Nehemiah 13
1 On that day, when someone read to the people parts of the laws [that God gave] to Moses, they read where it was written that no one from the Ammon people-group or the Moab people-group was ever to be allowed to be with God’s people while they were gathered together [to worship].
Siku hiyo walisoma Kitabu cha Musa katika masikio ya watu. Ilionekana imeandikwa ndani yake kwamba hakuna Mwamoni au Mmoabu anapaswa kuja katika kusanyiko la Mungu, milele.
2 The reason for that was that the people of Ammon and the people of Moab did not give/sell any food or water to the Israelis [while the Israelis were going through their areas after they left Egypt]. Instead, the people of Ammon and Moab paid money to Balaam in order that he would curse the Israelis. But God commanded Balaam to bless the people, not to curse them.
Hii ilikuwa kwa sababu hawakuja kwa watu wa Israeli na mkate na maji, bali walikuwa wamemwajiri Balaamu kulaani Israeli. Hata hivyo, Mungu wetu aligeuza laana kuwa baraka.
3 So when the people heard these laws [being read to them], they sent away all the people whose ancestors had come from other countries.
Mara tu waliposikia sheria, waliwatenga Israeli toka kwa kila mgeni.
4 Previously, Eliashib the priest had been appointed to be in charge of the storerooms in the temple. He was a relative of [our enemy] Tobiah.
Sasa kabla ya hapo Eliashibu kuhani akawekwa juu ya vyumba vya nyumba ya Mungu wetu. Alikuwa na uhusiano na Tobia.
5 He allowed Tobiah to use a large room in which they had previously stored the grain offerings and the incense, the equipment that is used in the temple, the offerings [that the people had brought] for the priests, and the tithes of grain and wine and [olive] oil that [God] had commanded the people to bring to the [other] descendants of Levi, and to the temple musicians, and to the temple guards.
Eliashibu alimuandalia Tobia chumba kikubwa, ambako hapo awali waliweka sadaka ya nafaka, uvumba, makala, na sehemu ya kumi ya nafaka, divai, na mafuta, ambazo ziliwekwa kwa ajili ya Walawi, waimbaji, walinzi wa mlango, na michango kwa makuhani.
6 While [Tobias was using that room], I was not in Jerusalem, because in the 32nd year that Artaxerxes was the king of Babylonia, I went back there to report to him. After a while I requested the king to allow me to return to Jerusalem, [and he allowed me to go].
Lakini wakati huu wote sikuwepo Yerusalemu. Kwa mwaka wa thelathini na mbili wa Artashasta mfalme wa Babeli, nilikwenda kwa mfalme. Baada ya muda nikamwomba mfalme ruhusa ya kuondoka,
7 When I arrived in Jerusalem, I found out that Eliashib had done an evil thing by allowing Tobiah to use a room in God’s temple.
na nikarudi Yerusalemu. Nikafahamu mabaya ambayo Eliashibu alikuwa amefanya kwa kumpa Tobia chumba cha kuhifadhi katika mahakama ya nyumba ya Mungu.
8 I became very angry, and I threw out of that room everything that belonged to Tobiah.
Nilikuwa na hasira sana na nikatupa vitabu vya nyumba ya Tobia nje ya chumba cha kuhifadhi.
9 Then I commanded [that they perform a ritual] to make the rooms (pure/acceptable to God) again. And I also ordered that all the equipment used in the temple and all the grain offerings and incense should be put in that room again.
Niliamuru kwamba watakase vituo vya kuhifadhi, nami nikarudisha ndani yao makala ya nyumba ya Mungu, sadaka ya nafaka, na uvumba.
10 I also found out that the temple musicians and [other] descendants of Levi had left Jerusalem and returned to their fields/farms, because the Israeli people had not been bringing to them the food [that they needed].
Niligundua kwamba sehemu zilizotolewa kwa ajili ya kuwapa Walawi hazikutolewa kwao, ili waweze kuondoka haraka hekaluni, kila mmoja kwenda shambani kwake, kama waimbaji waliofanya walivyoondoka.
11 So I rebuked the officials, saying to them, “(Why have you not taken care of the work in the temple?/It is disgraceful that you have not taken care of the work in the temple.)” [RHQ] So I brought the descendants of Levi and the musicians back to the temple, and told them to do their work there again.
