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].
Awo mu mwezi gwa Nisani mu mwaka ogw’amakumi abiri ku mulembe gwa Kabaka Alutagizerugizi, nga bamuleetedde wayini, ne nzirira wayini ne muwa kabaka. Nnali sinakuwalirangako mu maaso ge.
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]).
Kabaka n’ambuuza nti, “Kiki ekikunakuwazizza otyo ng’omulwadde? Kino si kigambo kirala wabula obuyinike obw’omu mutima.” Ne ntya nnyo,
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.”
naye ne ŋŋamba kabaka nti, “Kabaka abeere omulamu emirembe gyonna. Lwaki sinakuwala ng’ekibuga bajjajjange gye baaziikibwa kizise, nga ne wankaaki waakyo yayokebwa omuliro?”
4 The king replied, “What do you want me to do [for you]?” I prayed [silently] to our God [who is/rules] in heaven.
Kabaka n’ambuuza nti, “Kiki ky’oyagala?” Awo ne nsaba eri Katonda w’eggulu,
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.”
n’oluvannyuma ne nziramu kabaka nti, “Kabaka bw’anasiima, era omuddu wo bw’anaalaba ekisa mu maaso go, ansindike ŋŋende mu Yuda, mu kibuga bajjajjange gye baaziikibwa, nkiddaabirize.”
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].
Awo kabaka, ne mukyala we ng’amuli ku lusegere, n’ambuuza nti, “Olugendo lwo luliba lwa nnaku meka, era olidda ddi?” Kabaka n’asiima okuntuma, ne neegerera ekiseera.
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.
Ne nsaba kabaka nti, “Kabaka bw’anaasiima, awandiikire abaamasaza abali emitala w’omugga Fulaati ebbaluwa, ntambule mirembe okutuuka mu Yuda.
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.
Ate era nsaba ebbaluwa gye nnaatwalira Asafu omukuumi w’ekibira kya kabaka, ampe emiti gye ndikolamu embaawo ez’okubajjamu enzigi za yeekaalu, n’eza wankaaki wa bbugwe w’ekibuga, n’ekifo we nnaabeeranga.” Olw’omukono gwa Katonda wange ogwali nange, kabaka n’ampa bye namusaba.
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.
Awo ne ndaga eri abaamasaza abaali emitala w’omugga Fulaati ne mbakwasa ebbaluwa eziva ewa kabaka. Kabaka yampa abakungu b’eggye n’abeebagala embalaasi okumperekerako.
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.
Naye Sanubalaati Omukoloni ne Tobiya omukungu Omwamoni bwe baakiwulira, ne banyiiga nnyo bwe baamanya nga waliwo omuntu afuddeyo ku mbeera y’abaana ba Isirayiri.
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.
Ne ntuuka e Yerusaalemi, ne mbeerayo ennaku ssatu,
ne ngolokoka mu kiro ne ntambulatambula n’abamu ku basajja, naye ne sibuulira muntu n’omu ku ebyo Katonda wange bye yali atadde ku mutima gwange okukolera Yerusaalemi. Twagenda n’ensolo emu yokka gye nnali neebagadde.
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.
Ekiro ekyo ne mpita mu Mulyango ogw’omu Kiwonvu ne njolekera Oluzzi olw’Omusege, n’Omulyango ogw’Obusa, ne ŋŋenda nga neetegereza bbugwe wa Yerusaalemi eyali amenyeddwa, ne wankaaki waakyo eyayokebwa omuliro.
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]).
N’oluvannyuma ne neyongerayo eri Omulyango ogw’Oluzzi n’eri Ekidiba kya Kabaka, naye ensolo yange n’eteyinza kuyitawo.
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.
Kyennava nserengeta mu kiwonvu ekiro nga ŋŋenda neetegereza bbugwe. Bwe namaliriza ne nkyuka ne nkomawo nga mpitira mu Mulyango ogw’omu Kiwonvu.
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].
Abakungu tebaamanya gye nnali ndaze newaakubadde kye nnali nkola; era nnali sinnabuulirako Bayudaaya newaakubadde bakabona, newaakubadde abakungu newaakubadde abakulu, n’abalala abaali bateekwa okukola omulimu.
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.”
Awo ne mbagamba nti, “Mulaba akabi ke tulimu; Yerusaalemi kizise, ne wankaaki waakyo ayokeddwa omuliro. Mujje tuddaabirize bbugwe wa Yerusaalemi tuve mu buswavu bwe tulimu.”
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.
Ne mbategeeza omukono gwa Katonda ogw’ekisa bye gwali gunkoledde, ne kabaka bye yaŋŋamba. Ne baddamu nti, “Tugolokoke tutandike okuzimba.” Era ne batandika omulimu.
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]
Naye Sanubalaati Omukoloni, ne Tobiya omukungu Omwamoni ne Gesemu Omuwalabu bwe baakiwulira ne batunyooma n’okutusekerera ne batusekerera. Ne batubuuza nti, “Kiki kye mukola? Mwagala kujeemera kabaka?”
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.”
Ne mbaddamu nti, “Katonda w’eggulu alituyamba okukituukiriza, era ffe abaddu be tulitandika okuzimba, naye mmwe temulina mugabo newaakubadde obusika newaakubadde ekijjukizo mu Yerusaalemi.”
