Nehemiah 2
1 In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, he selected wine, and I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never before been sad in his presence.
Pea naʻe hoko ʻo pehē ʻi he māhina ko Nisani, ʻi hono uofulu taʻu ʻo ʻAtakisekisi ko e tuʻi, naʻe ʻi hoku ʻao ʻae uaine: pea naʻaku toʻo hake ʻae uaine ʻo ʻatu ia ki he tuʻi. Pea ko eni naʻe teʻeki ai te u matapeko ʻi hono ʻao.
2 But the king said to me, “Why is your face so sad? You do not appear to be ill. This must be sadness of heart.” Then I became very much afraid.
Ko ia naʻe pehē ai ʻe he tuʻi kiate au, “Ko e hā ʻoku matapeko ai ho mata, ka ʻoku ʻikai te ke mahaki?” ʻOku ʻikai ko e meʻa kehe ia ka ko e mamahi ʻi loto. Pea ne u manavahē lahi ai.
3 I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad? The city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire.”
Pea naʻaku pehē ki he tuʻi, “Tuku ke moʻui ʻae tuʻi ʻo taʻengata: ʻe ʻikai te u mata tangi nai ko e hā, lolotonga kuo tuku liʻaki pe ʻae kolo, ko e potu ʻoe ngaahi tanuʻanga ʻo ʻeku ngaahi tamai, pea ko hono ngaahi matapā kuo tutuʻaki ʻae afi?”
4 Then the king said to me, “What do you want me to do?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.
Pea pehē ai ʻe he tuʻi kiate au, “Ko e hā ia ʻoku ke kole? Ko ia naʻaku lotu ai ki he ʻOtua ʻoe langi.”
5 I replied to the king, “If it seems good to the king, and if your servant has done well in your sight, you could send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' tombs, that I may rebuild it.”
Pea ne u pehē ki he tuʻi, “Kapau ʻoku lelei ki he tuʻi, pea kapau kuo ʻilo ʻe hoʻo tamaioʻeiki ʻae ʻofa ʻi ho ʻao, ke ke fekau au ki Siuta, ki he kolo ʻoe ngaahi tanuʻanga ʻo ʻeku ngaahi tamai, koeʻuhi ke u langa hake ia.”
6 The king replied to me (and the queen was also sitting beside him), “How long shall you be away and when will you return?” The king was glad to send me when I gave him the dates.
Pea naʻe pehē ʻe he tuʻi kiate au, (pea naʻe nofo ofi kiate ia ʻae tuʻi fefine foki, ) “Ko e hā hono fuoloa ʻo ho fononga? Pea te ke toe haʻu ʻafē? Pea naʻe lelei ki he tuʻi ke ne fekauʻi au; pea ne u kotofa kiate ia ʻae kuonga.”
7 Then I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, may letters be given to me for the governors in the Province Beyond the River so that they may permit me to pass through their territories on my way to Judah.
Pea ne u pehē foki ki he tuʻi, “Kapau ʻoku lelei ki he tuʻi, tuku ke ʻomi kiate au ʻae ngaahi tohi ki he ngaahi pule ʻi he potu kauvai ʻe taha ʻoe vaitafe, koeʻuhi ke nau moimoiʻi au ʻo aʻu ki heʻeku hoko atu ki Siuta;
8 May there also be a letter for Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, so that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress next to the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house in which I will live.” So because the good hand of God was on me, the king granted me my requests.
Mo e tohi ʻe taha kia ʻAsafi ko e tauhi ʻoe vao ʻakau ʻoe tuʻi koeʻuhi ke ne foaki kiate au ʻae ngaahi ʻakau ke ngaohi ʻaki ʻae ʻakau lalava ki he ngaahi matapā ʻoe fale ʻaia ʻoku kau ki he faletapu, pea maʻae ʻā maka ʻoe kolo, pea maʻae fale ʻaia te u hū ki ai.” Pea naʻe tuku mai ʻe he tuʻi kiate au, ʻo hangē ko e ʻiate au ʻae nima lelei ʻo hoku ʻOtua.
9 I came to the governors in the Province Beyond the River and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen.
Pea ne u toki hoko atu ki he kau pule ʻi he tuʻa vaitafe, pea u tuku kiate kinautolu ʻae ngaahi tohi ʻoe tuʻi. Pea naʻe fekau ʻe he tuʻi ke ʻalu mo au ʻae ngaahi ʻeiki ʻoe tau mo e kau tangata heka hoosi.
10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, they were greatly displeased that someone had come who was seeking to help the people of Israel.
Pea ʻi he fanongo ki ai ʻe Sanipalate ko e tangata Holoni, mo Topaia ko e tamaioʻeiki, ko e tangata ʻAmoni, naʻe mamahi lahi ʻakinaua, koeʻuhi ʻi he haʻu ