Nehemiah 2
1 Siangpahrang Artaxerxes bawi kum 20, Nisan thapa nah misurtui ka la teh, siangpahrang hah ka poe. Ha hoehnahlan teh, a hmalah ka minhmai mathout boihoeh.
After King Artaxerxes [had been ruling the Persian Empire] for almost 20 years, (during the spring/before the hot season) of that year, when it was time to serve wine to him [during a feast], I took the wine and gave it to him. I had never looked sad when I was in front of him before, [but on that day he saw that I looked very sad].
2 Siangpahrang ni bangkongmaw na minhmai a mathoe. Patawnae hai na tawn hoeh. Alouke bang mahoeh, na lungthung hoi lungmathoe e doeh kaawm telah na ti pouh.
So he asked me, “Why are you sad? [I know that] you are not sick. It must be that you are troubled about something.” Then I was very afraid, [because it was not proper to be sad when I came to the king] (OR, [because I was worried what the king would do to me if he refused to do what I was about to request him to do]).
3 Kai ni hai siangpahrang na hringsaw seh. Ka mintoenaw onae khopui a rawk teh longkhanaw hmai koung a kak navah, minhmai mathout laipalah bangtelamaw ka o thai han telah ka ti pouh.
I replied, “Your majesty, I hope you will live a very long time! But (how can I prevent myself from being sad, because the city where my ancestors are buried [has been destroyed] and is in ruins?/I cannot keep myself from looking sad, because the city where my ancestors are buried [has been destroyed and] is in ruins.) [RHQ] [Even] the city gates have been completely burned.”
4 Siangpahrang ni bangmaw hei han na ngai telah na pacei. Hahoi, kalvan kaawm e Cathut koe ka ratoum.
The king replied, “What do you want me to do [for you]?” I prayed [silently] to our God [who is/rules] in heaven.
5 Siangpahrang koevah, siangpahrang na lungkuep boilah, na san ni minhmai kahawi kahmawt pawiteh, ka mintoenaw onae khopui bout ka pathout thai nahanelah, Judah kho ka cei thai nahanlah ka kâhei telah ka ti pouh.
Then I replied, “If you are willing [to do it], and if I have pleased you, send me to the city [of Jerusalem] in Judah [province] where my ancestors are buried, in order that I may [help people to] rebuild the city.”
6 Siangpahrangnu hai ateng vah a tahung teh, siangpahrang ni nâyittouh maw na ro han. Nâtuek maw bout na ban han telah na pacei. Hahoi kai ni atueng ka khoe teh, siangpahrang ni lunghawicalah na cei sak.
While the queen was sitting beside the king, he asked, [“If I allow you to go, ] how long will you be gone? When will you return?” [I told the king how long I would be gone, and] the king gave me permission to go, and I told him what day [I wanted to leave].
7 Hahoi siangpahrang koevah, siangpahrang na lungkuep pawiteh tui namran lah kaawm e lawkcengkungnaw ka kâhmo nah Judah ram totouh ka cei thai nahanlah ca na thun pouh haw.
I also said to the king, “If you are willing to do it, write letters for me to take to the governors of the province west of the [Euphrates] River. Tell them to allow me to travel safely [through their province] until I arrive in Judah.
8 Siangpahrang e ratu ka ring e Asaph koe, Bawkim longkha hoi longkha khomnaw hane, khorapan hoi ka o nahane im han lah thing na poe nahane hoi kâpoenae ca hai na poe nahanelah ka hei e patetlah, Cathut pahren lahoi Siangpahrang ni kai koe na poe.
Also, [please write] a letter to Asaph, the man who takes care of your forest [in that area], telling him to give me timber to make the beams to support the gates of the fortress that is near the temple, and timber for making the walls of the city, and for building the house in which I [will live].” The king did what I requested him to do, because my God was graciously/kindly (helping/acting for) me.
9 Hahoi tui namran lah kaawm e khobawinaw koe ka pha teh siangpahrang koe e ca hah ka poe. Hahoi siangpahrang ni kai koevah ransabawi hoi marangransanaw hah a tha.
[After I got ready, I left to travel to Judah]. The king sent some army officers and soldiers riding on horses to accompany me, [to protect me]. When I came to where the governors of the provinces west of the [Euphrates] River lived, I gave them the letters that the king had written.
10 Isarel miphunnaw hanlah hnokahawi ka sak hane tami buet touh a tho tie Horon tami Sanballat hoi Ammon tami san lah kaawm e Tobiahnaw ni a thai awh navah puenghoi a lungkhuek awh.
