Nehemiah 2
1 And it came to pass in the month Nisan of the twentieth year of king Arthasastha, that the wine was before me: and I took the wine, and gave [it] to the king: and there was not another before him.
Forsothe it was doon in the monethe Nysan, in the twentithe yeer of Artaxerses, kyng, and wyn was bifor hym, and Y reyside the wyn, and yaf to the kyng, and Y was as langwischynge bifor his face.
2 And the king said to me, Why is your countenance sad, and do you not control yourself? and now this is nothing but sorrow of heart. Then I was very much alarmed,
And the kyng seide to me, Whi is thi cheer sory, sithen Y se not thee sijk? This is not without cause; but `yuel, Y not what, is in thin herte. And Y dredde ful greetli;
3 and I said to the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be said, forasmuch as the city, even the home of the sepulchres of my fathers, has been laid waste, and her gates have been devoured with fire?
and seide to the kyng, Kyng, lyue thou withouten ende; whi moreneth not my cheer? for the citee of the hows of the sepulcris of my fadir is desert, `ether forsakun, and the yatis therof ben brent with fier.
4 And the king said to me, For what do you ask thus? So I prayed to the God of heaven.
And the kyng seide to me, For what thing axist thou? And Y preiede God of heuene,
5 And I said to the king, If [it seem] good to the king, and if your servant shall have found favour in your sight, [I ask] that [you] would send him into Juda, to the city of the sepulchres of my fathers; then will I rebuild it.
and seide to the kyng, If it semeth good to the kyng, and if it plesith thi seruauntis bifor thi face, Y biseche, that thou sende me in to Judee, to the citee of the sepulcre of my fadir, and Y schal bilde it.
6 And the king, and his concubine that sat next to him, said to me, For how long will your journey be, and when will you return? and [the proposal] was pleasing before the king, and he sent me away, and I appointed him a time.
And the kyng seide to me, and the queen sat bisidis him, `Til to what tyme schal thi weie be, and whanne schalt thou turne ayen? And Y pleside `bifor the cheer of the kyng, and he sente me, and Y ordeynede to hym a time;
7 And I said to the king, If [it seem] good to the king, let him give me letters to the governors beyond the river, so as to forward me till I come to Juda;
and Y seide to `the kyng, If it semeth good to kyng, yyue he pistlis to me to the duykis of the cuntrey biyende the flood, that thei lede me ouer, til Y come in to Judee;
8 and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the garden which belongs to the king, that he may give me timber to cover the gates, and for the wall of the city, and for the house into which I shall enter. And the king gave to me, according as the good hand of God [was upon me].
`and a pistle to Asaph, kepere of the kyngis forest, that he yyue trees to me, that Y may hile the yatis of the tour of the hows, and of the wal of the citee, and the hows, into which Y schal entre. And `the kyng yaf to me, bi the good hond of my God with me.
9 And I came to the governors beyond the river, and I gave them the king's letters. (Now the king had sent with me captains of the army and horsemen.)
And Y cam to the duykis of the cuntrei biyende the flood, and Y yaf to hem the pistlis of the kyng. Sotheli the kyng `hadde sent with me the princes of knyytis, and horsemen.
10 And Sanaballat the Aronite heard [it], and Tobia the servant, the Ammonite, and it was grievous to them that a man was come to seek good for the children of Israel.
And Sanaballath Oronythes, and Tobie, the seruaunt Amanytes, herden, and thei weren soreuful bi greet turment, for a man was comun, that souyte prosperite of the sones of Israel.
11 So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.
And Y cam in to Jerusalem, and Y was there thre daies.
12 And I rose up by night, I and a few men with me; and I told no man what God put into my heart to do with Israel; and there was no beast with me, except the beast which I rode upon.
And Y roos bi nyyt, Y and a fewe men with me, and Y schewide not to ony man, what thing God hadde youe in myn herte, that Y wolde do in Jerusalem; and no werk beest was with me, no but the beeste, `on which Y sat.
13 And I went forth by the gate of the valley by night, and to the mouth of the well of fig trees, and to the dung-gate: and I mourned over the wall of Jerusalem which they were destroying, and her gates were devoured with fire.
And Y yede out bi the yate of the valei bi nyyt, and bifor the welle of dragoun, and to the yat of drit; and Y bihelde the wal of Jerusalem distried, and the yatis therof wastid bi fier.
14 And I passed on to the fountain gate, and to the king's pool; and there was no room for the beast to pass under me.
And Y passid to the yate of the welle, and to the watir cundit of the kyng, and no place was to the hors, `on which Y sat `for to passe;
15 And I went up by the wall of the brook by night, and mourned over the wall, and passed through the gate of the valley, and returned.
and Y stiede bi the stronde `in nyyt, and Y bihelde the wal, and Y turnede ayen, and cam to the yate of the valei, and Y yede ayen.
16 And the sentinels knew not why I went, nor what I was doing; and until that time I told [it] not to the Jews, or to the priests, or to the nobles, or to the captains, or to the rest [of the men] who wrought the works.
Forsothe the magistratis wisten not, whidir Y hadde go, ethir what Y wolde do; but also Y hadde not schewid ony thing to the Jewis, and prestis, and to the best men, and magestratis, and to othere men that maden the werk, `til to that `place, that is, til to that tyme.
17 Then I said to them, You see this evil, in which we are, how Jerusalem is desolate, and her gates have been set on fire: come, and let us build throughout the wall of Jerusalem, and we shall be no longer a reproach.
And Y seide to hem, Ye knowen the turment, in which we ben, for Jerusalem is deseert, and the yatis therof ben wastid with fier; come ye, bilde we the wallis of Jerusalem, and be we no more schenship.
18 And I told them of the hand of God which was good upon me, also about the words of the king which he spoke to me: and I said, Let us arise and build. And their hands were strengthened for the good [work].
And Y schewide to hem the hond of my God, that it was good with me, and the wordis of the kyng, whiche he spak to me; and Y seide, Rise we, and bilde we; and the hondis of hem weren coumfortid in good.
19 And Sanaballat the Aronite, and Tobia the servant, the Ammonite, and Gesam the Arabian, heard [it], and they laughed us to scorn, and came to us, and said, What [is] this thing that you are doing? are you revolting against the king?
Forsothe Sanballath Oronytes, and Tobie, the seruaunt Amanytes, and Gosem Arabs, herden, and scorneden vs, and dispisiden; and seiden, What is this thing, which ye doon? whether ye rebellen ayens the kyng?
20 And I answered them, and said to them, The God of heaven, he shall prosper us, and we his servants are pure, and we will build: but you have no part, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.
And Y yeldide to hem a word, and seide to hem, God hym silf of heuene helpith vs, and we ben hise seruauntis; rise we, and bilde; forsothe part and riytfulnesse and mynde in Jerusalem is not to you.
