Nehemiah 13

1 To na niah kaminawk hmaa ah Mosi ih cabu kroek o naah, Ammon kami hoi Moab kaminawk loe, Sithaw kaminawk amkhuenghaih ahmuen ah athumsak han om ai, tiah tarik ih ca to a hnuk o;

In that day they read in the book of Moses in the ears of the people; and it was found written in it, that the Ammonites and Moabites should not enter into the congregation of God for ever;

2 tipongah tih nahaeloe nihcae mah Israel kaminawk to caaknaek hoi tui hoiah dawt o ai, Israel caanawk tangoeng hanah, Balaam to a tlai o; toe aicae ih Sithaw mah tangoenghaih to tahamhoihaih ah angcoengsak lat.

because they met not the children of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them: but our God turned the curse into a blessing.

3 Kaminawk mah Mosi ih kaalok to thaih o naah, athii kangbaeh kaminawk boih to Israel acaeng thung hoiah pahoe o.

And it came to pass, when they heard the law, that they were separated, [even] every alien in Israel.

4 Hae hmuen om ai naah, qaima Eliashib loe aicae Sithaw im ih hmuenmae khenzawnkung ah oh moe, Tobiah hoi angkom kami ah oh;

And before this time Eliasib the priest lived in the treasury of the house of our God, connected with Tobias;

5 Levinawk, laasah kaminawk, khongkha toep kaminawk hoi qaimanawk han paek ih tangqumnawk, canghum, hmuihoih, im han paek ih hmuenmaenawk, to pacoengah hato thungah maeto paek ih canghum, kangtha misurtui hoi situi suekhaih ahmuen to Tobiah hanah a paek.

and he made himself a great treasury, and there they were formerly in the habit of bestowing the offerings, and the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithe of the corn, and the wine, and the oil, the ordered portion of the Levites, and singers, and porters; and the first fruits of the priests.

6 To nathuem ah kai loe Jerusalem ah ka om ai, kai loe Babylon siangpahrang Artaxerxes, siangpahrang ohhaih saning qui thum, saning hnetto haih naah, siangpahrang khaeah kam laem ving; nasetto maw akra pacoengah, Jerusalem ah amlaem let hanah siangpahrang palung aduehaih to ka hak;

But in all this [time] I was not in Jerusalem; for in the thirty-second year of Arthasastha king of Babylon I came to the king, and after a certain time I made my request of the king;

7 Jerusalem ah ka caeh let naah ni, Eliashib mah Sithaw im thung ih akhaan to Tobiah hanah paek boeh ti, tiah a sak ih kahoih ai hmuen kawng to ka panoek vop.

and I came to Jerusalem, and I understood the mischief which Eliasib had done in the case of Tobias, in making for him a treasury in the court of the house of God.

8 Hae hmuen mah palung ang phuisak; to pongah Tobiah ih hmuennawk to imthung hoiah tasa bangah ka vah pae king.

And it appeared very evil to me: so I cast forth all the furniture of the house of Tobias from the treasury.

9 Imthung ciimcaisak hanah ka thuih pae; Sithaw im ih hmuennawk, paek ih canghumnawk hoi hmuihoihnawk to athung ah ka sueksak let.

And I gave orders, and they purified the treasuries: and I restored there the vessels of the house of God, [and] the offerings, and the frankincense.

10 Levinawk han paek koi cang to paek o ai pongah, Levinawk hoi laasah kaminawk loe angmacae lawk ah amlaem o boih boeh, tiah ka panoek.

And I understood that the portion of the Levites had not been given: and they had fled every one to his field, the Levites and the singers doing the work.

11 To pongah ukkung angraengnawk to ka zoeh, Tipongah Sithaw im na pahnawt o sut loe? tiah ka naa; nihcae to nawnto amkhuengsak pacoengah, angmacae sak han koi tok to ka saksak boih.

And I strove with the commanders, and said, Therefore has the house of God been abandoned? and I assembled them, and set them in their place.

