< 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.
But it came to pass that, when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry, and took great indignation, and mocked 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 he spoke before his brothers and the army of Samaria, and said, What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, seeing they are burnt?
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, Even that which they are building, if a fox goes up he shall break down their stone wall.
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.
Hear, O our God, for we are despised, and so turn back their reproach upon their own head, and give them up for a spoil in a land of captivity,
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.
and do not cover their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee, for they have provoked thee to anger 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 built the wall, and all the wall was joined together to half the height of it, for the people had a mind to work.
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 it came to pass that, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very angry,
8 Te dongah amih boeih te Jerusalem paan rhenten tih vathoh thil ham, a taengah rholrhaknah saii hamla a taeng uh.
and all of them together conspired to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion therein.
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 our God, and set a 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 bearers of burdens has become feeble, and there is much rubbish, so that we are not able to build 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 our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come into the midst of them, and kill them, and cause the work to cease.
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 to pass that, when the Jews who dwelt by them came, they said to us ten times, From all places from where ye shall return to us they will be upon you.
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.
Therefore I set in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in the open places, I set there the people after their 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 I looked, and rose up, and said to the ranking men, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight 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 it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and God had brought their counsel to naught, that we returned all of us to the wall, every man 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 it came to pass from that time forth, that half of my servants labored in the work, and half of them held the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the coats of mail. And the rulers were behind all the house 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.
They all built the wall, and those who bore burdens loaded themselves, every man with one of his hands labored in the work, and with the other held his weapon,
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.
and the builders, every man had his sword girded by his side, and so built. And he who sounded the trumpet was by me.
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 ranking men, and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another.
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.
In whatever place ye hear the sound of the trumpet, gather ye there to us, our God will fight 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 labored in the work, and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.
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.
Likewise at the same time I said to the people, Let each with his servant lodge within Jerusalem that in the night they may be a guard to us, and may labor in the 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 neither I, nor my brothers, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us put off our clothes, everyone went with his weapon to the water.