Nehemiah 2
1 After King Artaxerxes [had been ruling the Persian Empire] for almost 20 years, (during the spring/before the hot season) of that year, when it was time to serve wine to him [during a feast], I took the wine and gave it to him. I had never looked sad when I was in front of him before, [but on that day he saw that I looked very sad].
Li te vin rive nan mwa Nisan an, nan ventyèm ane a Wa Artaxerxès la, ke te gen diven devan li e mwen te monte pote diven an e te bay li a wa a. Alò, mwen pa t janm konn tris nan prezans li konsa.
2 So he asked me, “Why are you sad? [I know that] you are not sick. It must be that you are troubled about something.” Then I was very afraid, [because it was not proper to be sad when I came to the king] (OR, [because I was worried what the king would do to me if he refused to do what I was about to request him to do]).
Konsa, wa a te di mwen: “Poukisa figi ou tris konsa, malgre ou pa malad? Sa pa mwens ke tristès kè.” Konsa, mwen te krent anpil.
3 I replied, “Your majesty, I hope you will live a very long time! But (how can I prevent myself from being sad, because the city where my ancestors are buried [has been destroyed] and is in ruins?/I cannot keep myself from looking sad, because the city where my ancestors are buried [has been destroyed and] is in ruins.) [RHQ] [Even] the city gates have been completely burned.”
Mwen te di a wa a: “Kite wa a viv jis pou tout tan. Poukisa figi mwen pa ta dwe tris lè vil la, plas a tonm papa zansèt mwen yo, dezole nèt e pòtay li yo fin brile ak dife?”
4 The king replied, “What do you want me to do [for you]?” I prayed [silently] to our God [who is/rules] in heaven.
Wa a te reponn mwen: “Kisa ou ta mande?” Konsa, mwen te priye a Bondye syèl la.
5 Then I replied, “If you are willing [to do it], and if I have pleased you, send me to the city [of Jerusalem] in Judah [province] where my ancestors are buried, in order that I may [help people to] rebuild the city.”
Mwen te di wa a: “Si li ta fè wa plezi, e si sèvitè ou a te jwenn favè devan ou, voye m Juda, nan vil tonm a papa zansèt mwen yo, pou m ta kab rebati li.”
6 While the queen was sitting beside the king, he asked, [“If I allow you to go, ] how long will you be gone? When will you return?” [I told the king how long I would be gone, and] the king gave me permission to go, and I told him what day [I wanted to leave].
Epi wa a te di mwen pandan rèn nan te chita akote l: “Konbyen de tan vwayaj ou kapab ye? Epi kilè ou va retounen?” Konsa, sa te fè wa a plezi pou voye mwen, e mwen te bay li yon lè jis.
7 I also said to the king, “If you are willing to do it, write letters for me to take to the governors of the province west of the [Euphrates] River. Tell them to allow me to travel safely [through their province] until I arrive in Judah.
Anplis mwen te di wa a: “Si sa fè wa a plezi, kite lèt bay a mwen pou gouvènè nan pwovens yo lòtbò rivyè a, pou yo kapab kite mwen pase ladann yo jiskaske mwen rive Juda;
8 Also, [please write] a letter to Asaph, the man who takes care of your forest [in that area], telling him to give me timber to make the beams to support the gates of the fortress that is near the temple, and timber for making the walls of the city, and for building the house in which I [will live].” The king did what I requested him to do, because my God was graciously/kindly (helping/acting for) me.
anplis, yon lèt a Asaph, gadyen nan forè a wa a, pou li kapab ban mwen bwa chapant pou fè travès pou pòtay a fò ki akote tanp lan; epi pou miray lavil la e pou kay nan sila mwen prale a.” Wa a te ban m tout sa akoz bon men Bondye mwen an te sou mwen.
9 [After I got ready, I left to travel to Judah]. The king sent some army officers and soldiers riding on horses to accompany me, [to protect me]. When I came to where the governors of the provinces west of the [Euphrates] River lived, I gave them the letters that the king had written.
Mwen te rive kote gouvènè nan pwovens lòtbò rivyè yo, e te bay yo lèt a wa a. Alò, wa a te voye mwen avèk chèf lame yo ak chevalye yo.
10 But when [two government officials, ] Sanballat from [a village near] Horon and Tobiah from the Ammon [people-group], heard that I had arrived, they were very angry that someone had come to help the Israeli people.