12 To pacoengah loe Judahnawk boih mah canghum, misurthaih hoi situinawk to, hato thungah maeto, hmuenmae suekhaih imthung ah a sin o.

And all Juda brought a tithe of the wheat and the wine and the oil into the treasuries,

13 Kai mah qaima Shelemiah, ca tarikkung Zadok hoi Levi kami Pedaiah cae to hmuenmae pakuemhaih im khenzawnkung ah ka suek; Mattaniah capa Zakkur, Zakkur capa Hanan to nihcae lawnkung ah ka suek; hae kaminawk loe oepthok kami ah oh o, angmacae nawkamyanawk hanah hmuenmae pazethaih loe nihcae ih tok ah oh.

to the charge of Selemia the priest, and Sadoc the scribe, and Phadaea of the Levites: and next to them [was] Anan the son of Zacchur, son of Matthanias; for they were accounted faithful: [it was] their office to distribute to their brethren.

14 Aw ka Sithaw, ka sak ih hae hmuen pongah, na pahnet hmah; ka Sithaw ih im hoi a toksah kaminawk hanah ka sak ih kahoih hmuen hae na tahmat pae ving hmah, tiah lawk ka thuih.

Remember me, O God, in this, and let not my kindness be forgotten which I have wrought in [regard to] the house of the Lord God.

15 To nathuem ah thoemto Judahnawk loe Sabbath niah, misurtui pasawh o, cang aah o moe, laa hrang nuiah phawh o sak; to pacoengah Sabbath niah, misurtui, misurthaih, thaiduet thaih hoi kalah thingthainawk to a lak o moe, Jerusalem ah a zawh o, tiah ka panoek; to pongah to niah hmuenmae zawh han ai ah acoehaih lok ka thuih pae.

In those days I saw in Juda [men] treading wine presses on the sabbath, and carrying sheaves, and loading asses with both wine, and grapes, and figs, and every [kind of] burden, and bringing them into Jerusalem on the sabbath-day:

16 Jerusalem ah kaom Tura kaminawk mah doeh tanga hoi kalah hmuennawk to Jerusalem ah phawh o moe, Sabbath niah Judah kaminawk khaeah a zawh pae o.

and I testified in the day of their sale. Also their lived in it [men] bringing fish, and selling every [kind of] merchandise to the children of Juda and in Jerusalem on the sabbath.

17 Judah ukkungnawk khaeah, tipongah hae baktih kahoih ai hmuennawk hae na sak o moe, Sabbath ni to nam hnong o sak loe?

And I strove with the free children of Juda, and said to them, What [is] this evil thing which you do, and profane the sabbath-day?

18 Nam panawk mah to tiah hmuen sak o pong na ai maw, Sithaw mah hae baktih amtang amlaihaih hae aicae nui hoi vangpui nuiah phasak? Sabbath ni na aek o pongah, kanung aep palungphuihaih Israel kaminawk nuiah, na phak o sak let han vop maw? tiah ka zoeh.

Did not your fathers thus, and our God brought upon them and upon us and upon this city all these evils? and do you bring additional wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath?

19 Sabbath phak tomhaih ni, Jerusalem khongkha ah khoving amtonghaih ni hoi kamtong Sabbath ni boeng ai karoek to, khongkhanawk to paong o hmah, khaa oh, tiah lok ka thuih pae; Sabbath niah vangpui thungah hmuenmae phawh o han ai ah, thoemto ka tamnanawk to khongkha ka toepsak.

And it came to pass, when the gates were set up in Jerusalem, before the sabbath, that I spoke, and they shut the gates; and I gave orders that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and I set [some] of my servants at the gates, that none should bring [in] burdens on the sabbath-day.

20 Hmuenmae kaqan hoi zaw kaminawk loe, Jerusalem vangpui tasa bangah vaito maw, vai hnetto maw iih o.

So all [the merchants] lodged, and carried on traffic without Jerusalem once or twice.

21 To naah kai mah nihcae khaeah, Tipongah tapang taengah na iih o loe? Hmabangah hae baktih hmuen na sak o let nahaeloe, nangcae nuiah ban ka phok han, tiah ka naa. To ni hoi kamtong Sabbath niah angzo o ai boeh.

