Nehemiah 4
1 When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the city wall, he was very angry. He was enraged/furious. He made fun of us Jews.
Kwathi uSanibhalathi esizwa ukuthi sasiwuvusa umduli, wazonda waze wagcwalelana. Wabahleka ulunya amaJuda,
2 While his colleagues and officials of the army troops who had come from Samaria were listening, he said, “What do these feeble/pathetic Jews [think they] are doing? Do they think that if they offer enough/many sacrifices, [their gods will hear them and enable] them to finish building the wall in one day? The stones [that were in the wall previously have been weakened by] being burned in a fire. Those stones that they are pulling out of the rubbish/garbage heaps—do they think that they can make them strong again?” [RHQ]
wasesithi phambi kwabakhula bakhe lebutho laseSamariya, “OkungamaJuda lokhu kuthi kwenzani kambe? Kungawuvusa umduli wakho na? Kuzayenza imihlatshelo na? Kuzawuqeda ngalanga linye? Kungakubuyisa na ukuphila ematsheni lawana azinqwaba zengcekeza etshe kanjeyana?”
3 Tobiah was [standing] beside Sanballat. He said, “That stone wall [that they are building] is very weak; so if even a fox climbed up on it, the wall would fall down!”
UThobhiya umʼAmoni, owayeseceleni kwakhe wathi, “Lokhu abakwakhayo, loba nje ikhanka lingakhwela phezu kwakho, lingawudiliza umduli wabo wamatshe!”
4 Then I prayed. I said, “Our God, hear us, because they are ridiculing us! Cause the words of their insults to fall back on them! Allow their enemies to come and capture them and force them to go to a foreign land!
Sizwe, Oh Nkulunkulu wethu, ngoba siyeyiswa. Phindisela kubo emakhanda izithuko zabo. Banikele babe yimpango elizweni lobugqili.
5 They are guilty; they have [said things that] caused you to be angry while the people here who are building the wall are listening; so punish them!”
Ungaligubuzeli icala labo kumbe wesule izono zabo emehlweni akho, ngoba bebehlambaza abakhi.
6 But after some time, we finished building the wall around the whole city, up to half as high as the first wall had been. We were able to do that because we worked very hard.
Ngakho sawakha umduli wonke waze waphakama okufika ingxenye yobude bawo, ngoba abantu basebenza ngenhliziyo yabo yonke.
7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the men from Arabia, the people from the Ammon [people-group] and from Ashdod [city] heard that the work on the wall was continuing and that we were filling in the gaps in the wall, they became very angry.
Kodwa kwathi ukuba uSanibhalathi, loThobhiya, lama-Arabhu, lama-Amoni lamadoda ase-Ashidodi besizwa ukuthi ukuvuselelwa kwemiduli yaseJerusalema kwasekuqhubekile njalo lezikhala zazivalwa bazonda kakhulu.
8 They all planned to come and fight against the people of Jerusalem [MTY] and to cause trouble.
Baceba ukuba beze bazohlasela iJerusalema bavuse uthuli kulo.
9 But we prayed to our God [to protect us], and we put men [around the walls] to guard [the city] day and night.
Kodwa sakhuleka kuNkulunkulu wethu sabeka abalindi emini lebusuku ukuthi balindele lokhukuhlaselwa.
10 Then the people of [MTY] Judah started to say, “The men who are working [on the wall] are becoming very tired. There is a lot of [heavy] rubble that we must remove; we ourselves cannot finish the work.
Kusenjalo, abantu bakoJuda bathi, “Amandla abasebenzi asededa, ikanti izibi zisezinengi okokuthi siyehluleka ukuqhubeka ngokwakha umduli.”
11 “Besides, our enemies are saying, ‘Before the Jews see us, we will swoop down on them and kill them and stop their work [on the wall]!’”
Izitha zethu lazo zathi, “Besalibele nje futhi bengakasiboni, bazaqabuka sesiphakathi kwabo sesibabulala siwuphethe lumsebenzi.”
12 The Jews who were living near our enemies came and told us many times, “You should leave the city and go to other places, in order that your enemies will not attack you!”
Kwasekusithi amaJuda ababehlala eduze labo beza bazasitshela baphindaphinda besithi, “Lingaze liqonde ngaphi bazalihlasela kuphela.”