Lè Sanballat, Owonit lan avèk Tobija, chèf Amonit lan te tande koze sila a, sa te fè yo pa kontan anpil, pou yon moun ta vin chache fè byen pou fis a Israël yo.
11 When I arrived in Jerusalem, I did not tell anyone what thoughts God had given to me about what I should do there. Three days after I arrived in Jerusalem, I went out of the city in the evening, taking a few other men with me. I was riding a donkey; we had no other animals with us.
Konsa, mwen te vini Jérusalem, e mwen te la pandan twa jou.
Mwen te leve pandan lannwit lan, avèk kèk bon mesye avèk mwen. Mwen pa t pale pèsòn sa ke Bondye mwen an te mete nan tèt mwen pou fè pou Jérusalem nan, e pa t gen bèt avè m sof ke sila ke mwen menm te monte a.
13 We left the city, going out through the Valley Gate, then past the well called the Jackal (OR, Dragon’s) Well, and then past the gate called the Rubbish/Garbage Gate. We inspected all the walls that had been broken down and all the gates that had been burned down.
Konsa, mwen te sòti deyò nan nwit lan akote Pòtay Vale a, vè Pwi Dragon an, anplis pou rive nan Pòtay Fimye a, e mwen t ap pase fè enspeksyon miray Jérusalem yo, ki te kraze nèt ak pòtay li yo ki te manje pa dife.
14 Then we went to the Fountain Gate and to the pool called the King’s Pool, but my donkey could not get through [the narrow opening] (OR, [the rubble]).
Mwen te pase rive pi lwen nan Pòtay Sous Bwote a, avèk Dlo Etan a Wa a; men pa t gen kote pou bèt mwen an pase.
15 So we turned back and went along the [Kidron] Valley. We inspected the wall there before we turned back/around and entered the city again at the Valley Gate.
Konsa, mwen te pase pandan nwit lan pa ravin nan pou te fè enspeksyon miray la. Epi mwen te antre ankò nan Pòtay Vale a e mwen te retounen.
16 The [city] officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because I had not told anyone about what I planned to do. I had not said anything about it to the Jewish leaders or the officials or the priests or any of the others who would be helping me in the work [that I wanted to do].
Chèf lokal yo pa t konnen kote mwen te ale a, ni sa mwen te fè a; ni jis rive nan moman sa a, mwen potko pale Jwif yo, prèt yo, moun nòb yo, chèf yo, ni lòt moun ki t ap fè travay yo.
17 But now I said to them, “You all know very well the terrible things [that have happened to] our city. The city is ruined; even the gates are burned down. So we should rebuild the city wall. If we do that, we will no longer feel humiliated/disgraced.”
Konsa mwen te di yo: “Nou wè move ka nou an, ke Jérusalem dezole e pòtay li yo fin brile pa dife? Vini, annou rebati miray Jérusalem nan pou nou pa parèt kon yon wont ankò.”
18 Then I told them about how God had kindly/graciously helped me [when I talked to the king], and what the king had said to me. They immediately replied, “Let’s start rebuilding!” So they started to do this good work.
Mwen te pale yo jan men Bondye mwen an te ban m favè e anplis, pawòl ke wa a te pale mwen yo. Yo te di: “Annou leve pou bati.” Konsa, yo te mete men yo nan bon èv sila a.
19 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, and Gershom the Arab [king of the Kedar region] heard about what we planned to do, they made fun of us and ridiculed us. They said, “What is this work that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king [again]?” [RHQ]
Men lè Sanballat, Owonit lan avèk Tobija, chèf Amonit lan, avèk Guéschem, Arab la, te tande koze sa a, yo te moke nou, te meprize nou, epi te di: “Ki bagay sa n ap fè la a? Èske nou ap fè rebèl kont wa a?”
20 But I replied, “Our God [who is/rules] in heaven will help our plans to succeed. But as for you, you have no right to decide anything about this city, because you have not participated in what has happened in this city in previous years.”
Konsa, mwen te reponn yo epi te di yo: “Bondye syèl la va fè nou reyisi. Se akoz sa a, sèvitè li yo va leve pou bati. Men nou menm, nou p ap gen pòsyon, ni dwa, ni souvni nan Jérusalem.”