Kwa hiyo nikawasiliana na maafisa na kusema, 'Kwa nini nyumba ya Mungu imeachwa?' Niliwakusanya pamoja na kuwaweka kwenye nafasi zao.
12 Then all the people of Judah again started to bring to the temple storerooms their tithes of grain, wine, and [olive] oil.
Kisha Yuda wote wakaleta zaka ya nafaka, divai mpya, na mafuta kwenye vituo vya kuhifadhi.
13 I appointed these men to be in charge of the storerooms: Shelemiah, who was a priest; Zadok, who knew the Jewish laws very well; and Pedaiah, a descendant of Levi. I appointed Hanan, who is the son of Zaccur and grandson of Mattaniah, to assist them. I knew that I could trust these men while they distributed those offerings to their fellow workers.
Nikawaweka kama watunza hazina juu ya hazina, Shelemia kuhani, na Sadoki mwandishi, na Walawi, Pedaya. Hanani, mwana wa Zakuri, mwana wa Matania, alikuwa na wafuasi wao, kwa sababu walihesabiwa kuwa waaminifu. Kazi yao ilikuwa kusambaza vifaa kwa washirika wao.
14 My God, do not forget all these good things that I have faithfully done for your temple and for the work that is done there!
Nikumbuke, Ee Mungu wangu, juu ya hili, wala usiondoe matendo mema niliyoyatenda kwa ajili ya nyumba ya Mungu wangu na huduma zake.
15 During that time, I saw some people in Judea [who were working] on the Sabbath day. [Some were] pressing grapes [to make wine]. Others were putting grain, [bags of] wine, [baskets of] grapes, figs, and many [HYP] other things, on their donkeys and taking them into Jerusalem. I warned them that they should not sell things to the people of Judea on Sabbath days.
Siku hizo nikaona watu wa Yuda waliokanyaga mvinyo siku ya Sabato, na kuleta makundi ya nafaka, na kuwapakia punda, na divai, na zabibu, na tini, na kila aina ya mizigo nzito, waliyoleta Yerusalemu siku ya Sabato. Nikashuhudia kuwa walikuwa wakiuza chakula siku hiyo.
16 I also saw some people from Tyre [city] who were living there in Jerusalem who were bringing fish and other things [into Jerusalem] to sell to the people of Judea on the Sabbath day.
Watu kutoka Tiro waliokaa Yerusalemu walileta samaki na kila aina ya bidhaa, na wakawauza siku ya Sabato kwa watu wa Yuda na katika mji!
17 So I rebuked the Jewish leaders and told them, “This is [RHQ] a very evil thing that you are doing! You are causing the Sabbath days to be unholy.
Kisha nikawaambia viongozi wa Yuda, “Je! ni ubaya gani huu mnafanya, kuinajisi siku ya Sabato?
18 Your ancestors did [RHQ] things like that, so God punished them, and as a result, this city was destroyed! And now by causing the Sabbath day to be unholy, you are going to cause God to be angry with us Israeli people [and punish us] more!”
Je! Baba zenu hawakufanya hivyo? Je, Mungu wetu hakuleta mabaya haya juu yetu na juu ya mji huu? Sasa unaleta ghadhabu zaidi juu ya Israeli kwa kudharau Sabato.”
19 So I ordered that at (the beginning of every Sabbath day/every Friday evening) they should shut the gates of the city before it became dark. I also ordered that they should not open the gates until (the Sabbath day was ended [the next day]/Saturday evening). Then [each Sabbath day] I put some of my men at the gates, so they would make sure that nothing to sell was brought into the city on that day.
Mara ilipokuwa giza kwenye milango ya Yerusalemu kabla ya Sabato, niliamuru milango ifungwe na kwamba haifai kufunguliwa hadi baada ya Sabato. Niliwaweka baadhi ya watumishi wangu kwenye malango ili mzigo wowote usiweze kuletwa siku ya Sabato.
20 One or two times merchants [DOU] stayed outside of the city on (Friday night/[the night before the Sabbath day]).
Wafanyabiashara na wauzaji wa kila aina ya bidhaa walikimbia nje ya Yerusalemu mara moja au mbili.
21 I warned them, “It is useless [RHQ] for you to stay here outside the walls [on Friday night]! If you do this again, I will tell my men to arrest you!” So after that, they did not come on Sabbath days.
