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].
Ary tamin’ ny volana Nisana tamin’ ny taona faharoa-polo nanjakan’ i Artaksersesy, raha teo anoloany ny divay, dia noraisiko ka natolotro ny mpanjaka. Fa vao izay aho no mba nalahelo teo anatrehany.
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]).
Dia hoy ny mpanjaka tamiko: Nahoana no malahelo tarehy ianao, kanefa tsy marary tsinona? Tsy zavatra hafa izao, fa alahelom-po mihitsy. Dia raiki-tahotra indrindra aho
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.”
ka nanao tamin’ ny mpanjaka hoe: Ho velona mandrakizay anie ny mpanjaka; nahoana no tsy halahelo tarehy aho, fa rava ny tanàna misy ny fasan-drazako, sady efa levon’ ny afo ny vavahadiny?
4 The king replied, “What do you want me to do [for you]?” I prayed [silently] to our God [who is/rules] in heaven.
Dia hoy ny mpanjaka tamiko: Inona ary no angatahinao? Dia nivavaka tamin’ Andriamanitry ny lanitra aho aloha,
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.”
dia vao niteny tamin’ ny mpanjaka hoe: Raha sitraky ny mpanjaka, ka mahita fitia eto imasonao ny mpanomponao, dia alefaso ho any Joda aho, ho any amin’ ny tanàna misy ny fasan-drazako mba hanamboarako izany.
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].
Ary hoy ny mpanjaka tamiko (ny vadin’ ny mpanjaka koa nipetraka teo anilany): Haharitra hoatrinona any anefa ianao, ary rahoviana no hiverina? Ka dia sitraky ny mpanjaka ny handefa ahy; ary dia nilaza fotoana taminy aho.
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.
Ary hoy koa aho tamin’ ny mpanjaka: Raha sitraky ny mpanjaka, aoka homena taratasy ho amin’ ireo governora any an-dafin’ ny ony aho, mba hamelany ahy handeha hatrany Joda,
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.
sy taratasy ho amin’ i Asafa, mpitandrina ny alan’ i ny mpanjaka mba hanomezany hazo hanaovako ny vavahadin’ ny lapa izay momba ny tempoly sy hanaovako ny mandan’ ny tanàna sy ny trano izay hitoerako. Dia nomen’ ny mpanjaka ahy izany araka ny soa nataon’ ny tànan’ Andriamanitro tamiko.
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.
Dia tonga tany amin’ ireo governora any an-dafin’ ny ony aho, ka natolotro azy ny taratasin’ ny mpanjaka. Ary ny mpanjaka efa naniraka manamboninahitra sy mpitaingin-tsoavaly hanatitra ahy.
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.
Raha nahare izany Sanbala Horonita sy Tobia Amonita mpanompo, dia sosotra loatra izy, satria nisy lehilahy tonga hitady izay hahasoa ny Zanak’ Isiraely.
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.
Dia tonga tany Jerosalema aho ka nitoetra tany hateloana.
Ary nifoha tamin’ ny alina aho, dia izaho sy ny olom-bitsy nomba ahy; nefa tsy nisy olona nilazako izay natsindrin’ Andriamanitra ny foko hatao any Jerosalema; ary tsy nisy biby nentiko afa-tsy ilay nitaingenako ihany.
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.
Dia nandeha alina aho ka nivoaka tamin’ ny vavahady mankany amin’ ny lohasaha, tandrifin’ ny loharanon’ ny dragona, sy tamin’ ny vavahadin-jezika ka nizaha ny mandan’ i Jerosalema izay efa rava sy ny vavahadiny izay efa levon’ ny afo.
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]).
Dia nankany amin’ ny vavahadin-doharano sy ny farihin’ ny mpanjaka koa aho; nefa tsy nisy lalana azon’ ilay biby nitaingenako naleha akory.
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.
Dia niakatra teo amin’ ny lohasahan-driaka aho tamin’ ny alina ka nizaha ny manda, dia nitodika ka niditra tamin’ ny vavahady mankany amin’ ny lohasaha, dia niverina.
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].
Nefa ireo mpanapaka tsy nahalala izay nalehako, na izay nataoko; fa hatramin’ izay dia tsy mbola nolazaiko tamin’ ny Jiosy izany, na tamin’ ny mpisorona, na tamin’ ny manan-kaja, na tamin’ ny mpanapaka, na tamin’ ny vahoaka sisa izay nanao ny asa.
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.”
Ary hoy izaho taminy: Hianareo mahita ny fahoriantsika, fa rava Jerosalema ary nodoran’ ny afo ny vavahadiny; koa andeha isika hanangana ny mandan’ i Jerosalema, mba tsy ho latsa intsony isika.
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.
Dia nambarako azy ny tànan’ Andriamanitro izay nahasoa ahy, ary ny tenin’ ny mpanjaka koa izay nolazainy tamiko. Ary hoy izy: Eny, aoka ary isika hitsangana ka handrafitra azy. Koa dia nampahery ny tànany hanao izany soa izany izy.
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]
Fa nony ren’ i Sanbala Horonita sy Tobia Amonita mpanompo ary Gasema Arabo izany, dia nanaraby sy nanevateva anay izy nanao hoe: Inona izao zavatra ataonareo izao? Hikomy amin’ ny mpanjaka angaha ianareo?
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.”
Dia namaly azy aho ka nanao taminy hoe: Andriamanitry ny lanitra, Izy no hanambina anay, ka dia hitsangana handrafitra izahay mpanompony; fa ianareo tsy manana anjara, na rariny, na fahatsiarovana akory, atỳ Jerosalema.
