Nehemias 2
1 Og det skete i Nisan Maaned i Kong Artakserkses's tyvende Aar, da stod der Vin for hans Ansigt, og jeg tog Vinen og gav Kongen, og jeg havde ikke vist mig sørgmodig for hans Ansigt.
Now it happened that, in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of king Artaxerxes, wine was before him; and I lifted up the wine, and I gave it to the king. And I was like someone languishing before his face.
2 Da sagde Kongen til mig: Hvorfor er du sørgmodig? og du er ikke syg, det er ikke dette, men dit Hjerte er sørgmodigt; da frygtede jeg saare meget.
And the king said to me: “Why is your expression sad, though you do not appear to be sick? This is not without cause, but some evil, I know not what, is in your heart.” And I was struck with an exceedingly great fear.
3 Og jeg sagde til Kongen: Kongen leve evindelig! hvorfor skulde jeg ikke være sørgmodig, da den Stad, i hvilken mine Fædres Begravelsers Hus er, ligger øde, og dens Porte ere fortærede af Ild?
And I said to the king: “O king, live forever. Why should my expression not be mournful, since the city of the house of the sepulchers of my father is desolate, and its gates have been burned with fire?”
4 Da sagde Kongen til mig: Hvad er det, du søger om? da bad jeg til Gud i Himmelen.
And the king said to me: “What would you request?” And I prayed to the God of heaven.
5 Da sagde jeg til Kongen: Dersom det synes Kongen godt, og dersom din Tjener synes god for dit Ansigt, da sende du mig til Juda, til mine Fædres Begravelsers Stad, at jeg maa bygge den op.
And I said to the king: “If it seems good to the king, and if your servant is pleasing before your face: that you would send me into Judea, to the city of the sepulcher of my father. And I will rebuild it.”
6 Da sagde Kongen og Dronningen, som sad hos ham, til mig: Hvor længe skal din Rejse vare, og naar vil du komme igen? Og det syntes Kongen godt, og han sendte mig hen, og jeg satte ham en bestemt Tid.
And the king said to me, with the queen who was sitting beside him: “Until what time will your journey be, and when will you return?” And it was pleasing before the countenance of the king, and so he sent me. And I established a time for him.
7 Og jeg sagde til Kongen: Dersom det synes Kongen godt, da lad dem give mig Breve til Landshøvdingerne paa hin Side Floden, at de lade mig komme frem, indtil jeg kommer til Juda,
And I said to the king: “If it seems good to the king, may he give me letters to the governors of the region beyond the river, so that they may lead me through, until I arrive in Judea,
8 og Brev til Asaf, som har Opsyn over Kongens Lysthave, at han maa give mig Træ til at sammentømre Porten paa Borgen, som hører til Huset, og ligeledes til Stadsmurene og til det Hus, som jeg skal drage ind udi; og Kongen gav mig det, efterdi min Guds gode Haand var over mig.
and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, so that he may give me timber, in order that I may be able to cover the gates of the tower of the house, and the walls of the city, and the house that I will enter.” And the king granted to me in accord with the good hand of my God, who is with me.
9 Da kom jeg til Landshøvdingerne paa hin Side Floden og gav dem Kongens Breve, og Kongen sendte Stridshøvedsmænd og Ryttere med mig.
And I went to the governors of the region beyond the river, and I gave them the letters of the king. Now the king had sent with me military leaders and horsemen.
10 Men der Sanballat, Horoniten, og Tobia, den ammonitiske Tjener, hørte det, da gjorde det dem saare ondt, at der var kommet et Menneske til at søge Israels Børns Bedste.
And Sanballat, a Horonite, and the servant Tobiah, an Ammonite, heard this. And they were saddened, with a great affliction, that a man had arrived who was seeking the prosperity of the sons of Israel.
11 Og der jeg kom til Jerusalem og havde været der i tre Dage,
And I arrived at Jerusalem, and I was there for three days.
12 da gjorde jeg mig rede om Natten, jeg og faa Mænd med mig, og jeg gav ikke til Kende for noget Menneske, hvad min Gud indgav mit Hjerte at gøre for Jerusalem, og der var intet Dyr med mig uden det Dyr, som jeg red paa.
And I got up in the night, I and a few men with me. And I did not reveal to anyone what God had placed in my heart to do in Jerusalem. And there was no animal with me, except the animal on which I was sitting.
13 Og jeg drog ud ad Dalporten om Natten og hen imod Dragekilden og hen til Møgporten, og jeg undersøgte Jerusalems Mure, som vare nedrevne, og dens Porte, som vare fortærede af Ild.
And I departed in the night through the gate of the valley, and before the fountain of the dragon, and toward the dung gate. And I considered the wall of Jerusalem, which was broken apart, and its gates, which had been consumed by fire.
14 Og jeg drog over til Kildeporten og til Kongens Dam, og der var ikke Rum for Dyret til at komme frem under mig.
And I continued on to the gate of the fountain, and to the aqueduct of the king. And there was no room for the beast on which I was sitting to pass through.
15 Og jeg drog om Natten op i Dalen, og jeg undersøgte Muren, og jeg vendte om og kom ind ad Dalporten og vendte tilbage.
And so I climbed up in the night along the torrent, and I considered the wall. And turning back, I went by the gate of the valley, and I returned.
16 Og Forstanderne vidste ikke, hvor jeg var gaaet hen, eller hvad jeg gjorde, og for Jøderne og Præsterne og de ypperste og Forstanderne og de øvrige, som skulde have med Gerningen at gøre, havde jeg ikke hidindtil tilkendegivet det.
Now the magistrates did not know where I had gone, or what I had done. For I had revealed nothing, even to that point in time, to the Jews, or to the priests, or to the nobles, or to the magistrates, or to the others who were doing the work.
17 Da sagde jeg til dem: I se den Ulykke, i hvilken vi ere, at Jerusalem er øde, og dens Porte ere opbrændte af Ild: Kommer og lader os opbygge Jerusalems Mure, at vi ikke ydermere skulle være til Spot.
And so I said to them: “You know the affliction in which we are, because Jerusalem is desolate, and its gates have been consumed by fire. Come, and let us rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, and let us no longer be in disgrace.”
18 Og jeg fortalte dem om min Guds Haand, som var god over mig, tilmed om Kongens Ord, som han havde sagt mig; og de sagde: Lader os gøre os rede og bygge, og de styrkede deres Hænder til det gode Værk.
And I revealed to them how the hand of my God was with me for good, and the words of the king, which he had spoken to me. And I said: “Let us rise up, and build.” And their hands were strengthened for good.
19 Men der Sanballat, Horoniten, og Tobia, den ammonitiske Tjener, og Gesem, Araberen, hørte det, da bespottede de os og foragtede os, og de sagde: Hvad er dette for en Ting, som I gøre? ville I være genstridige imod Kongen?
But Sanballat, a Horonite, and the servant Tobiah, an Ammonite, and Geshem, an Arab, heard of it. And they ridiculed and disparaged us, and they said: “What is this thing that you are doing? Could you be rebelling against the king?”
20 Da svarede jeg dem og sagde til dem: Gud i Himmelen, han skal lade det lykkes for os, og vi hans Tjenere, vi ville gøre os rede og bygge; men I have ikke Del eller Ret eller Ihukommelse i Jerusalem.
And I replied to them a word, and I said to them: “The God of heaven himself is helping us, and we are his servants. Let us rise up and build. But there is no portion, or justice, or remembrance in Jerusalem for you.”
