomiyelo dhasho odha yonagulwa po. Natu tungululeni omadhingililokuma goshilando, tu hulitheni po omupya gwetu.” 18 Onde ya lombwele, nkene Kalunga a li nangame nokwa kwatha ndje, naashoka omupangeli a lombwele ndje.
Oyo noya yamukula ya ti: “Natu tamekeni etungululo.” Oyi ilongekidhile okutameka iilonga.
19 Sanballat, Tobia nOmuaraba gumwe edhina lye Geshem sho ye shi uvu, oye tu yolo e taa ti: “Otamu ningi aniwa shike? Otamu tsu ondumbo nomupangeli?”
20 Onda yamukula nda ti: “Kalunga komegulu ote ke tu pa elago. Otse aapiya ye, notatu ka tameka etungo. Ihe ne kamu na uuthemba weliko lyasha muJerusalem ne mwaa na nomithigululwakalo dhasho.”
Nehemiah Goes to Jerusalem
1 During the month of Nisan in the twentieth year that Artaxerxes was king, I served him his wine, as I had done before. But this was the first time I had ever looked depressed. 2 So the king said, “Why do you look so sad? You're not sick. Something must be bothering you.”
Even though I was frightened, 3 I answered, “Your Majesty, I hope you live forever! I feel sad because the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins, and its gates have been burned down.”
4 The king asked, “What do you want me to do?”
I prayed to the God who rules from heaven. 5 Then I told the king, “Sir, if it's all right with you, please send me back to Judah, so that I can rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried.”
6 The queen was sitting beside the king when he asked me, “How long will it take, and when will you be back?” The king agreed to let me go, and I told him when I would return.
7 Then I asked, “Your Majesty, would you be willing to give me letters to the governors of the provinces west of the Euphrates River, so that I can travel safely to Judah? 8 I will need timber to rebuild the gates of the fortress near the temple and more timber to construct the city wall and to build a place for me to live. And so, I would appreciate a letter to Asaph, who is in charge of the royal forest.” God was good to me, and the king did everything I asked.
9 The king sent some army officers and cavalry troops along with me, and as I traveled through the Western Provinces, I gave the letters to the governors. 10 But when Sanballat from Horon and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about what had happened, they became very angry, because they didn't want anyone to help the people of Israel.
Nehemiah Inspects the Wall of Jerusalem
11 Three days after arriving in Jerusalem, 12 I got up during the night and left my house. I took some men with me, without telling anyone what I thought God wanted me to do for the city. The only animal I took was the donkey I rode on. 13 I went through Valley Gate on the west, then south past Dragon Spring, before coming to Garbage Gate. As I rode along, I took a good look at the crumbled walls of the city and the gates that had been torn down and burned. 14 On the east side of the city, I headed north to Fountain Gate and King's Pool, but then the trail became too narrow for my donkey. 15 So I went down to Kidron Valley and looked at the wall from there. Then before daylight I returned to the city through Valley Gate.
16 None of the city officials knew what I had in mind. And I had not even told any of the Jews—not the priests, the leaders, the officials, or any other Jews who would be helping in the work. 17 But when I got back, I said to them, “Jerusalem is truly in a mess! The gates have been torn down and burned, and everything is in ruins. We must rebuild the city wall so that we can again take pride in our city.”
18 Then I told them how kind God had been and what the king had said.
Immediately, they replied, “Let's start building now!” So they got everything ready.
19 When Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab heard about our plans, they started insulting us and saying, “Just look at you! Do you plan to rebuild the walls of the city and rebel against the king?”
20 I answered, “We are servants of the God who rules from heaven, and he will make our work succeed. So we will start rebuilding Jerusalem, but you have no right to any of its property, because you have had no part in its history.”