Lakini niliwaonya, “Mbona mnakaa nje ya ukuta? Ikiwa mtafanya hivyo tena, nitakuweka mikononi!” Kutoka wakati huo hawakuja siku ya sabato.
22 I also commanded the descendants of Levi to [perform the ritual to] purify themselves and to guard the city gates, to make sure that the Sabbath was kept holy [by not allowing merchants to enter it on Sabbath days]. My God, do not forget this also that I [have done for you]! And because of your faithfully loving me, allow me to continue to live [many more years]!
Nikawaamuru Walawi kujitakasa, na kuja kulinda milango, ili kutakasa siku ya Sabato. Nikumbuke kwa hili pia, Mungu wangu, na kunipatia huruma kwa sababu ya uaminifu wa agano ulilonalo kwangu.
23 During that time, I also found out that many of the Jewish men had married women from Ashdod [city], and from [the] Ammon and Moab [people-groups].
Katika siku hizo niliona Wayahudi waliokuwa wameoa wanawake wa Ashdodi, Amoni na Moabu.
24 The result was that half of their children spoke the language that people in Ashdod speak or some other language, and they didn’t know how to speak our language.
Nusu ya watoto wao walizungumza lugha ya Ashdodi, lakini hawakuweza kuzungumza lugha ya Yuda, lakini lugha ya mmoja wa watu wengine.
25 So I rebuked those men, and I [asked God to] curse them, and I beat them and pulled out [some of] their hair. Then I forced them to solemnly promise, knowing that God [MTY] was [listening], that they would never again marry foreigners, and never allow their children to marry foreigners.
Nami nikawasiliana nao, na mimi niliwaadhibu, na nikawapiga baadhi yao na kuvuta nywele zao. Naliwaapisha kwa Mungu, nikisema, Msiwape wana wao binti zenu, wala msiwachukue binti zao kwa ajili ya wana wenu, wala ninyi wenyewe.
26 [I said to them], “Solomon, the king of Israel, sinned [RHQ] as a result of [marrying] foreign women. He was greater than any of the kings of other nations. God loved him, and caused him to become the king of all the Israeli people, but his foreign wives caused even him to sin.
Je, Sulemani mfalme wa Israeli hakufanya dhambi kwa sababu ya wanawake hawa? Miongoni mwa mataifa mengi hapakuwa na mfalme kama yeye, na alipendwa na Mungu wake. Mungu akamfanya awe mfalme juu ya Israeli wote. Hata hivyo, wake zake wa kigeni walimfanya atende dhambi.
27 [Do you think that] we should do what you have done, and disobey our God by marrying foreign women [who worship idols]? [RHQ]”
Je, tunapaswa kukusikiliza na kufanya uovu huu hata kumhalifu Mungu wetu na kuwaoa wanawake wageni?
28 One of the sons of Jehoiada, the son of Eliashib the Supreme Priest, had married the daughter of [our enemy] Sanballat, from Beth-Horon [town]. So I forced Jehoiada’s son to leave Jerusalem.
Mmoja wa wana wa Yoyada, mwana wa Eliashibu, kuhani mkuu, alikuwa mkwewe na Sanbalati Mhoroni. Kwa hiyo nilimondoa kutoka mbele yangu.
29 My God, do not forget that those people [who have married foreign women] have caused it to be a shame/disgrace to be a priest, and have caused people to despise the agreement that you made with the priests and with the [other] descendants of Levi [who help the priests])!
Wakukumbushe, Mungu wangu, kwa sababu wameunajisi ukuhani, na agano la ukuhani na Walawi.
30 I did all that to make sure that there were no more foreign people among the [Israeli] people [who would encourage them to worship idols]. I also established regulations for the priests and [other] descendants of Levi, in order that they would know what work they should do.
Kwa hiyo nimewatakasa kutoka kila kitu kigeni, na kuimarisha kazi za makuhani na Walawi, kila mmoja kwa kazi yake mwenyewe.
31 I also arranged for people to bring the firewood [that was needed to burn on the altar, as Moses had declared] that we should [do]. I also arranged for the people to bring the first part of what they harvested [each year]. My God, do not forget [that] I [have done all these things], and bless me [for doing them]!
Nilitoa sadaka za kuni wakati uliowekwa na matunda ya kwanza. Nikumbuke, Mungu wangu, kwa mema.
