Nehemiah 6
1 When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left—though to that time I had not yet installed the doors in the gates—
Kwasekusithi oSanibhalathi loTobiya loGeshema umArabhiya lezinye izitha zethu sezizwile ukuthi ngiwakhile umduli lokuthi kakusalanga sikhala kuwo, lanxa kuze kube yilesosikhathi ngangingamisanga izivalo emasangweni,
2 Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” But they were planning to harm me.
oSanibhalathi loGeshema bathuma kimi besithi: Woza sihlangane ndawonye emizini emagcekeni eOno. Kodwa babecabange ukwenza okubi kimi.
3 So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to go down to you?”
Ngasengithuma izithunywa kubo ngisithi: Ngenza umsebenzi omkhulu, ngakho kangilakho ukwehla. Kungani umsebenzi uzakuma, ngiwutshiye, ngehlele kini?
4 Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave the same reply.
Basebethuma kimi kane ngaleyondlela, ngabaphendula ngaleyondlela.
5 The fifth time, Sanballat sent me this same message by his young servant, who had in his hand an unsealed letter
Ngakho uSanibhalathi wathuma kimi inceku yakhe ngaleyondlela ngokwesihlanu ilencwadi evulekileyo esandleni sayo.
6 that read: “It is reported among the nations—and Geshem agrees—that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and this is why you are building the wall. According to these reports, you are to become their king,
Kwakubhalwe kuyo ukuthi: Kuzwakele ezizweni, loGashimu uthi: Wena lamaJuda linakana ukuhlamuka; ngenxa yalokho wakha umduli, ukuze wena ube yinkosi yabo, njengalamazwi.
7 and you have even appointed prophets in Jerusalem to proclaim on your behalf: ‘There is a king in Judah.’ Soon these rumors will reach the ears of the king. So come, let us confer together.”
Futhi umisile labaprofethi ukuze bamemezele ngawe eJerusalema, besithi: Kukhona inkosi koJuda. Khathesi-ke kuzazwakala enkosini njengalamazwi. Ngakho-ke woza, sicebisane.
8 Then I sent him this reply: “There is nothing to these rumors you are spreading; you are inventing them in your own mind.”
Ngasengithuma kuye ngisithi: Kazikho izinto ezinjengalezo ozitshoyo, kodwa uyazibumba zivela enhliziyweni yakho.
9 For they were all trying to frighten us, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will never be finished.” But now, my God, strengthen my hands.
Ngoba bonke basethusa besithi: Izandla zabo zizadangala emsebenzini, ukuthi ungenziwa. Ngakho-ke qinisa izandla zami.
10 Later, I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his house. He said: “Let us meet at the house of God inside the temple. Let us shut the temple doors because they are coming to kill you— by night they are coming to kill you!”
Mina sengingenile endlini kaShemaya indodana kaDelaya indodana kaMehethabheli owayezivalele, wasesithi: Asihlangane endlini kaNkulunkulu phakathi kwethempeli, sivale iminyango yethempeli, ngoba bayeza ukukubulala, yebo, bayeza ebusuku ukukubulala.
11 But I replied, “Should a man like me run away? Should one like me go into the temple to save his own life? I will not go!”
Kodwa ngathi: Kambe umuntu onjengami angabaleka? Pho, nguwuphi umuntu onjengami ongangena ethempelini aphile? Kangiyikungena.
12 I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had uttered this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.
Ngasenginanzelela, khangela-ke, uNkulunkulu wayengamthumanga, kodwa wakhuluma isiprofetho esimelene lami ngoba oTobiya loSanibhalathi babemqhatshile.
13 He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would sin by doing as he suggested, so they could give me a bad name in order to discredit me.
Ngakho wayeqhatshiwe ukuze ngesabe, ngenze njalo, ngone, ukuze babe lebizo elibi ngami, ukuze bangigcone.
14 O my God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat for what they have done, and also Noadiah the prophetess and the other prophets who tried to intimidate me.
Khumbula, Nkulunkulu wami, uTobiya loSanibhalathi njengokwale imisebenzi yakhe, njalo loNowadiya umprofethikazi labanye abaprofethi ababengethusa.
15 So the wall was completed in fifty-two days, on the twenty-fifth of Elul.
Waphela-ke umduli ngolwamatshumi amabili lanhlanu kaEluli ngensuku ezingamatshumi amahlanu lambili.
16 When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and disheartened, for they realized that this task had been accomplished by our God.
Kwasekusithi zonke izitha zethu zisizwa, lazo zonke izizwe ezisizingelezeleyo zibona, zawa kakhulu emehlweni azo; ngoba zananzelela ukuthi lumsebenzi wenziwe nguNkulunkulu wethu.
17 Also in those days, the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came back to them.
Njalo ngalezonsuku izikhulu zakoJuda zandisa incwadi zazo eziya kuTobiya, lezikaTobiya zeza kuzo.
18 For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, since he was a son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah.
Ngoba abanengi koJuda babefungile kuye ngoba wayengumkhwenyana kaShekaniya indodana kaAra, loJehohanani indodana yakhe wayethethe indodakazi kaMeshulamu indodana kaBerekiya.
19 Moreover, these nobles kept reporting to me Tobiah’s good deeds, and they relayed my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.
Njalo babekhuluma izenzo zakhe ezinhle phambi kwami, lamazwi ami bewakhuphela kuye. UTobiya wathumela incwadi zokungethusa.
