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].
茲にアルタシヤスタ王の二十年ニサンの月王の前に酒のいでし時我酒をつぎて王にたてまつれり我は今まで王の前にて憂色を帶しこと有ざりき
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]).
王われに言けるは汝は疾病も有ざるに何とて面に憂色を帶るや是他ならず心に憂ふる所あるなりと是において我甚だ大に懼れたりしが
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.”
遂に王に奏して曰ふ願くは王長壽かれ我が先祖の墓の地たるその邑は荒蕪その門は火にて焚たれば我いかで顔に憂色を帶ざるを得んやと
4 The king replied, “What do you want me to do [for you]?” I prayed [silently] to our God [who is/rules] in heaven.
王われに向ひて然らば汝何をなさんと願ふやと言ければ我すなはち天の神に祈りて
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.”
王に言けるは王もし之を善としたまひ我もし汝の前に恩を得たる者なりせば願くはユダにあるわが先祖の墓の邑に我を遣はして我にこれを建起さしめたまへと
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].
時に后妃も傍に坐しをりしが王われに言けるは汝が往てをる間は何程なるべきや何時頃歸りきたるやと王かく我を遣はすことを善としければ我期を定めて奏せり
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.
而して我また王に言けるは王もし善としたまはば請ふ河外ふの總督等に與ふる書を我に賜ひ彼らをして我をユダまで通さしめたまへ
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.
また王の山林を守るアサフに與ふる書をも賜ひ彼をして殿に屬する城の門を作り邑の石垣および我が入べき家に用ふる材木を我に授けしめたまへと我神善く我を助けたまひしに因て王これを我に允せり
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.
是に於て我河外ふの總督等に詣りて王の書をこれに付せり王は軍長數人に騎兵をそへて我に伴なはせたり
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.
時にホロニ人サンバラテおよびアンモニ人奴隸トビヤこれを聞きイスラエルの子孫の安寧を求むる人來れりとて大に憂ふ
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.
我ついにヱルサレムに到りて彼處に三日居りける後
夜中に起いでたり數人の者われに伴なふ我はわが神がヱルサレムのために爲せんとて我心に入たまひし所の事を何人にも告しらせず亦我が乗る一匹の畜の外には畜を引つれざりき
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.
我すなはち夜中に立いで谷の門を通り龍井の對面を經糞門に至りてヱルサレムの石垣を閲せしにその石垣は頽れをりその門は已に火に焚てありき
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]).
かくて又前みて泉の門にゆき王の池にいたりしに我が乗る畜の通るべき處なかりき
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.
我亦その夜の中に渓川に沿て進みのぼりて石垣を觀めぐり頓て身を反して谷の門より歸りいりぬ
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].
然るに牧伯等は我が何處に往しか何を爲しかを知ざりき我また未だこれをユダヤ人にも祭司にも貴き人にも方伯等にも其他の役人にも告しらせざりしが
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.”
遂に彼らに言けるは汝らの見るごとく我儕の境遇は惡くヱルサレムは荒はてその門は火に焚たり來れ我儕ヱルサレムの石垣を築きあげて再び世の凌辱をうくることなからんと
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.
而して我わが神の善われを助けたまひし事を彼らに告げまた王の我に語りし言詞をも告しらせければ去來起て築かんと言ひ皆奮ひてこの美事を爲んとす
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]
時にホロニ人サンバラテ、アンモニ人奴隸トビヤおよびアラビヤ人ガシムこれを聞て我らを嘲けり我儕を悔りて言ふ汝ら何事をなすや王に叛かんとするなるかと
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.”
我すなはち答へて彼らに言ふ天の神われらをして志を得させたまはん故に其僕たる我儕起て築くべし然ど汝らはヱルサレムに何の分もなく權理もなく記念もなしと