13 So I put guards at the places where the wall was not very high yet and at places where there were gaps in the wall. I put guards to protect each of their family groups. I gave the guards daggers, spears, and bows [and arrows].
Ngasengimisa abanye abantu ngezimuli zabo ezindaweni lapho umduli owawuphansi khona, ezazingeneka lula, behlomile ngezinkemba, lemikhonto langemitshoko.
14 Then after I inspected everything, I summoned the leaders and [other] officials and [many of] the other people, and I said to them, “Do not be afraid of our enemies! Think about [what] Yahweh, who is great and glorious, [can do]! And fight to protect your friends, your families, and your homes!”
Ngemva kokuba sengiwuhlolisisile wonke umumo, ngasukuma ngathi ezikhulwini, lezinduna lakubantu bonke jikelele, “Lingabesabi. Khumbulani uThixo, omkhulu owesabekayo, lilwele abafowenu, amadodana lamadodakazi enu, abafazi benu lemizi yenu.”
15 Our enemies heard that we knew what they were planning to do and that God had (spoiled their plans/prevented them from doing what they planned). [But we were sure that God would defend us, ] so we all started to work on the wall again.
Kwathi izitha zethu sezizwile ukuthi sasesilazi icebo lazo lokuthi uNkulunkulu wayeselifubisile, sonke sabuyela kuwo umduli, ngulowo kowakhe umsebenzi.
16 But after that, only half of the men who were working for me worked on the wall. The others stood there on guard, holding their spears, shields, bows [and arrows], and [wearing their] coats made of metal plates. [To encourage the people] were building the wall, their leaders stood behind them.
Kusukela ngalelolanga, ingxenye yamadoda engangilawo yenza umsebenzi, enye ingxenye yahloma ngemikhonto, lamahawu, lemitshoko lamabhatshi ensimbi. Izinduna zazimisa ngemva kwabo bonke abantu bakoJuda
17 Those who carried [baskets of supplies on their heads/shoulders] and those who built the wall did their work with one hand, and held a weapon with the other hand.
ababesakha umduli. Labo ababethwala izinto zokwakha babesenza umsebenzi ngesandla esisodwa ngesinye umuntu ephethe isikhali,
18 All those who were building [the wall] had a dagger fastened to their side. The man who would blow the trumpet [if our enemies attacked] was standing at my side.
njalo ngulowo lalowo umakhi wayehlome inkemba ilengiswe eceleni kwakhe nxa esebenza. Kodwa indoda yokutshaya icilongo yahlala ikimi.
19 Then I said to the officials, the other important men, and the other people, “This wall is very long, and we are far apart from each other along the wall.
Ngasengisithi ezikhulwini, lezinduna lakubantu bonke jikelele, “Umsebenzi ubanzi usabalele, njalo sehlukene kakhulu omunye komunye kulandela umduli.
20 If you hear the man blowing the trumpet, gather around us at that place. [Remember that] our God will fight for us!”
Lingezwa ingabe kungaphi okukhala khona icilongo, phuthumani khona lize kithi. UNkulunkulu wethu uzasilwela!”
21 So we continued to work. Half of the men continued to hold their spears all day, from when the sun rose [in the morning] until the stars appeared [at night].
Yikho sawuqhuba umsebenzi ingxenye yamadoda ihlomile ngemikhonto, kusukela emathathakusa kuze kuphume izinkanyezi.
22 At that time, I also said to the people, “Tell every worker and his helper that they must stay inside Jerusalem at night. By doing that, they can guard us at night, and they can work [on the wall] during the daytime.”
Ngasonaleso isikhathi ngabuye ngathi ebantwini, “Akuthi yonke indoda kanye lomsizi wayo balale ngaphakathi kweJerusalema ebusuku, ukuze babengabalindi bethu ebusuku, babe ngabasebenzi emini.”
23 During that time, none of us ever took off our clothes (OR, we wore our clothes all the time)—I and my relatives and my workers and the guards who were with me. And we had our weapons with us, in our hands.
Mina labafowethu, lamadoda ayelami, labalindi ababelami kasizange sihlubule izigqoko zethu; ngulowo waphatha isikhali sakhe loba engena emanzini.
