Nehemiah 4

1 Kaimih loh vongtung ka sak te Sanballat loh a yaak vaengah tah anih te sai. Te dongah Judah rhoek te muep a veet tih a tamdaeng.

Now, Sanballat, hearing that we were building the wall, was very angry, and in his wrath made sport of the Jews.

2 A manuca rhoek neh Samaria tatthai mikhmuh ah cal tih, “Yaikat la aka saii Judah rhoek baham nim? Amih loh a thoh tang aya? A nawn uh tang aya? Tihnin ah a khah tang aya? A hoeh tangtae laipi hlom lamkah lungto te hing aya?” a ti.

And in the hearing of his countrymen and the army of Samaria he said, What are these feeble Jews doing? will they make themselves strong? will they make offerings? will they get the work done in a day? will they make the stones which have been burned come again out of the dust?

3 A taengkah Ammoni Tobiah long khaw, “Amih kah a sak mai te, maetang loh pah koinih a lungto vongtung khaw tim ni,” a ti.

Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Such is their building that if a fox goes up it, their stone wall will be broken down.

4 Hnaephnapnah dongah ka om uh he kaimih kah Pathen loh ya van lamtah amih kah kokhahnah he amih lu dongah mael saeh. Amih te tamna khohmuen ah kutbuem la pae.

Give ear, O our God, for we are looked down on: let their words of shame be turned back on themselves, and let them be given up to wasting in a land where they are prisoners:

5 Na im sa rhoek mikhmuh ah a veet dongah amih kathaesainah te hlipdah boel lamtah a tholhnah te na mikhmuh lamloh huih pah boeh.

Let not their wrongdoing be covered or their sin washed away from before you: for they have made you angry before the builders.

6 Bibi saii ham tah pilnam kah lungbuei om dongah vongtung te ka sak uh tangloeng tih vongtung boeih te a rhakthuem duela a phaai uh coeng.

So we went on building the wall; and all the wall was joined together half-way up: for the people were working hard.

7 Jerusalem vongtung loh sading la a caeh te Sanballat, Tobiah, Arab, Ammoni neh Ashodi rhoek loh a yaak vaengah a mak tangtae te phae hamla a tong uh tih amih taengah muep sai.

But when it came to the ears of Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabians and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites, that the building of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and the broken places were being made good, they were full of wrath;

8 Te dongah amih boeih te Jerusalem paan rhenten tih vathoh thil ham, a taengah rholrhaknah saii hamla a taeng uh.

And they made designs, all of them together, to come and make an attack on Jerusalem, causing trouble there.

9 Tedae ka Pathen taengah ka thangthui uh tih amih mikhmuh ah amih ham khoyin khothaih rhaltawt ka pai sakuh.

But we made our prayer to God, and had men on watch against them day and night because of them.

10 Te vaengah Judah loh, “Hnophuei kah thadueng khaw bawt coeng tih laipi la yet coeng. Mamaih loh vongtung sak thil ham tah n'noeng moenih.

And Judah said, The strength of the workmen is giving way, and there is much waste material; it is impossible for us to put up the wall.

11 Mamih kah rhal rhoek long khaw, 'Amih lakli ah n'kun uh vetih amih n'gawn phoeiah bitat te m'paa sak hil he ming uh pawt vetih hmu uh mahpawh.

And those who were against us said, Without their knowledge and without their seeing us, we will come among them and put them to death, causing the work to come to a stop.

12 Te vaengah amih taengkah khosa Judah rhoek te ha pawk uh tih kaimih te hmuen takuem ah voei rha hil, 'Me lamkah nim kaimih taengla na mael uh,’ a ti uh.

And it came about that when the Jews who were living near them came, they said to us ten times, From all directions they are coming against us.

13 Te dongah a laedil ah khaw, vongtung hael kah hmuen ah khaw, a tlaai ah khaw ka pai. Te vaengah pilnam te a cako ah, a cunghang neh, cai neh, lii neh ka pai sak.

