Nehemiah 2
1 And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, when wine was before him, that I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been [beforetime] sad in his presence.
Mweri-inĩ wa Nisani, mwaka wa mĩrongo ĩĩrĩ wa Mũthamaki Aritashashita, rĩrĩa aareheirwo ndibei, ngĩoya ndibei ĩyo ngĩmĩnengera mũthamaki. Mbere ya hĩndĩ ĩyo ndiatukĩtie gĩthiithi ndĩ harĩ we;
2 And the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid.
nĩ ũndũ ũcio mũthamaki akĩnjũũria atĩrĩ, “Nĩ kĩĩ gĩtũmĩte ũtukie gĩthiithi ũguo na ndũrĩ mũrũaru? Ũndũ ũcio no uumanire na kĩeha kĩa ngoro.” Na niĩ ngĩĩtigĩra mũno,
3 And I said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?
no ngĩĩra mũthamaki atĩrĩ, “Mũthamaki arotũũra nginya tene! Gĩthiithi gĩakwa kĩngĩaga gũtuka atĩa hĩndĩ ĩrĩa itũũra inene rĩrĩa maithe makwa mathikĩtwo rĩkirĩte ihooru, na ihingo ciarĩo igacinwo ikaniinwo na mwaki?”
4 Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.
Mũthamaki akĩnjũũria atĩrĩ, “Ũkwenda atĩa?” Hĩndĩ ĩyo ngĩhooya Ngai wa Igũrũ,
5 And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers’ sepulchres, that I may build it.
na ngĩcookeria mũthamaki atĩrĩ, “Mũthamaki, angĩona kwagĩrĩire, na ndungata yaku ĩtĩkĩrĩke maitho-inĩ make, nĩakĩndũme itũũra rĩu inene rĩa Juda, kũrĩa maithe makwa mathikĩtwo, nĩguo ngarĩake rĩngĩ.”
6 And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him, ) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.
Hĩndĩ ĩyo mũthamaki, aikaranĩtie na mũtumia wake, akĩnjũũria atĩrĩ, “Rũgendo rwaku nĩ rwa matukũ maigana na ũgaacooka rĩ?” Mũthamaki akĩona arĩ wega andũme; nĩ ũndũ ũcio ngĩtua ihinda rĩa gũthiĩ.
7 Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may let me pass through till I come unto Judah;
Ningĩ ngĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Mũthamaki angĩona kwagĩrĩire, reke heo marũa ndwarĩre abarũthi a Mũrĩmo-wa-Farati, nĩgeetha manjĩtĩkĩrie hĩtũkĩre kuo kinya nginye Juda.
8 and a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the castle which appertaineth to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.
O na no heo marũa ndwarĩre Asafu, mũmenyereri wa mũtitũ wa mũthamaki, nĩgeetha akaahe mbaũ cia gũthondeka mĩgamba ya ihingo cia nyũmba ya ũthamaki ĩrĩa ĩriganĩtie na hekarũ, na cia gwaka rũthingo rwa itũũra inene o na cia gwaka nyũmba ĩrĩa ndĩrĩikaraga?” Na tondũ ũtugi wa guoko kwa Ngai wakwa warĩ hamwe na niĩ, mũthamaki agĩĩtĩkĩra kũũhingĩria maũndũ marĩa mothe ndaamũũrĩtie.
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.
Nĩ ũndũ ũcio ngĩthiĩ kũrĩ abarũthi a Mũrĩmo-wa-Farati, ngĩmanengera marũa ma mũthamaki. Ningĩ mũthamaki nĩatũmĩte anene a mbũtũ cia ita hamwe na thigari iria ithiiaga na mbarathi tũthiĩ hamwe nao.
10 And when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly, for that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.
Rĩrĩa Sanibalati ũrĩa Mũhoroni, na Tobia mũnene ũrĩa Mũamoni, maaiguire ũhoro ũcio, magĩtangĩka mũno makĩria nĩkũigua atĩ kwarĩ mũndũ wokĩte gũcaria maũndũ ma kũguna andũ a Isiraeli.
