نَحَمْيا 4

١ 1 وَعِنْدَمَا عَلِمَ سَنْبَلَّطُ أَنَّنَا قَائِمُونَ بِبِنَاءِ السُّورِ امْتَلأَ غَضَباً وَغَيْظاً، وَأَخَذَ يَسْخَرُ بِالْيَهُودِ.

But it happened that when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.

٢ 2 وَتَسَاءَلَ أَمَامَ أَقْرِبَائِهِ وَجَيْشِ السَّامِرَةِ: «أَيُّ شَيْءٍ يَفْعَلُهُ هَؤُلاءِ الْيَهُودُ الضُّعَفَاءُ؟ هَلْ فِي وُسْعِهِمْ أَنْ يُعِيدُوا بِنَاءَ السُّورِ؟ هَلْ يَعُودُونَ لِتَقْرِيبِ الذَّبَائِحِ؟ هَلْ يُكْمِلُونَ الْبِنَاءَ فِي يَوْمٍ وَاحِدٍ؟ هَلْ يُحْيُونَ الْحِجَارَةَ مِنْ أَكْوَامِ الرُّكَامِ وَهِيَ مُحْتَرِقَةٌ؟»

And he spoke before his brothers and the army of Samaria, and said, "What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, which are burned?"

٣ 3 وَكَانَ طُوبِيَّا الْعَمُّونِيُّ وَاقِفاً إِلَى جِوَارِهِ، فَقَالَ: «إِنَّ مَا يَبْنُونَهُ إِذَا صَعِدَ عَلَيْهِ ثَعْلَبٌ فَإِنَّهُ يَهْدِمُ حِجَارَةَ سُورِهِمْ».

Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, "What they are building, if a fox climbed up it, he would break down their stone wall."

٤ 4 فَصَلَّيْتُ إِلَى الرَّبِّ: «اسْتَمِعْ يَا إِلَهَنَا، لأَنَّنَا قَدْ أَصْبَحْنَا مَثَارَ احْتِقَارٍ، وَاجْعَلْ تَعْيِيرَهُمْ يَرْتَدُّ عَلَى رُؤُوسِهِمْ وَلْيَصِيرُوا غَنِيمَةً فِي أَرْضِ السَّبْيِ.

"Hear, our God; for we are despised; and turn back their insults on their own head, give them up for a spoil in a land of captivity;

٥ 5 وَلا تَسْتُرْ آثَامَهُمْ، وَلا تَمْحُ خَطِيئَتَهُمْ مِنْ أَمَامِكَ، لأَنَّهُمْ أَثَارُوا غَضَبَكَ أَمَامَ الْقَائِمِينَ بِالْبِنَاءِ».

do not cover their iniquity, and do not let their sin be blotted out from before you; for they have insulted the builders."

٦ 6 وَهَكَذَا قُمْنَا بِإِعَادَةِ بِنَاءِ كُلِّ السُّورِ حَتَّى نِصْفِ ارْتِفَاعِهِ. وَكَانَ الشَّعْبُ يَعْمَلُ بِقَلْبٍ وَاحِدٍ.

So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together to half its height: for the people had a mind to work.

٧ 7 وَلَمَّا سَمِعَ سَنْبَلَّطُ وَطُوبِيَّا وَالْعَرَبُ وَالْعَمُّونِيُّونَ وَالأَشْدُودِيُّونَ أَنَّ أَسْوَارَ أُورُشَلِيمَ قَدْ رُمِّمَتْ، وَالثُّغْرَاتِ قَدْ سُدَّتْ، احْتَدَمَ غَضَبُهُمْ،

But it happened that when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabians, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, and that the breaches began to be filled, then they were very angry;

٨ 8 وَتَآمَرُوا جَمِيعُهُمْ عَلَى مُهَاجَمَةِ أُورُشَلِيمَ وَمُحَارَبَتِهَا لإِيقَاعِ الضَّرَرِ بِها.

and they conspired all of them together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion in it.

٩ 9 فَتَضَرَّعْنَا إِلَى إِلَهِنَا وَأَقَمْنَا حُرَّاساً ضِدَّهُمْ نَهَاراً وَلَيْلاً حَذَراً مِنْهُمْ.

But we made our prayer to our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.

١٠ 10 وَقَالَ أَبْنَاءُ يَهُوذَا: «لَقَدْ وَهَنَتْ قُوَى الْحَمَّالِينَ، وَأَكْوَامُ الأَنْقَاضِ كَثِيرَةٌ، وَنَحْنُ لَا يُمْكِنُنَا بِنَاءَ السُّورِ.

Judah said, "The strength of the bearers of burdens is fading, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall."

١١ 11 وَقَدْ قَالَ أَعْدَاؤُنَا: إِنَّنَا سَنُفَاجِئُهُمْ فَلا يَدْرُونَ وَلا يُبْصِرُونَ إِلّا وَنَحْنُ قَدْ أَصْبَحْنَا فِي وَسَطِهِمْ، فَنَقْتُلُهُمْ وَنُعَطِّلُ الْعَمَلَ!

Our adversaries said, "They shall not know, neither see, until we come into their midst, and kill them, and cause the work to cease."

١٢ 12 وَعِنْدَمَا جَاءَ الْيَهُودُ السَّاكِنُونَ إِلَى جُوَارِهِمْ حَذَّرُونَا عَشْرَ مَرَّاتٍ قَائِلِينَ: إِنَّهُمْ سَيَزْحَفُونَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْ جَمِيعِ الأَمَاكِنِ الَّتِي يُقِيمُونَ فِيهَا».