But when [two government officials, ] Sanballat from [a village near] Horon and Tobiah from the Ammon [people-group], heard that I had arrived, they were very angry that someone had come to help the Israeli people.
11 Hahoi Jerusalem vah ka pha teh hnin thum touh hawvah ka o.
When I arrived in Jerusalem, I did not tell anyone what thoughts God had given to me about what I should do there. Three days after I arrived in Jerusalem, I went out of the city in the evening, taking a few other men with me. I was riding a donkey; we had no other animals with us.
12 Tangmin vah ka thaw teh kama koe ka hrawi e tami tangawn hoi Jerusalem hanelah Cathut ni ka lungthin dawk na poe e hah alouke tami api koehai ka dei pouh hoeh. Ka kâcuie marang hloilah saring alouke banghai ka sin hoeh.
13 Hat hnin tangmin vah, ayawn longkha koehoi ka tâco teh khorui longkha hoi vaipuen longkha koe lah ka cei. Jerusalem rapan ka rawk e hoi longkha ka kang e naw hah ka khet.
We left the city, going out through the Valley Gate, then past the well called the Jackal (OR, Dragon’s) Well, and then past the gate called the Rubbish/Garbage Gate. We inspected all the walls that had been broken down and all the gates that had been burned down.
14 Tuikhu longkha koehoi siangpahrang tuiim totouh ka cei hatei, ka kâcuie marang a cei nahan lamthung awmhoeh.
Then we went to the Fountain Gate and to the pool called the King’s Pool, but my donkey could not get through [the narrow opening] (OR, [the rubble]).
15 Hahoi tangmin vah palang kahrawng teh rapannaw ka khet. Hahoi bout ka ban teh ayawn longkha dawk hoi bout ka kâen.
So we turned back and went along the [Kidron] Valley. We inspected the wall there before we turned back/around and entered the city again at the Valley Gate.
16 Ka lawkcengkungnaw ni nâmaw ka cei tie hoi bangmaw ka sak tie panuek awh hoeh. Judahnaw, vaihmabawinaw, lawkcengkungnaw, hoi alouke thaw katawkkungnaw koe banghai ka dei pouh hoeh rah.
The [city] officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because I had not told anyone about what I planned to do. I had not said anything about it to the Jewish leaders or the officials or the priests or any of the others who would be helping me in the work [that I wanted to do].
17 Hahoi teh ahnimouh koevah maimouh ni khang e roedengnae Jerusalem a rawk e, kho longkha hmai kakangnaw hai na hmu awh toe tho awh haw pathoenae dawk hoi hlout nahanelah Jerusalem khopui teh bout sak lei sei telah ka dei pouh.
But now I said to them, “You all know very well the terrible things [that have happened to] our city. The city is ruined; even the gates are burned down. So we should rebuild the city wall. If we do that, we will no longer feel humiliated/disgraced.”
18 Hahoi lathueng Cathut ahawinae hoi siangpahrang ni ca a thut e naw hah ka dei pouh teh, ahnimouh ni thâw awh vaiteh sak awh leih sei telah ati awh. Hahoi teh hote thaw kahawi tawk hanelah a kuttha ao sak awh.
Then I told them about how God had kindly/graciously helped me [when I talked to the king], and what the king had said to me. They immediately replied, “Let’s start rebuilding!” So they started to do this good work.
19 Hatnavah, Horon tami Sanballat san lah kaawm e Ammon miphun Tobiah, Arab tami Geshem tinaw ni a thai awh toteh na panuikhai awh teh na hnephnap awh. Hno na sak e naw heh bangmaw. Siangpahrang na taran awh e doeh khe telah na ti pouh awh.
But when Sanballat, Tobiah, and Gershom the Arab [king of the Kedar region] heard about what we planned to do, they made fun of us and ridiculed us. They said, “What is this work that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king [again]?” [RHQ]
20 Hatnavah ahnimae lawk teh ka pathung; kalvan e Cathut ni kaimouh hanelah a kuep sak han. Hatdawkvah, Cathut e san lah kaawm e kaimouh ni ka thaw awh vaiteh ka sak awh han. Hatei, nangmouh teh Jerusalem e coe hane thoseh, kâtawn hane hai thoseh, pâkuem hane hai thoseh na tawn awh hoeh telah ka ti pouh.
But I replied, “Our God [who is/rules] in heaven will help our plans to succeed. But as for you, you have no right to decide anything about this city, because you have not participated in what has happened in this city in previous years.”
