Nehemias 13

1 Paa den Tid blev der læst op af Moses's Bog for Folket, og man fandt skrevet deri, at ingen Ammonit eller Moabit nogen Sinde maatte faa Adgang til Guds Menighed,

Now on that day, they read from the book of Moses in the hearing of the people. And in it, there was found written that the Ammonites and the Moabites must not enter the church of God, even for all time,

2 fordi de ikke kom Israeliterne i Møde med Brød og Vand, og fordi han havde lejet Bileam til at forbande dem, men vor Gud vendte Forbandelsen til Velsignelse.

because they did not meet the sons of Israel with bread and water, and they hired Balaam against them, to curse them. But our God turned the curse into a blessing.

3 Da de nu hørte Loven, udskilte de alle fremmede af Israel.

Now it happened that, when they had heard the law, they separated every foreigner from Israel.

4 Nogen Tid i Forvejen havde Præsten Eljasjib, hvem Opsynet med Kamrene i vor Guds Hus var overdraget, og som var i Slægt med Tobija,

And Eliashib, the priest, was over this task; he had been given charge of the treasury of the house of our God, and he was a close relative of Tobiah.

5 ladet indrette et stort Kammer til Tobija der, hvor man før henlagde Afgrødeofferet, Røgelsen, Karrene, Tienden af Kornet, Mosten og Olien, de i Loven foreskrevne Afgifter til Leviterne, Sangerne og Dørvogterne saavel som Offerydelsen til Præsterne.

Then he made for himself a large storeroom, and in that place, there was laid before him gifts, and frankincense, and vessels, and the tithes of grain, wine, and oil, the portions of the Levites, and of the singing men, and of the gatekeepers, and the first-fruits of the priests.

6 Da alt dette fandt Sted, var jeg ikke i Jerusalem, thi i Kong Artaxerxes af Babels to og tredivte Regeringsaar var jeg rejst til Kongen. Men nogen Tid efter bad jeg Kongen om Tilladelse til at rejse,

But during all this, I was not in Jerusalem, because in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes, the king of Babylon, I went to the king, and at the end of some days, I petitioned the king.

7 og da jeg kom til Jerusalem og opdagede det onde, Eljasjib havde øvet for Tobijas Skyld ved at indrette ham et Kammer i Guds Hus's Forgaarde,

And I went to Jerusalem, and I understood the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, such that he would make him a storeroom in the vestibules of the house of God.

8 harmede det mig højligen; og jeg kastede alt Tobijas Bohave ud af Kammeret

And it seemed to me very evil. And I cast the vessels of the house of Tobiah outside of the storeroom.

9 og bød, at man skulde rense Kammeret, hvorefter jeg atter bragte Guds Hus's Kar, Afgrødeofferet og Røgelsen derind.

And I gave instructions, and they cleansed again the storeroom. And I brought back, into that place, the vessels of the house of God, the sacrifice, and the frankincense.

10 Da fik jeg at vide, at Afgifterne til Leviterne ikke svaredes dem, og derfor var de Leviter og Sangere, der skulde gøre Tjeneste, flyttet ud hver til sin Landejendom;

And I realized that the portions of the Levites had not been given to them, and that each one had fled into his own region, from the Levites, and from the singing men, and from those who were ministering.

11 saa gik jeg i Rette med Forstanderne og spurgte dem: »Hvorfor er Guds Hus blevet vanrøgtet?« Og jeg fik atter Leviterne samlet og satte dem paa deres Pladser.

And I brought the case before the magistrates, and I said, “Why have we forsaken the house of God?” And I gathered them together, and I caused them to stand at their stations.

12 Saa bragte hele Juda Tienden af Kornet, Mosten og Olien til Forraadskamrene;

And all of Judah brought the tithes of the grain, and the wine, and the oil into the storehouses.

13 og jeg overdrog Tilsynet med Forraadskamrene til Præsten Sjelemja, Skriveren Zadok og Pedaja af Leviterne og gav dem til Medhjælper Hanan, en Søn af Zakkur, en Søn af Mattanja, da de regnedes for paalidelige; og dem paalaa det saa at uddele Tienden til deres Brødre.

And we appointed over the storehouses, Shelemiah, the priest, and Zadok, the scribe, and Pedaiah from the Levites, and next to them Hanan, the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah. For they had proven to be faithful. And so the portions of their brothers were entrusted to them.

14 Kom mig det i Hu, min Gud, og udslet ikke de Kærlighedsgerninger, jeg har gjort mod min Guds Hus til Gavn for Tjenesten der!

Remember me, O my God, because of this, and may you not wipe away my acts of compassion, which I have done for the house of my God and for his ceremonies.

15 I de Dage saa jeg i Juda nogle træde Persekarrene paa Sabbaten, og andre saa jeg bringe Korn i Hus eller læsse det paa deres Æsler, ligeledes Vin, Druer, Figener og alle Slags Varer, og bringe det til Jerusalem paa Sabbaten. Dem formanede jeg da, naar de solgte Levnedsmidler.

In those days, I saw, in Judah, some who were treading the presses on the Sabbath, and who were carrying sheaves, and placing on donkeys burdens of wine, and of grapes, and of figs, and all manner of burdens, and who were bringing these into Jerusalem on the day of the Sabbath. And I contended with them, so that they would sell on a day when it was permitted to sell.

