< Nehemiah 2 >
1 Artaxerxes manghai kah kum kul nah Nisan hla vaengah tah a mikhmuh ah misurtui om. Te dongah misurtui te ka pom tih manghai te ka doe. Tedae a mikhmuh ah a thae la ka om pawh.
In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, he selected wine, and I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never before been sad in his presence.
2 Te vaengah manghai loh kai te, “Balae tih na maelhmai a thae? Nang pawt nim? Na tlo pawt nim te? Lungbuei thaenah bueng he khaw bahoeng ka rhih aih,” a ti.
But the king said to me, “Why is your face so sad? You do not appear to be ill. This must be sadness of heart.” Then I became very much afraid.
3 Tedae manghai te, “Manghai tah kumhal duela hing saeh, balae tih ka maelhmai a thae pawt eh? A pa rhoek kah phuel im khopuei loh kaksap tih a vongka khaw hmai loh a hlawp coeng,” ka ti nah.
I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad? The city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire.”
4 Te vaengah manghai loh kai taengah, “Balae nan dawt, vaan Pathen taengah ka thangthui ngawn ta,” a ti.
Then the king said to me, “What do you want me to do?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.
5 Te vaengah manghai te, “Manghai taengah then mai tih na sal he na mikhmuh ah a thuem atah kai he Judah ah a pa rhoek kah phuel kho la n'tueih lamtah ka thoh mai eh,” ka ti nah.
I replied to the king, “If it seems good to the king, and if your servant has done well in your sight, you could send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' tombs, that I may rebuild it.”
6 Te phoeiah manghai neh a taengah aka ngol manghainu loh kai taengah, “Na caehlong te me hil nim a koe vetih me vaengah lae na mael eh?” a ti. Manghai mik ah a voelphoeng dongah kai n'tueih tih a tuetang te ka paek.
The king replied to me (and the queen was also sitting beside him), “How long shall you be away and when will you return?” The king was glad to send me when I gave him the dates.
7 Te dongah manghai te, “Manghai taengah a then mai atah, Tuiva rhalvangan kah rhalboei rhoek ham kamah taengah ca m'paek pah. Te te ka poeng tih Judah ah ka pawk vaengkah hil ham om saeh.
Then I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, may letters be given to me for the governors in the Province Beyond the River so that they may permit me to pass through their territories on my way to Judah.
8 Khotu aka tawt Asaph taengkah ca dongah manghai ham daek pah lamtah im taengkah rhalmah im, vongka mak vaengkah ham khaw, khopuei vongtung ham, im ham khaw a khuiah ka kun bangla, kai taengah thing m'pae saeh,” ka ti nah. Ka Pathen kah kut he kai soah a then dongah manghai loh kai taengah m'paek.
May there also be a letter for Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, so that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress next to the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house in which I will live.” So because the good hand of God was on me, the king granted me my requests.
9 Te dongah tuiva rhalvangan kah rhalboei rhoek taengah ka cet tih manghai kah ca te amih taengah ka paek. Te dongah manghai loh kai taengah tatthai mangpa rhoek neh marhang caem te han tueih.
I came to the governors in the Province Beyond the River and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen.
10 Te vaengah Khoroni Sanballat neh Ammoni sal Tobiah loh a yaak. Israel ca rhoek kah hnothen tlap pah ham hlang a pawk te boethae duet la amih taengah thae a huet.
When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, they were greatly displeased that someone had come who was seeking to help the people of Israel.
11 Te phoeiah Jerusalem la ka pawk vaengah hnin thum pahoi ka om.
So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days.
12 Tedae khoyin ah kamah neh ka taengkah hlang sii rhoek te ka thoh puei. Ka Pathen loh Jerusalem ah saii ham ka lungbuei ah a khueh te hlang taengah ka doek moenih. Te vaengah a soah ka ngol nah rhamsa bueng phoeiah tah kai taengah rhamsa a om moenih.
I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. I did not tell anyone what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me, other than the one I was riding.
13 Khoyin ah kolrhawk vongka longah ka cet tih maetangsih hmai la, natva vongka hmaila ka pawk. Ka om vaengah Jerusalem vongtung aka bung aka bung neh hmai loh a dom a vongka te ka hil.
I went out by night by the Valley Gate, toward the Jackal's Well and to the Dung Gate, and inspected the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken open, and the wooden gates were destroyed by fire.
14 Te phoeiah tuiphuet vongka neh manghai tuibuem la ka kat dae kamah neh aka kat rhamsa ham hmuen om pawh.
Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King's Pool. The place was too narrow for the animal I was riding to pass through.
15 Hlaem ah soklong la ka cet tih vongtung te ka hil. Te phoeiah kolrhawk vongka longah ka pawk tih ka mael.
So I went up that night by the valley and inspected the wall, and I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned.
16 Tedae ukkung rhoek loh mela ka caeh tih mebang ka saii khaw a ming uh moenih. Bitat aka saii kah a hmatoeng te Judah taengah khaw, khosoih rhoek taengah khaw, hlangcoelh taeng neh ukkung rhoek taengah khaw, ka thui tangloeng hlan.
The rulers did not know where I went or what I did, and I had not yet informed the Jews, nor the priests, nor the nobles, nor the rulers, nor the rest who did the work.
17 Te phoeiah amih te, “Nangmih loh a khuiah kaimih kah yoethae na hmuh. Jerusalem he kaksap tih a vongka hmai neh a hoeh uh coeng. N'cet tih Jerusalem vongtung te n'thoh daengah ni kokhahnah koep n'dang pawt eh?,” ka ti nah.
I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so we will no longer be in disgrace.”
18 Ka Pathen kut te tah kai soah then tih manghai ol loh kai taengah a thui te khaw amih taengah ka thui bal. Te vaengah, “Thoo uh sih lamtah sa uh sih,” a ti tih a kut te a then la a thueng uh.
I told them that the good hand of my God was on me and also about the king's words that he had spoken to me. They said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
19 Tedae Khoroni Sanballat, Ammoni sal Tobiah, Arab Geshem loh a yaak vaengah kaimih te n'tamdaeng. Kaimih te n'sawtsit dongah, “Balae tih he kah hno he na saii uh? Manghai te na tloelh nama?” a ti uh.
But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the Ammonite servant, and Geshem the Arabian heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us, and they said, “What are you doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”
20 Te vaengah amih te ol ka mael tih amamih taengah, “Vaan kah Pathen amah loh kaimih ham a thaihtak sak. Te dongah a sal kaimih tah ka thoo uh vetih ka sak uh ni. Tedae nangmih ham Jerusalem ah khoyo neh duengnah khaw poekkoepnah khaw a om moenih,” ka ti nah.
Then I answered them, “The God of heaven will give us success. We are his servants and we will arise and build. But you have no share, no right, and no historic claim in Jerusalem.”