1 And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence. 2 Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid, 3 And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire? 4 Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers’ sepulchres, that I may build it. 6 And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. 7 Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah; 8 And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.
9 ¶ Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me. 10 When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it , it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel. 11 So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.
12 ¶ And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon. 13 And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before the dragon well, and to the dung port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire. 14 Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king’s pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass. 15 Then went I up in the night by the brook, and viewed the wall, and turned back, and entered by the gate of the valley, and so returned. 16 And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work.
17 ¶ Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach. 18 Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king’s words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work . 19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it , they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king? 20 Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.
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.”