Неемия 13

1 В същия ден като чакаха Моисеевата книга и людете слушаха, намери се писано в нея, че амонците и моавците не трябваше никога да влизат в Божието общество,

On that day, when someone read to the people parts of the laws [that God gave] to Moses, they read where it was written that no one from the Ammon people-group or the Moab people-group was ever to be allowed to be with God’s people while they were gathered together [to worship].

2 защото не посрещнаха израилтяните с хляб и вода, а наеха против тях Валаама, за да ги прокълне; обаче нашият Бог обърна проклетията в благословение.

The reason for that was that the people of Ammon and the people of Moab did not give/sell any food or water to the Israelis [while the Israelis were going through their areas after they left Egypt]. Instead, the people of Ammon and Moab paid money to Balaam in order that he would curse the Israelis. But God commanded Balaam to bless the people, not to curse them.

3 И като чуха закона, отлъчиха от Израиля всичките чужденци смесени с него.

So when the people heard these laws [being read to them], they sent away all the people whose ancestors had come from other countries.

4 А въпреки това, свещеник Елиасив, който надзираваше стаите на дома на нашия Бог, като беше сродник на Товия,

Previously, Eliashib the priest had been appointed to be in charge of the storerooms in the temple. He was a relative of [our enemy] Tobiah.

5 Приготви за него голяма стая, гдето по-напред туряха хлебните приноси, ливана, вещите и десетъците от житото, от виното и от дървеното масло, които бяха определени за левитите, за певците и за вратарите, също и приносите за свещениците.

He allowed Tobiah to use a large room in which they had previously stored the grain offerings and the incense, the equipment that is used in the temple, the offerings [that the people had brought] for the priests, and the tithes of grain and wine and [olive] oil that [God] had commanded the people to bring to the [other] descendants of Levi, and to the temple musicians, and to the temple guards.

6 Но когато ставало всичко това, аз не бях в Ерусалим; защото в тридесет и втората година на вавилонския цар Артаксеркс, отидох при царя. И подир известно време, като изпросих позволение от царя,

While [Tobias was using that room], I was not in Jerusalem, because in the 32nd year that Artaxerxes was the king of Babylonia, I went back there to report to him. After a while I requested the king to allow me to return to Jerusalem, [and he allowed me to go].

7 пак дойдох в Ерусалим, и научих се за злото, което Елиасив беше сторил относно Товия като приготвил за него стая в дворовете на Божия дом.

When I arrived in Jerusalem, I found out that Eliashib had done an evil thing by allowing Tobiah to use a room in God’s temple.

8 И стана ми много мъчно; за това, изхвърлих вън от стаята всичката покъщнина на Товия.

I became very angry, and I threw out of that room everything that belonged to Tobiah.

9 Тогава заповядах, та очистиха стаите, и пак внесох там вещите на Божия дом, хлебните приноси и ливана.

Then I commanded [that they perform a ritual] to make the rooms (pure/acceptable to God) again. And I also ordered that all the equipment used in the temple and all the grain offerings and incense should be put in that room again.

10 После забелязах, че дяловете на левитите не били им давани, така щото левитите и певците, които вършеха работата на служенето, бяха побягнали всеки в селото си.

I also found out that the temple musicians and [other] descendants of Levi had left Jerusalem and returned to their fields/farms, because the Israeli people had not been bringing to them the food [that they needed].

11 Тогава изобличих по-главните мъже, като рекох: Защо е оставен Божият дом? И събрах побягналите служители та ги поставих на местата им.

So I rebuked the officials, saying to them, “(Why have you not taken care of the work in the temple?/It is disgraceful that you have not taken care of the work in the temple.)” [RHQ] So I brought the descendants of Levi and the musicians back to the temple, and told them to do their work there again.

12 Тогава целият Юда донесе във влагалищата десетъка от житото, от виното и от дървеното масло.

Then all the people of Judah again started to bring to the temple storerooms their tithes of grain, wine, and [olive] oil.

13 И поставих за пазители на влагалищата свещеник Селемия и секретаря Садок и от левитите Федаия, и при тях Анана син на Закхура, син на Матания, защото се считаха за верни; и работата им бе да раздават на братята си.

I appointed these men to be in charge of the storerooms: Shelemiah, who was a priest; Zadok, who knew the Jewish laws very well; and Pedaiah, a descendant of Levi. I appointed Hanan, who is the son of Zaccur and grandson of Mattaniah, to assist them. I knew that I could trust these men while they distributed those offerings to their fellow workers.

14 Помни ме, Боже мой, за това, и не заличавай добрините, които сторих за дома на моя Бог и за наредбите Му.

My God, do not forget all these good things that I have faithfully done for your temple and for the work that is done there!

15 През ония дни видях неколцина в Юда, че в събота тъпчеха грозде в лина, внасяха снопи и товареха на осли вино, грозде, смокини и всякакви товари, които докарваха в Ерусалим в съботен ден; и аз заявих против тях, когато така продаваха храна.

During that time, I saw some people in Judea [who were working] on the Sabbath day. [Some were] pressing grapes [to make wine]. Others were putting grain, [bags of] wine, [baskets of] grapes, figs, and many [HYP] other things, on their donkeys and taking them into Jerusalem. I warned them that they should not sell things to the people of Judea on Sabbath days.

16 Също и тиряните, които живееха в града, донасяха риби и всякакви стоки та продаваха в събота на юдейците в Ерусалим.