16 Ogsaa havde Folk fra Tyrus bosat sig der, og de kom med Fisk og alskens Varer og solgte dem paa Sabbaten til Jøderne i Jerusalem.

And some Tyrians dwelt within, who were bringing fish and all kinds of items for sale. And they were selling on the Sabbaths to the sons of Judah in Jerusalem.

17 Jeg gik derfor i Rette med de store i Juda og sagde til dem: Hvor kan I handle saa ilde og vanhellige Sabbatsdagen?

And I put the nobles of Judah under oath, and I said to them: “What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day?

18 Har ikke vor Gud bragt al denne Ulykke over os og over denne By, fordi eders Fædre handlede saaledes? Og I bringer endnu mere Vrede over Israel ved at vanhellige Sabbaten!

Did not our fathers do these things, and so our God brought all this evil upon us and upon this city? And you are adding more wrath upon Israel by violating the Sabbath!”

19 Og saa snart Mørket faldt paa i Jerusalems Porte ved Sabbatens Frembrud, bød jeg, at Portene skulde lukkes, og at de ikke maatte aabnes, før Sabbaten var omme; og jeg satte nogle af mine Folk ved Portene for at vogte paa, at der ikke førtes Varer ind paa Sabbaten.

And it happened that, when the gates of Jerusalem had rested on the day of the Sabbath, I spoke, and they closed the gates. And I instructed that they should not open them until after the Sabbath. And I appointed some of my servants over the gates, so that no one would carry in a burden on the day of the Sabbath.

20 Da nu de handlende og de, der solgte alle Slags Varer, et Par Gange var blevet uden for Jerusalem Natten over,

And so the merchants and those who sold all kinds of items remained just outside of Jerusalem, once and again.

21 advarede jeg dem og sagde: »Hvorfor bliver I Natten over uden for Muren? Hvis I gør det en anden Gang, lægger jeg Haand paa eder!« Og siden kom de ikke mere paa Sabbaten.

And I contended with them, and I said to them: “Why are you remaining just beyond the wall? If you do this again, I will send hands upon you.” And so, from that time, they no longer came on the Sabbath.

22 Fremdeles bød jeg Leviterne, at de skulde rense sig og komme og holde Vagt ved Portene, for at Sabbatsdagen kunde holdes hellig. Kom mig ogsaa det i Hu, min Gud, og forbarm dig over mig efter din store Miskundhed!

I also spoke to the Levites, so that they would be cleansed, and would arrive to guard the gates and to sanctify the day of the Sabbath. Because of this also, O my God, remember me and spare me, in accord with the multitude of your mercies.

23 Paa samme Tid lagde jeg ogsaa Mærke til, at hos de Jøder, der havde ægtet asdoditiske, ammonitiske eller moabitiske Kvinder,

But also in those days, I saw some Jews taking wives from the Ashdodites, and the Ammonites, and the Moabites.

24 talte Halvdelen af Børnene Asdoditisk eller et af de andre Folks Sprog, men kunde ikke tale Jødisk.

And their sons spoke partly in the speech of Ashdod, and they did not know how to speak the Jewish language, and they were speaking according to the language of one people or another.

25 Da gik jeg i Rette med dem og forbandede dem, ja, jeg slog nogle af dem og rykkede dem i Haaret og besvor dem ved Gud: Giv dog ikke deres Sønner eders Døtre til Ægte og tag ikke deres Døtre til Hustruer for eders Sønner eller eder selv!

And I put them under oath, and I cursed them. And I struck some of their men, and I shaved off their hair, and I made them swear to God that they would not give their daughters to their sons, nor take their daughters for their sons, nor for themselves, saying:

26 Syndede ikke Kong Salomo af Israel for slige Kvinders Skyld? Mage til Konge fandtes dog ikke blandt de mange Folk, og han var saa elsket af sin Gud, at Gud gjorde ham til Konge over hele Israel; og dog fik de fremmede Kvinder endog ham til at synde!

“Did not Solomon, king of Israel, sin in this kind of thing? And certainly, among many nations, there was no king similar to him, and he was beloved of his God, and God set him as king over all of Israel. And yet foreign women led even him into sin!

27 Skal vi da virkelig høre om eder, at I begaar al denne svare Misgerning og forbryder eder mod vor Gud ved at ægte fremmede Kvinder?

So how could we disobey and do all this great evil, so that we would transgress against our God, and take foreign wives?”

28 En af Ypperstepræsten Eljasjibs Søn Jojadas Sønner, der var Horoniten Sanballats Svigersøn, jog jeg bort fra min Nærhed.

Now one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib, the high priest, was a son-in-law to Sanballat, a Horonite, and I made him flee from me.

29 Tilregn dem, min Gud, at de besmittede Præstedømmet og Præsternes og Leviternes Pagt!

O Lord, my God, remember against those who defile the priesthood and the law of the priests and the Levites!

30 Saaledes rensede jeg dem for alt fremmed, og jeg ordnede Tjenesten for Præsterne og Leviterne efter det Arbejde, hver især havde.

And so I cleansed them from all foreigners, and I established the orders of the priests and the Levites, each one in his ministry.

31 og Ydelsen af Brænde til fastsatte Tider og af Førstegrøderne. Kom mig i Hu, min Gud, og regn mig det til gode!

O my God, remember me also, for good, because of the offering of wood, at the appointed times, and because of the first-fruits. Amen.