11 So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.
Nĩndathiire Jerusalemu, na thuutha wa gũikara kuo mĩthenya ĩtatũ-rĩ,
12 And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God put into my heart to do for Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon.
ngiumagara ũtukũ ndĩ na andũ matarĩ aingĩ. Ndierĩte mũndũ o na ũmwe ũndũ ũrĩa Ngai wakwa eekĩrĩte ngoro-inĩ yakwa njĩke nĩ ũndũ wa Jerusalemu. Gũtiarĩ na mbarathi ingĩ tiga ĩrĩa yanguuĩte.
13 And I went out by night by the valley gate, even toward the dragon’s well, and to the dung gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire.
Nĩndathiire ũtukũ ngereire Kĩhingo gĩa Kĩanda, njerekeire Gĩthima kĩa Ndamathia na Kĩhingo gĩa Kĩara-inĩ, ngĩroraga thingo cia Jerusalemu iria ciamomoretwo, na ihingo ciarĩo iria ciacinĩtwo ikaniinwo nĩ mwaki.
14 Then I went on to the fountain gate and to the king’s pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass.
Ningĩ ngĩthiĩ o na mbere njerekeire Kĩhingo gĩa Gĩthima na Karia-inĩ ka Mũthamaki, no hatiarĩ handũ haiganu ha kũhĩtũkĩrwo nĩ mbarathi yakwa;
15 Then went I up in the night by the brook, and viewed the wall; and I turned back, and entered by the valley gate, and so returned.
nĩ ũndũ ũcio ngĩambata na mũkuru ũtukũ ngĩroraga ũrĩa rũthingo rwatariĩ. Ndakinya mũthia, ngĩhũndũka ngĩingĩrĩra Kĩhingo gĩa Kĩanda rĩngĩ.
16 And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work.
Anene a kũu matiamenyire kũrĩa ndathiĩte kana ũrĩa ndekaga tondũ ndiamenyithĩtie Ayahudi, kana athĩnjĩri-Ngai, kana arĩa maarĩ igweta, kana anene, o na kana arĩa angĩ mangĩarutire wĩra.
17 Then said I unto them, Ye see the evil case that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.
Ningĩ ngĩmeera atĩrĩ, “Nĩmũrona thĩĩna ũrĩa tũrĩ naguo: itũũra rĩa Jerusalemu nĩrĩanangĩku, na ihingo ciarĩo igacinwo na mwaki. Ũkai twake rũthingo rwa Jerusalemu rĩngĩ, na tũtigacooka kũnyararwo o na rĩ.”
18 And I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also of the king’s words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for the good [work].
O na ningĩ ngĩmeera ũrĩa guoko kwa ũtugi kwa Ngai wakwa kwarĩ hamwe na niĩ, na ũrĩa mũthamaki anjĩĩrĩte. Nao magĩcookia atĩrĩ, “Nĩtwambĩrĩriei gwaka rĩngĩ.” Nĩ ũndũ ũcio makĩambĩrĩria wĩra ũcio mwega.
19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?
No rĩrĩa Sanibalati ũrĩa Mũhoroni na Tobia mũnene ũrĩa Mũamoni na Geshemu ũrĩa Mũarabu maiguire ũhoro ũcio, magĩtũnyũrũria na magĩtũthekerera, makĩũria atĩrĩ, “Nĩ atĩa ũũ mũreka? Kaĩ mũkũremera mũthamaki?”
20 Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial in Jerusalem.
Ngĩmacookeria atĩrĩ, “Ngai wa Igũrũ nĩwe ũgũtũma tũgaacĩre. Ithuĩ ndungata ciake nĩtũkwambĩrĩria gwaka rĩngĩ, no ha ũhoro wanyu-rĩ, mũtirĩ na igai gũkũ Jerusalemu, kana kĩhooto, kana ũndũ wa tene wa kũmũnyiitithania narĩo.”
