1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, 2 That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.
4 ¶ And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,
5 And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments: 6 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father’s house have sinned. 7 We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses. 8 Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations: 9 But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there. 10 Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand. 11 O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king’s cupbearer.
1 Awa matama akalebgwa ndi Nehemiya nkololo wa Hakaliya:
Kwakati mu mwedzi we Khisilevi mu gole le bumakumi mabili Atazezasi ali mambo imi ndikabe ndili mu nzi nkulu Susa, 2 kukazha mmwe we banung'una bangu Hanani ana bamwe balume banodwa ku Juda, ngono ndakababhuzwisisa ngekwe malimbelimbe e Bajuta angadwa akasala mu kutapiwa, ne ngekwe nzi nkulu Jerusalema.
3 Ngono bakandidwa bakati, “Malimbelimbe akasala ku ntuthu mu kutapiwa bamu manikano hwulu kwazo ne kulengudzika kukulu kwazo. Guma le Jerusalema lakawa ne matendele alo akapisiwa nge moto.”
4 Ndakati ndihwa matama iyawa agala pasi alila, ndakabe mu tjililo kwe mazhuba ndizwinyima zojiwa ne kutembezela Ndzimu we kudzimu. 5 Ngono ndakatembezela nditi, “Yahwe Ndzimu we kudzimu, Ndzimu nkulu kakale unotjisa, imwi munoshingikadza tjidumano tjenyu kuna bose banomuda kakale belondolodza milayo yenyu. 6 Bonani ndipano, mu ndihweni mube ne ngoni mu nlanda wenyu, anditembezela siku ne sikati, ndikumbilila balanda benyu bathu be Iziraela, ndileba milandu yakathamwa ne balanda benyu, bathu be Iziraela, imi nebe nsha wangu takamutjinyila. 7 Takamuleyanyila kwazo kakale atizolondolodza ndaulo dzenyu ne milayo yenyu ne sumikiliso dzenyu dza makapa nlanda wenyu Mushe.
8 “Kumbulani matama amakadwa nlanda wenyu Mushe muti, ‘Amusinga galemoyo, ndowomupaladza mukabe pakati kwe zwitjaba. 9 Koga amushandukila ku ndili, mulondolodza milayo yangu kakale muishingikadza, nenguba kuna bamwe be bathu benyu bakatapigwa ku mahwombekombe, ndowobakubunganya iko ikweno abazhisa ku bugalo gwandakashalula kuti ibe igo bugalo gwangu.’
10 “Ibaba balanda benyu kakale bathu benyu, ibo bamakadzutunula nge simba lenyu gulu. 11 Yahwe, ihwani ntembezelo we nlanda wenyu nenge mitembezelo ye balanda benyu ibo banoda kuteta zina lenyu. Bhatshani nlanda wenyu nasi kuti abhudilile, mambo wa bomambo abe ne moyo nnyolo munli anhwilezogwadza.”
Ndakabe ndili mbhati we bhepe le nkumbi la mambo.