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;

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 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.

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

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

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 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.

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 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;

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 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.

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

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

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

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 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.

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 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.

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

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

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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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

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 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.

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 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.

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

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

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.

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 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.

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

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

[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 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.

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

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

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 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.

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

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 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.

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]!