So in the lowest part of the space at the back of the walls, in the open places, I put the people by families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

14 Ka hmuh vaengah ka pai tih hlangcoelh rhoek taengah khaw, ukkung rhoek taengah khaw, pilnam hlangrhuel taengah khaw, “Amih mikhmuh ah rhih uh boeh, ka Boeipa tah len tih a rhih om te poek uh. Na manuca, na capa rhoek, na canu, na yuu rhoek neh na imkhui ham vathoh uh,” ka ti nah.

And after looking, I got up and said to the great ones and to the chiefs and to the rest of the people, Have no fear of them: keep in mind the Lord who is great and greatly to be feared, and take up arms for your brothers, your sons, and your daughters, your wives and your houses.

15 Pathen loh amih kah cilsuep a phae pah tih kaimih taengah m'ming sak te kaimih kah thunkha rhoek loh a yaak uh. Te daengah kaimih boeih ka mael uh tih hlang loh amah bitat ham vongtung te ka paan uh.

And when it came to the ears of those who were against us, that we had knowledge of their designs and that God had made their purpose come to nothing, we all went back to the wall, everyone to his work

16 Te khohnin lamlong tah kai ca rhoek te rhakthuem loh bitat a saii vaengah a rhakthuem loh cai neh, photling neh, lii neh, caempho neh pumcum uh tih mangpa rhoek khaw Judah imkhui pum kah a hnuk ah paiuh.

And from that time, half of my servants were doing their part of the work, and half kept the spears and body-covers and the bows and the metal war-dresses; and the chiefs were at the back of the men of Judah.

17 Vongtung aka sa khaw, hnorhih aka puen tih aka tloeng khaw, a kut pakhat neh bitat a saii tih khat dongah pumcumnah a muk.

Those who were building the wall and those who were moving material did their part, everyone working with one hand, with his spear in the other;

18 Te vaengah vongtung aka sa hlang loh a cunghang te a cinghen ah a vah tih a sak. Ka taengkah rhoek loh tuki te a ueng uh.

Every builder was working with his sword at his side. And by my side was a man for sounding the horn.

19 Te phoeiah hlangcoelh rhoek taengah khaw, ukkung rhoek taengah khaw, pilnam boeih taengah khaw, “Bitat he vung tih puh. Te dongah mamih loh vongtung he hlang khat a manuca taeng lamloh lakhla la yaal sih.

And I said to the great ones and the chiefs and the rest of the people, The work is great and widely spaced and we are far away from one another on the wall:

20 Tuki ol na yaak nah hmuen ah tah kaimih taengla pahoi tingtun uh. Mamih kah Pathen loh mamih ham a vathoh bitni,” ka ti nah.

Wherever you may be when the horn is sounded, come here to us; our God will be fighting for us.

21 Te dongah bitat ka saii uh vaengah a rhakthuem loh mincang a thoeng paek lamloh aisi a thoeng hil cai ka muk thil uh.

So we went on with the work: and half of them had spears in their hands from the dawn of the morning till the stars were seen.

22 Te vaeng tue ah khaw pilnam hlang neh a ca rhoek te, “Jerusalem khui ah rhaeh uh mai. Te daengah ni mamih ham khoyin kah rhaltawt neh khothaih kah bitat dongah a om uh eh,” ka ti nah.

And at the same time I said to the people, Let everyone with his servant come inside Jerusalem for the night, so that at night they may keep watch for us, and go on working by day.

23 Kai bueng pawt tih ka manuca rhoek khaw, ka ca rhoek neh rhaltawt hlang khaw, ka hnuk kah rhoek khaw, hlang loh ka himbai neh a pumcumnah ka dul tih tui muei ka hmu uh pawh.

So not one of us, I or my brothers or my servants or the watchmen who were with me, took off his clothing, everyone went armed to the water.