I also saw some people from Tyre [city] who were living there in Jerusalem who were bringing fish and other things [into Jerusalem] to sell to the people of Judea on the Sabbath day.

17 Тогава изобличих Юдовите благородни, като им рекох: Какво е това зло, което правите, като осквернявате съботния ден?

So I rebuked the Jewish leaders and told them, “This is [RHQ] a very evil thing that you are doing! You are causing the Sabbath days to be unholy.

18 Не постъпиха ли така бащите ви, така щото нашият Бог докара всичкото това зло на нас и на тоя град? А пък вие умножавате гняв върху Израиля като осквернявате съботата.

Your ancestors did [RHQ] things like that, so God punished them, and as a result, this city was destroyed! And now by causing the Sabbath day to be unholy, you are going to cause God to be angry with us Israeli people [and punish us] more!”

19 Затова, когато почна да мръкнува в ерусалимските порти преди съботата, заповядах да се затворят вратите, и заповядах да се не отварят до подир съботота; и поставих на портите неколцина от моите слуги, за да не се внася никакъв товар в съботен ден.

So I ordered that at (the beginning of every Sabbath day/every Friday evening) they should shut the gates of the city before it became dark. I also ordered that they should not open the gates until (the Sabbath day was ended [the next day]/Saturday evening). Then [each Sabbath day] I put some of my men at the gates, so they would make sure that nothing to sell was brought into the city on that day.

20 Тогава един-два пъти търговците и продавачите на всякакви стоки пренощуваха вън от Ерусалим.

One or two times merchants [DOU] stayed outside of the city on (Friday night/[the night before the Sabbath day]).

21 Аз, прочее, заявих против тях, като им рекох: Защо нощувате пред стената? Ако повторите, ще туря ръка на вас. От тогава не дойдоха вече в събота.

I warned them, “It is useless [RHQ] for you to stay here outside the walls [on Friday night]! If you do this again, I will tell my men to arrest you!” So after that, they did not come on Sabbath days.

22 И заповядах на левитите да се очистват и да дохождат да вардят портите, за да освещават съботния ден. Помни ме, Боже мой, и за това, и смили се за мене според голямата Си милост.

I also commanded the descendants of Levi to [perform the ritual to] purify themselves and to guard the city gates, to make sure that the Sabbath was kept holy [by not allowing merchants to enter it on Sabbath days]. My God, do not forget this also that I [have done for you]! And because of your faithfully loving me, allow me to continue to live [many more years]!

23 После, в ония дни видях юдеите, които бяха взели жени азотки, амонки и моавки,

During that time, I also found out that many of the Jewish men had married women from Ashdod [city], and from [the] Ammon and Moab [people-groups].

24 чиито деца говореха половин азотски, а не знаеха да говорят юдейски, но приказваха по езика на всеки от ония народи.

The result was that half of their children spoke the language that people in Ashdod speak or some other language, and they didn’t know how to speak our language.

25 И изобличих ги, проклех ги, бих неколцина от тях, оскубах им космите и заклех ги в Бога, като казах: Да не давате дъщерите си на синовете им, и да не вземате от техните дъщери за синовете си или за себе си.

So I rebuked those men, and I [asked God to] curse them, and I beat them and pulled out [some of] their hair. Then I forced them to solemnly promise, knowing that God [MTY] was [listening], that they would never again marry foreigners, and never allow their children to marry foreigners.

26 Не съгреши ли така Израилевият цар Соломон? Ако и да не е имало между много народи цар подобен на него, който беше възлюбен от своя Бог, и когото Бог направи цар над целия Израил, но и него чужденките жени накараха да съгреши.

[I said to them], “Solomon, the king of Israel, sinned [RHQ] as a result of [marrying] foreign women. He was greater than any of the kings of other nations. God loved him, and caused him to become the king of all the Israeli people, but his foreign wives caused even him to sin.

27 А ние да позволим ли на вас да вършите всичко това голямо зло, да ставате престъпници против нашия Бог, като вземате чужденки жени?

[Do you think that] we should do what you have done, and disobey our God by marrying foreign women [who worship idols]? [RHQ]”

28 И един от синовете на Иодая, син на първосвещеник Елиасива, беше зет на оронеца Санавалат; затова го изпъдих от мене.

One of the sons of Jehoiada, the son of Eliashib the Supreme Priest, had married the daughter of [our enemy] Sanballat, from Beth-Horon [town]. So I forced Jehoiada’s son to leave Jerusalem.

29 Спомни си за тях, Боже мой, защото са осквернили свещенството и завета на свещенството и левитите.

My God, do not forget that those people [who have married foreign women] have caused it to be a shame/disgrace to be a priest, and have caused people to despise the agreement that you made with the priests and with the [other] descendants of Levi [who help the priests])!

30 Така ги очистих от всичките чужденци, и определих отреди за свещениците и левитите, за всекиго работата му;

I did all that to make sure that there were no more foreign people among the [Israeli] people [who would encourage them to worship idols]. I also established regulations for the priests and [other] descendants of Levi, in order that they would know what work they should do.

31 наредих и за приноса на дърва в определени времена, за първите плодове. Помни ме, Боже мой, за добро.

I also arranged for people to bring the firewood [that was needed to burn on the altar, as Moses had declared] that we should [do]. I also arranged for the people to bring the first part of what they harvested [each year]. My God, do not forget [that] I [have done all these things], and bless me [for doing them]!