Nehemiah 2
1 Artaxerxes siangpahrang ah ohhaih saning pumphaeto akoephaih, Nisan khrah thungah, a hmaa ih misurtui to ka lak moe, siangpahrang hanah ka paek; a hmaa ah natuek naah doeh palungsethaih kam tuengsak vai ai vop.
Now in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was set before him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had never been sad in his presence,
2 To pongah siangpahrang mah lok ang dueng, Ngan na tui to mah, tipongah mikhmai na set loe? Hae loe tidoeh na ai, palungsethaih ah ni oh, tiah ang naa. To naah paroeai ka zit,
so the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, though you are not ill? This could only be sadness of the heart.” I was overwhelmed with fear
3 Kai mah siangpahrang khaeah, Siangpahrang na hinglung sawk nasoe! Kam panawk aphumhaih, vangpui to amro moe, khongkhanawk hmai mah kang naah, kawbangmaw mikhmai sae ai ah ka om thai tih? tiah ka naa.
and replied to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should I not be sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
4 Siangpahrang mah kai khaeah, Timaw na koeh? tiah ang naa. To pongah van Sithaw khaeah lawk ka thuih.
“What is your request?” replied the king. So I prayed to the God of heaven
5 Siangpahrang khaeah, siangpahrang koehhaih ah ka oh moe, na tamna hae na mikhnukah koeh koiah ka oh nahaeloe, vangpui to ka sak let thai hanah, kam pa aphumhaih, Judah prae ah na patoeh let ah, tiah ka naa.
and answered the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city where my fathers are buried, so that I may rebuild it.”
6 Siangpahrang mah, (siangpahrang zu doeh anih taengah anghnut) Kholong na caehhaih nazetto maw akra tih? Natuek naah maw nam laem o let han? tiah ang naa. Siangpahrang mah kai patoeh han poekhaih tawnh pongah, atue to ka pahoe.
Then the king, with the queen seated beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I set a time.
7 Kai mah anih khaeah, Siangpahrang koeh baktiah om nahaeloe, vapui taeng ih prae ukkungnawk khaeah ca sin pae han ka koeh, to tiah ni Judah prae ka phak khoek to, nihcae mah kamong ah na patoeh o thai tih.
I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may letters be given to me for the governors west of the Euphrates, so that they will grant me safe passage until I reach Judah.
8 Siangpahrang ih taw toepkung, Asaph mah im khongkha tung, vangpui tapang, ka ohhaih im sak hanah thing ang paek thai hanah, ca na tarik pae thai tih maw? tiah ka naa. Ka Sithaw tahmenhaih ka ban ah oh pongah, ka hnik ih hmuen to siangpahrang mah ang paek.
And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so that he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house I will occupy.” And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.
9 To pongah vapui zaeh ih prae ukkungnawk khaeah ka caeh moe, siangpahrang ih ca to ka paek. Siangpahrang mah misatuh angraengnawk hoi hrang angthueng kaminawk to ang patoeh pae.
Then I went to the governors west of the Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.
10 Horon acaeng Sanballat hoi Ammon acaeng toksah angraeng Tobiah hnik mah, to lok to thaih hoi naah, Israel caanawk khosak qoengsak hanah, kami maeto angzoh boeh, tiah a thaih hoi pongah, paroeai poeknawm hoi ai.
But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were deeply disturbed that someone had come to seek the well-being of the Israelites.
11 Jerusalem ah ka caeh moe, to ah ni thumto ka cam pacoengah,
After I had arrived in Jerusalem and had been there three days,
12 ka taengah kaom kami zetta hoi nawnto aqum ah kholong ka caeh o; Jerusalem ah toksak hanah Sithaw mah palung thungah ang suek pae ih hmuen to mi khaeah doeh ka thui ai; kang thueng ih hrang khue ai ah loe, kalah hrang om ai.
I set out at night with a few men. I did not tell anyone what my God had laid on my heart to do for Jerusalem. The only animal with me was the one on which I was riding.
13 Khoving naah azawn ih khongkha hoi Pahui tuikhaw taeng ih, Anghnoeng khongkha khoek to ka caeh moe, kamtimh Jerusalem tapangnawk hoi hmai mah kangh ih khongkhanawk to ka khet.
So I went out at night through the Valley Gate toward the Well of the Serpent and the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that had been broken down and the gates that had been destroyed by fire.
14 To pacoengah tuipuek ohhaih khongkha hoi siangpahrang ih tuili ohhaih bangah ka caeh poe; toe hrang caehhaih kakhawt ahmuen to om ai pongah,
Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal under me to get through;
15 aqum ah azawn ah ka caeh moe, tapangnawk to ka khet; kam laem let, azawn bang ih khongkha hoiah ka kun moe, kam laem let.
so I went up the valley by night and inspected the wall. Then I headed back and reentered through the Valley Gate.
16 Judahnawk, qaimanawk, araengh kasang angraengnawk, ukkungnawk hoi toksah kami, mi kawbaktih khaeah doeh lok ka thui pae ai pongah, naa ah maw ka caeh moe, timaw ka sak, tito ukkungnawk mah panoek o ai.
The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, for I had not yet told the Jews or priests or nobles or officials or any other workers.
17 Kam laem let naah loe nihcae khaeah, ka tongh o ih raihaih, Jerusalem amrohaih, hmai mah khongkhanawk kangh boihhaih kawng to ka thuih pae. Angzo oh, kasae thuihaih hoiah a oh o han ai ah, Jerusalem tapang hae sah o let si boeh, tiah ka naa.
Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned down. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we will no longer be a disgrace.”
18 Sithaw tahmenhaih ka nuiah oh pongah, siangpahrang mah kai khaeah thuih ih loknawk to nihcae khaeah ka thuih pae naah, Nihcae mah, angthawk o si loe, sah o si boeh, tiah thuih o. To pongah tha pathok o moe, kahoih hae tok hae a sak amtong o.
I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me, and what the king had said to me. “Let us start rebuilding,” they replied, and they set their hands to this good work.
19 Toe Horon kami Sanballat, Ammon kami angraeng Tobiah hoi Arab kami Geshem mah to lok to thaih o naah, kaicae to patoek moe, ang pahnuih hoi thuih. Timaw na sak o loe? Siangpahrang ih lok na aek o han maw? tiah ang naa hoi.
But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard about this, they mocked us and ridiculed us, saying, “What is this you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”
20 Kai mah nihcae khaeah, Kaicae loe van Sithaw mah qoeng sak tih; a tamna ah kaom kaicae loe angthawk moe, ka sak o han; toe nangcae loe Jerusalem ah qawktoep hanah taham na tawn o ai, sakthaihaih doeh na tawn o ai moe, pakuem han koi tidoeh na tawn o ai, tiah ka naa.
So I answered them and said, “The God of heaven is the One who will grant us success. We, His servants, will start rebuilding, but you have no portion, right, or claim in Jerusalem.”
