Nehemiah 4
1 And it came to pass, when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, that it displeased him, and he became very angry, and he mocked at the Jews.
Kwathi uSanibhalathi esizwa ukuthi sasiwuvusa umduli, wazonda waze wagcwalelana. Wabahleka ulunya amaJuda,
2 And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What are these feeble Jews doing? will people suffer them [to build]? will they sacrifice? will they complete it in one day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish, seeing that they have been burnt?
wasesithi phambi kwabakhula bakhe lebutho laseSamariya, “OkungamaJuda lokhu kuthi kwenzani kambe? Kungawuvusa umduli wakho na? Kuzayenza imihlatshelo na? Kuzawuqeda ngalanga linye? Kungakubuyisa na ukuphila ematsheni lawana azinqwaba zengcekeza etshe kanjeyana?”
3 And Tobiyah the 'Ammonite was near him, and he said, Even what they are building, if a fox were to run up, he would readily break through their stone wall.
UThobhiya umʼAmoni, owayeseceleni kwakhe wathi, “Lokhu abakwakhayo, loba nje ikhanka lingakhwela phezu kwakho, lingawudiliza umduli wabo wamatshe!”
4 Hear, O our God! how we are become a scorn; and bring their reproach back upon their own head, and give them up for prey in the land of captivity.
Sizwe, Oh Nkulunkulu wethu, ngoba siyeyiswa. Phindisela kubo emakhanda izithuko zabo. Banikele babe yimpango elizweni lobugqili.
5 And cover not up their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee; for they have taunted [us] in the presence of the builders.
Ungaligubuzeli icala labo kumbe wesule izono zabo emehlweni akho, ngoba bebehlambaza abakhi.
6 But we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together up to the half thereof; for the people had a heart to work.
Ngakho sawakha umduli wonke waze waphakama okufika ingxenye yobude bawo, ngoba abantu basebenza ngenhliziyo yabo yonke.
7 And it came to pass, when Sanballat and Tobiyah, and the Arabians, and the 'Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were restored, and that the breaches began to be closed up, that it displeased them greatly.
Kodwa kwathi ukuba uSanibhalathi, loThobhiya, lama-Arabhu, lama-Amoni lamadoda ase-Ashidodi besizwa ukuthi ukuvuselelwa kwemiduli yaseJerusalema kwasekuqhubekile njalo lezikhala zazivalwa bazonda kakhulu.
8 And they conspired all of them together to come to fight against Jerusalem, and to do it an injury.
Baceba ukuba beze bazohlasela iJerusalema bavuse uthuli kulo.
9 But we prayed unto our God, and set a watch over them day and night, because of the others.
Kodwa sakhuleka kuNkulunkulu wethu sabeka abalindi emini lebusuku ukuthi balindele lokhukuhlaselwa.
10 And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of the burden is failing, and there is much rubbish; and we are not able to build on the wall.
Kusenjalo, abantu bakoJuda bathi, “Amandla abasebenzi asededa, ikanti izibi zisezinengi okokuthi siyehluleka ukuqhubeka ngokwakha umduli.”
11 And our adversaries said, “They shall not know, nor see until we come in the midst of them, and slay them, and so stop the work.”
Izitha zethu lazo zathi, “Besalibele nje futhi bengakasiboni, bazaqabuka sesiphakathi kwabo sesibabulala siwuphethe lumsebenzi.”
12 And it came to pass, when the Jews who dwelt near them came, that they said unto us ten times, “From all places whence ye may return home [they intend to come] over us.”
Kwasekusithi amaJuda ababehlala eduze labo beza bazasitshela baphindaphinda besithi, “Lingaze liqonde ngaphi bazalihlasela kuphela.”
13 I placed therefore on the lower parts of the place on the naked rocks behind the wall—there I placed the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.
Ngasengimisa abanye abantu ngezimuli zabo ezindaweni lapho umduli owawuphansi khona, ezazingeneka lula, behlomile ngezinkemba, lemikhonto langemitshoko.
14 And I looked [about], and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not afraid of them: think on the Lord, the great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.
Ngemva kokuba sengiwuhlolisisile wonke umumo, ngasukuma ngathi ezikhulwini, lezinduna lakubantu bonke jikelele, “Lingabesabi. Khumbulani uThixo, omkhulu owesabekayo, lilwele abafowenu, amadodana lamadodakazi enu, abafazi benu lemizi yenu.”
15 And it came to pass, that, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, God frustrated their counsel: and we returned, all of us, to the wall, every one unto his work.
Kwathi izitha zethu sezizwile ukuthi sasesilazi icebo lazo lokuthi uNkulunkulu wayeselifubisile, sonke sabuyela kuwo umduli, ngulowo kowakhe umsebenzi.
16 And it came to pass from that day forth, that the half of my young men wrought at the work, while the other half of them were holding the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the coats of mail; and the princes stood behind all the house of Judah.
Kusukela ngalelolanga, ingxenye yamadoda engangilawo yenza umsebenzi, enye ingxenye yahloma ngemikhonto, lamahawu, lemitshoko lamabhatshi ensimbi. Izinduna zazimisa ngemva kwabo bonke abantu bakoJuda
17 Those that built on the wall, and those that bore burdens, with those that loaded, —every one with one of his hands wrought on the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.
ababesakha umduli. Labo ababethwala izinto zokwakha babesenza umsebenzi ngesandla esisodwa ngesinye umuntu ephethe isikhali,
18 And the builders had every one his sword fastened around his loins while they were building; and he that blew the cornet stood alongside of me.
njalo ngulowo lalowo umakhi wayehlome inkemba ilengiswe eceleni kwakhe nxa esebenza. Kodwa indoda yokutshaya icilongo yahlala ikimi.
19 And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and extensive, and we are separated upon the wall, distant one from another.
Ngasengisithi ezikhulwini, lezinduna lakubantu bonke jikelele, “Umsebenzi ubanzi usabalele, njalo sehlukene kakhulu omunye komunye kulandela umduli.
20 In what place [then] ye hear the sound of the cornet, thither must ye assemble unto us: our God will fight for us.
Lingezwa ingabe kungaphi okukhala khona icilongo, phuthumani khona lize kithi. UNkulunkulu wethu uzasilwela!”
21 So we labored at the work, while the half of them were holding the spears from the rising of the morning-dawn till the stars appeared.
Yikho sawuqhuba umsebenzi ingxenye yamadoda ihlomile ngemikhonto, kusukela emathathakusa kuze kuphume izinkanyezi.
22 Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let every one with his young man lodge within Jerusalem, so that they may be in the night a guard to us, and during the day for the labor.
Ngasonaleso isikhathi ngabuye ngathi ebantwini, “Akuthi yonke indoda kanye lomsizi wayo balale ngaphakathi kweJerusalema ebusuku, ukuze babengabalindi bethu ebusuku, babe ngabasebenzi emini.”
23 And neither I, nor my brothers, nor my young men, nor the men of the guard who followed me—none of us took off our clothes, no one leaving them off even for washing himself.
Mina labafowethu, lamadoda ayelami, labalindi ababelami kasizange sihlubule izigqoko zethu; ngulowo waphatha isikhali sakhe loba engena emanzini.
