Nehemiah 2
1 It happened in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artachshasta the king, when wine was before me, that I took up the wine, and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad before in his presence.
Kwasekusithi ngenyanga kaNisani, ngomnyaka wamatshumi amabili kaAthakisekisi inkosi, iwayini laliphambi kwakhe, ngaphakamisa iwayini nganika inkosi. Njalo ngangingakaze ngidane phambi kwayo.
2 The king said to me, "Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing else but sorrow of heart." Then I was very much afraid.
Inkosi yasisithi kimi: Kungani ubuso bakho budanile lokhu ungaguli? Kakusilutho ngaphandle kokudana kwenhliziyo. Ngasengisesaba kakhulukazi,
3 I said to the king, "Let the king live forever. Why shouldn't my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies waste, and its gates have been consumed with fire?"
ngathi enkosini: Kayiphile inkosi kuze kube nininini! Ubuso bami bungedane ngani nxa umuzi, indawo yamangcwaba abobaba, ulunxiwa, lamasango awo eqedwe ngomlilo?
4 Then the king said to me, "For what do you make request?" So I prayed to the God of heaven.
Inkosi yasisithi kimi: Kuyini okudingayo? Ngasengikhuleka kuNkulunkulu wamazulu.
5 I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you would send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' tombs, that I may build it."
Ngathi enkosini: Uba kukuhle enkosini, njalo uba inceku yakho ithole umusa phambi kwakho, ngicela ukuthi ungithume koJuda emzini wamangcwaba abobaba, ukuze ngiwakhe.
6 The king said to me (the queen was also sitting by him), "For how long shall your journey be? And when will you return?" So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.
Inkosi yasisithi kimi, lendlovukazi ihlezi eceleni kwayo: Uhambo lwakho luzakuba ngolwesikhathi esingakanani, ubuye nini? Ngakho kwaba kuhle phambi kwenkosi ukuthi ingithume; ngasengiyinika isikhathi esimisiweyo.
7 Moreover I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah;
Ngasengisithi enkosini: Uba kulungile enkosini kayinginike izincwadi eziya kubabusi bangaphetsheya komfula ukuze bangivumele ukudlula, ngize ngifike koJuda;
8 and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple, for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into." The king granted my requests, because of the good hand of my God on me.
lencwadi eya kuAsafi, umphathi wegusu inkosi elalo, ukuthi anginike izigodo zokwenza imigubazi yamasango lesigodlo esiseduze lendlu, lezomduli womuzi, lezendlu engizangena kiyo. Inkosi yanginika njengokwesandla esihle sikaNkulunkulu wami phezu kwami.
9 Then I came to the governors beyond the River, and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent with me captains of the army and horsemen.
Ngasengifika kubabusi ngaphetsheya komfula, ngabanika incwadi zenkosi. Inkosi yayithume-ke lami induna zebutho labagadi bamabhiza.
10 When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly, because a man had come to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.
Lapho uSanibhalathi umHoroni loTobiya inceku, umAmoni, besizwa, kwabacunula ngokucunula okukhulu ukuthi umuntu ufikile ukudingela abantwana bakoIsrayeli okuhle.
11 So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.
Ngafika-ke eJerusalema, ngaba lapho insuku ezintathu.
12 I arose in the night, I and some few men with me. And I told no one what my God put into my heart to do for Jerusalem; neither was there any animal with me, except the animal that I rode on.
Ngasengisukuma ebusuku, mina lamadoda amalutshwana elami; kangitshelanga muntu lokho uNkulunkulu wami ayekufake enhliziyweni yami ukuthi ngikwenzele iJerusalema. Futhi kwakungelanyamazana kanye lami ngaphandle kwenyamazana engangiyigadile.
13 I went out by night by the Valley Gate, even toward the Serpent's Well, and to the Dung Gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and its gates were consumed with fire.
Ngasengiphuma ebusuku ngesango lesigodi, ngaqonda emthonjeni womgobho lesangweni lomquba, ngihlola imiduli yeJerusalema eyayidilikile lamasango ayo ayeqedwe ngomlilo.
14 Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King's Pool, but there was no place for the animal that was under me to pass.
Ngasengisedlulela esangweni lomthombo lechibini lenkosi; kodwa kwakungelandawo yenyamazana ukwedlula ngaphansi kwami.
15 Then went I up in the night by the wadi, and viewed the wall; and I turned back, and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned.
Ngasengisenyuka ngesifula ebusuku ngihlola umduli; ngaphenduka, ngangena ngesango lesigodi, ngabuyela.
16 The rulers did not know where I went, or what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the cohanim, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest who did the work.
Lababusi babengazi lapho engangiye khona lokuthi ngenzani. Kuze kube khathesi-ke ngangingatshelanga amaJuda labapristi leziphathamandla lezinduna labanye ababesenza umsebenzi.
17 Then I said to them, "You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come, let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we won't be disgraced."
Ngasengisithi kibo: Liyabona inhlupheko esikiyo ukuthi iJerusalema ilunxiwa lamasango ayo atshiswe ngomlilo. Wozani sakhe umduli weJerusalema ukuze singabe sisaba lihlazo.
18 I told them of the hand of my God which was good on me, as also of the king's words that he had spoken to me. They said, "Let's rise up and build." So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
Ngasengibatshela ngesandla sikaNkulunkulu wami esasisihle phezu kwami, futhi lamazwi enkosi eyayiwakhulume kimi. Basebesithi: Asisukumeni, sakhe. Ngakho baqinisa izandla zabo ngokuhle.
19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they ridiculed us, and despised us, and said, "What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?"
Lapho uSanibhalathi umHoroni loTobiya inceku, umAmoni, loGeshema umArabhiya besizwa basihleka usulu, baseyisa bathi: Iyini linto eliyenzayo? Liyayivukela inkosi yini?
20 Then answered I them, and said to them, "The God of heaven will prosper us. Therefore we, his servants, will arise and build; but you have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem."
Ngasengibabuyisela impendulo ngathi kibo: UNkulunkulu wamazulu yena uzasiphumelelisa; lathi inceku zakhe sizasukuma sakhe; kodwa lina kalilasabelo lelungelo lesikhumbuzo eJerusalema.
