Nehemiya unoyenda ku Jerusalema
1 Kwakati mu mwedzi we Nizani, mu gole le bumakumi mabili le mbuso wa Mambo Atazezasi, kukazhisigwa mambo nkumbi we zhambi ngono atola nkumbi aupa mambo. Kwakabe kuli gwe kutanga ndilingika ndakashoba mbeli kwa mambo. 2 Ndizo mambo bakandibhuzwa beti, “Ini ulingika wakashoba zwingapa koga usinga gwale? Ikoku kungabe kugwadzika kwe moyo koga.” Ipapo azhigwa ngotja kukulukulu. 3 Ngono adwa mambo nditi “Atshene mambo bangatjilila tja tjose! Dumbu ndinga sashoba tjini ha nzi nkulu iwo ulele bobatategulu bangu watjibe matongo saikoku kene ne nge matendele awo akajiwa nge moto kene?”
4 Mambo bakandidabila beti, “Unoshakani?” Ndakatembezela Ndzimu ukudzimu.
5 Ngono kudwapo adabila mambo nditi, “Ha kushathisa mambo kakale ha nlanda wenyu manhwila zogwadza, ndokumbila kuti munga ndiletja ayenda ku nzi nkulu umu Juda iko kuna zwikumbu zwa bobatategulu, kuti ndizo ndinoumusa.”
6 Mambo bakabe baligele bakabapa ne nfumakadzi wabo ngono bakandibhuzwa beti, “Aubona unowoyenda kwe tjibaka tjingapani kakale unowobuya lini?” Kwakashathisa mambo kuti ndiyende ngono ampa tjibaka.
7 Ngono ndakati kuna mambo, “Ha kushathisa mambo, bangandipa hwalo dzandinga yenda nadzo ku balauli be ntuthu we Yufuratesi kuti ndizo ndibe ne gwendo gubuyanana kudzina ndiswika ku Juda, 8 kakale ndokumbila lukwalo gwandinganopa Asafa nlisi we ishaka tja mambo, gunowobe gunlaulila kuti andipe mapango e phanda dze matendele ne guma le nzi nkulu nenge ng'umba yandinonogala.” Ngono mambo bakandipa kose kwandakabakumbila, ngobe Ndzimu wakabe unami. 9 Ndizo ndakayenda ku balauli be ntuthu we Yufuratesi ngono abapa hwalo dzadwa kuna mambo. Mambo bakabe badusa balauli be babhayani ne batathi be mbizi kuti bayende nami.
10 Ngono Sanibalati we N'hori na Tobiya we hadzasha we N'amoni bakati behwa ikoku, bakagwadza moyo kwazo, kuti kuna nthu wazha kuwothama kuti Baiziraela batjile zubuyanana.
11 Ndakayenda ku Jerusalema, agalako mazhuba ali matatu. 12 Ngono ndakamilika busiku ndina balume basibangana, akuna wandakabe ndabudza kuti Ndzimu wakandidwani kuti nditjithamile Jerusalema. Ndakabe ndisina zwithuwo kuzhe kwetjandakabe ndakatatha.
13 Ndakati busiku abhuda nge nkoba unoyi Nkoba we Nkuku hapinda pa tshime linoyi le Phungubgwe ndakalinga ku nkoba unoyi we Tjizhalanlota ashola makuma e Jerusalema akaligwa nenge matendele awo akakolomogwa nge moto. 14 Ndakadwapo alinga ku nkoba unoyi we Nsenya neku dziba la mambo, ngono kwakabe kusina zila yakazhuka kungayenda mbizi yangu. 15 Ndakati busiku atathila nge zila ye nkuku ndikanuka makuma, bhelelo ndakabgwilila shule ndakazwitshamba nkwala ndikanongina ne nkoba we Nkuku.
16 Balauli bakabe basingazibe kwandayenda ne kuti ndakabe ndishingani, ngekuti ndakabe ndisathu ndabudza Bajuta ne bapirisiti ne makulukota ne bamwe bakabe bakalingisana ngothama nshingo iwoyu. 17 Kudwapo ndakabadwa ndikati, “Mobona ngwenu mang'oni atimuali, Jerusalema yabe matongo matendele ayo akapisiwa nge moto. Izhani timuse makuma e Jerusalema kuti ndizo tisitja tjilile mukubhakhwa nge shoni.” 18 Ndakababudza kakale kuti Ndzimu wakabe unami kungapani nenge tjandakadwiwa ndi mambo. Ngono bakashandula beti, “Ngatitangiseni kumusa!” Ndizo bakazwiloba ifuba kutangisa nshingo iwoyo.
19 Ngono kwakati Sanibalati we N'hori na Tobiya gombgwa le N'amoni na Geshemu we N'arabu behwa ngekwako bakatiseka mahanya betidadila beti, “Ini itjetji tjamunothama kene? Mopandukila mambo kene?” 20 Ndakabashandula nditi, “Ndzimu we kudzimu ndiwo unotithama kuti tibhudilile, iswi, balanda bawo towotangisa kubaka, ngono imwi amuna gobe kene simba mu tjimwe ne tjimwe ngobe musina gobe mu zwiyitikalo zwe Jerusalema.”
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.”