It happened that when the Jews who lived by them came, they said to us ten times from all places, "Wherever you turn, they will attack us."

١٣ 13 لِذَلِكَ أَقَمْتُ حُرَّاساً مِنَ الشَّعْبِ حَسَبَ عَشَائِرِهِمْ، مُتَسَلِّحِينَ بِالسُّيُوفِ وَالرِّمَاحِ وَالْقِسِيِّ فِي الْمُنْخَفَضَاتِ وَرَاءَ السُّورِ وَعَلَى الْمُرْتَفَعَاتِ.

Therefore set I in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in the open places, I set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

١٤ 14 وَتَأَمَّلْتُ حَوْلِي، ثُمَّ وَقَفْتُ وَقُلْتُ لِلْعُظَمَاءِ وَالوُلاةِ وَبَقِيَّةِ الشَّعْبِ: «لا تَخَافُوهُمْ، بَلْ تَذَكَّرُوا السَّيِّدَ الْعَظِيمَ الْمَرْهُوبَ، وَحَارِبُوا مِنْ أَجْلِ إِخْوَتِكُمْ وَأَبْنَائِكُمْ وَبَنَاتِكُمْ وَنِسَائِكُمْ وَبُيُوتِكُمْ».

I looked, and rose up, and said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, "Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses."

١٥ 15 وَعِنْدَمَا أَدْرَكَ أَعْدَاؤُنَا أَنَّنَا كَشَفْنَا مُؤَامَرَاتِهِمْ، وَأَحْبَطَ اللهُ تَدْبِيرَاتِهِمْ، رَجَعَ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنَّا إِلَى عَمَلِهِ فِي السُّورِ.

It happened, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and God had brought their counsel to nothing, that we returned all of us to the wall, everyone to his work.

١٦ 16 وَمُنْذُ ذَلِكَ الْحِينِ أَخَذَ نِصْفُ رِجَالِي يَعْمَلُونَ، وَالنِّصْفُ الآخَرُ يُمْسِكُونَ بِالرِّمَاحِ وَالأَتْرَاسِ وَالْقِسِيِّ وَالدُّرُوعِ. وَآزَرَ الرُّؤَسَاءُ أَبْنَاءَ يَهُوذَا

It happened from that time forth that half of my servants would do the work and half of them held the spears, and the shields, and the bows, and the body armor; and the rulers stood behind the whole house of Judah

١٧ 17 الَّذِينَ كَانُوا يَبْنُونَ السُّورَ. أَمَّا حَامِلُو الأَحْمَالِ فَكَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ بِالْيَدِ الْوَاحِدَةِ وَيُمْسِكُونَ السِّلاحَ بِالْيَدِ الأُخْرَى.

who were building the wall. And those who carried loads held their load with one hand and with the other held a weapon;

١٨ 18 وَتَقَلَّدَ كُلُّ بَانٍ سَيْفاً عَلَى جَنْبِهِ، بَيْنَمَا وَقَفَ نَافِخُ الْبُوقِ إِلَى جِوَارِي.

and the builders, everyone wore his sword at his side, and so built. He who sounded the trumpet was by me.

١٩ 19 فَقُلْتُ لِلأَشْرَافِ وَالْوُلاةِ وَلِبَقِيَّةِ الشَّعْبِ: «الْعَمَلُ كَثِيرٌ مُمْتَدٌّ فِي رُقْعَةٍ وَاسِعَةٍ فِي الأَرْضِ، وَنَحْنُ مُتَفَرِّقُونَ عَلَى السُّورِ وَمُتَبَاعِدُونَ عَنْ بَعْضِنَا.

I said to the nobles, and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, "The work is great and large, and we are separated on the wall, one far from another.

٢٠ 20 فَعَلَيْكُمْ أَنْ تَتَجَمَّعُوا فِي الْمَكَانِ الَّذِي يُدَوِّي مِنْهُ نَفِيرُ الْبُوقِ، وَلْيُحَارِبْ إِلَهُنَا عَنَّا».

Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally there to us. Our God will fight for us."

٢١ 21 وَهَكَذَا كُنَّا نَحْنُ نَقُومُ بِالْعَمَلِ، بَيْنَمَا نِصْفُنَا الآخَرُ يَتَقَلَّدُ الرِّمَاحَ مِنْ طُلُوعِ الْفَجْرِ حَتَّى بُزُوغِ النُّجُومِ.

So we worked in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning until the stars appeared.

٢٢ 22 وَأَمَرْتُ الشَّعْبَ فِي ذَلِكَ الْوَقْتِ: «لِيَبِتْ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مَعَ خَادِمِهِ فِي أُورُشَلِيمَ، فَيَكُونُوا لَنَا حُرَّاساً فِي اللَّيْلِ وَعُمَّالاً فِي النَّهَارِ».

Likewise at the same time said I to the people, "Let everyone with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and may labor in the day."

٢٣ 23 وَلَمْ أَخْلَعْ ثِيَابِي طَوَالَ تِلْكَ الْفَتْرَةِ، لَا أَنَا وَلا إِخْوَتِي وَلا خُدَّامِي وَلا الْحُرَّاسُ التَّابِعُونَ لِي، بِلْ ظَلَّ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنَّا مُتَأَهِّباً بِسِلاحِهِ حَتَّى عِنْدَ ذِهَابِهِ إِلَى الْمَاءِ.

So neither I, nor my brothers, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes. Everyone took his weapon to the water.