Then I testified against them, and said to them, Why do you lodge in front of the wall? if you do so again, I will stretch out my hand upon you. From that time they came not on the sabbath.

22 To pacoengah Levinawk khaeah doeh ciimcai oh loe, Sabbath ni ciim o sak hanah, khongkhanawk to toep oh, tiah ka thuih pae. Aw ka Sithaw, hae kawng pongah na pahnet hmah, kalen parai na palungnathaih hoiah na pathlung rae ah, tiah lawk ka thuih.

and I told the Levites who were purifying themselves, and came and kept the gates, that they should sanctify the sabbath-day. Remember me, O God, for these things, and spare me according to the abundance of your mercy.

23 To nathuem ah, Judahnawk mah Ashod, Ammom hoi Moab nongpatanawk to zu ah lak o, tiah ka panoek.

And in those days I saw the Jews who had married women of Ashdod, of Ammon, [and] of Moab:

24 Nihcae ih caanawk loe Judah lok kop o ai; ahap kaminawk mah Ashdod kaminawk ih lok to apeh o, kalah kaminawk ih lok maeto ni apaeh o.

and their children spoke half in the language of Ashdod, and did not know how to speak in the Jewish language.

25 Nihcae to ka zoeh moe, loksae ka bah; thoemto kaminawk to ka boh moe, thoemto kaminawk ih sam to ka taprawt pae: Na canunawk nihcae capa hanah paek o hmah; na capanawk han doeh nihcae ih canunawk to zu ah la pae o hmah.

And I strove with them and cursed them; and I struck some of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, [saying, ]You shall not give your daughters to their sons, and you shall not take of their daughters to your sons.

26 Hae tiah zu lak pongah na ai maw, Solomon siangpahrang mah zaehaih to sak? Prae boih ah anih baktih kaom siangpahrang mi doeh om ai; anih loe angmah ih Sithaw mah palung pongah, Israel kaminawk nuiah siangpahrang ah suek; anih mataeng doeh acaeng kalah nongpatanawk mah zaehaih sak o sak.

Did not Solomon king of Israel sin thus? though there was no king like him amongst many nations, and he was beloved of God, and God made him king over all Israel; yet strange women turned him aside.

27 Acaeng kalah nongpatanawk zu ah na lak o pongah, aicae ih Sithaw hmaa ah zaehaih na sak o boeh, hae baktih kalen zaehaih sak hanah, nangcae ih lok to ka tahngai o han maw? tiah Sithaw ih ahmin hoiah lokkamhaih ka saksak.

So we will not listen to you to do all this evil, to break covenant with our God, —to marry strange wives.

28 Qaima kalen koek, Eliashib capa Joiada ih capa maeto doeh, Horon acaeng Sanballat ih canu to zu haih pongah, anih to ka haek.

and Elisub the high priest, [one] of the sons of Joada, [being] son-in-law of Sanaballat the Uranite, I chased him away from me.

29 Aw ka Sithaw, nihcae to pahnet hmah; nihcae mah qaima toksakhaih amhnong o sak boeh, qaima toksakhaih hoi Levi kami ah oh hanah lokmaihaih to amhnong o sak boeh.

Remember them, O God, for their [false] connection with the priesthood, and [the breaking] the covenant of the priesthood, and [for defiling] the Levites.

30 Topongah Judah kaminawk loe acaeng kalah kaminawk thung hoiah ka pahoe moe, qaimanawk hoi Levinawk mah sak han koi tok to ka paek boih.

So I purged them from all foreign connection, and established courses for the priests and the Levites, [every] man according to his work.

31 Atue phak naah, thingnawk hoi kathai tangsuek thingthainawk paek o hanah, ka thuih pae. Aw ka Sithaw, kahoih hmuen ka sak pongah, na pahnet hmah, tiah lawk ka thuih.

And the offering of the wood-bearers [was] at certain set times, and in the [times of the] first fruits. Remember me, O our God, for good.