< Nehemiah 4 >

1 But it came to pass that, when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.
茲にサンバラテわれらが石垣を築くを聞て怒り大に憤ほりてユダヤ人を罵れり
2 And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said: 'What do these feeble Jews? will they restore at will? will they sacrifice? will they make an end this day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, seeing they are burned?'
即ち彼その兄弟等およびサマリアの軍兵の前に語りて言ふ此軟弱しきユダヤ人何を爲や自ら強くせんとするか獻祭をなさんとするか一日に事を終んとするか塵堆の中の石は旣に燬たるに之を取出して活さんとするかと
3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said: 'Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall break down their stone wall.'
時にアンモニ人トビヤその傍にありてまた言ふ彼らの築く石垣は狐上るも圮るべしと
4 Hear, O our God; for we are despised; and turn back their reproach upon their own head, and give them up to spoiling in a land of captivity;
我らの神よ聽たまへ我らは侮らる願くは彼らの出す凌辱をその身の首に歸し彼らを他國に擄はれしめ掠られしめたまへ
5 and cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before Thee; for they have vexed Thee before the builders.
彼らの愆を蔽ひたまふ勿れ彼らの罪を汝の前より消去しめたまはざれ其は彼ら築建者の前にて汝の怒を惹おこしたればなり
6 So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto half the height thereof; for the people had a mind to work.
斯われら石垣を築きけるが石垣はみな已に相連なりてその高さの半にまで及べり其は民心をこめて操作たればなり
7 But it came to pass that, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth;
然るにサンバラテ、トビヤ、アラビヤ人アンモニ人アシドド人等ヱルサレムの石垣改修れ其破壞も次第に塞がると聞て大に怒り
8 and they conspired all of them together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion therein.
皆ともに相結びてヱルサレムに攻來らんとしその中に擾亂をおこさんとせり
9 But we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.
是において我ら神に祈祷をなしかれらのために日夜守望者を置て之に備ふ
10 And Judah said: 'The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.'
ユダ人は言り荷を負ふ者の力衰へしが上に灰土おびただしくして我ら石垣を築くこと能はずと
11 And our adversaries said: 'They shall not know, neither see, till we come into the midst of them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.'
我らの敵は言り彼等が知ずまた見ざる間に我ら其中に入り之を殺してその工事を止めんと
12 And it came to pass that, when the Jews that dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times: 'Ye must return unto us from all places.'
又彼らの邊に住るユダヤ人來る時は我らに告て言ふ汝ら我らの所に歸らざるべからずと其事十次にも及べり
13 Therefore set I in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in the open places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.
是に因て我石垣の後の顯露なる低き處に民を置き劍鎗または弓を持せてその宗族にしたがひて之をそなふ
14 And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people: 'Be not ye afraid of them; remember the Lord, who is great and awful, and fight for your brethren, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your houses.'
我觀めぐり起て貴き人々および牧伯等ならびにその餘の民に告て云ふ汝ら彼等のために懼るる勿れ主の大にして畏るべきを憶ひ汝らの兄弟のため男子女子のため妻および家のために戰かへよと
15 And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work.
我らの敵おのが事の我らに知れたるをききておのが謀計を神に破られたるを聞しによりて我ら皆石垣に歸り各々その工事をなせり
16 And it came to pass from that time forth, that half of my servants wrought in the work, and half of them held the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the coats of mail; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah.
其時より後わが僕半は工事に操作き半は鎗楯弓などを持て鎧を着たり牧伯等はユダの全家の後にありき
17 They that builded the wall and they that bore burdens laded themselves, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other held his weapon;
石垣を築く者および荷を負ひはこぶ者は各々片手もて工事を爲し片手に武器を執り
18 and the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the horn was by me.
築建者はおのおのその腰に劍を帶て築き建つ又喇叭を吹く者は我傍にあり
19 And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers and to the rest of the people: 'The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another;
我貴き人々および牧伯等ならびにその餘の民に告て云ふ此工事は大にして廣ければ我儕石垣にありて彼此に相離ること遠し
20 in what place soever ye hear the sound of the horn, resort ye thither unto us; our God will fight for us.'
何處にもあれ汝ら喇叭の音のきこゆるを聞ば其處に奔あつまりて我らに就け我らの神われらのために戰ひたまふべしと
21 So we wrought in the work; and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.
我ら斯して工事をなしけるが半の者は東雲の出るより星の現はるるまで鎗を持をれり
22 Likewise at the same time said I unto the people: 'Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and may labour in the day.'
當時われ亦民に言らく皆おのおのその僕とともにヱルサレムの中に宿り夜は我らの防守となり晝は工事をつとむべしと
23 So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard that followed me, none of us put off our clothes, every one that went to the water had his weapon.
而して我もわが兄弟等もわが僕も我に從がふ防守の人々もその衣服を脱ず水を汲に出るにも皆武器を執れり

< Nehemiah 4 >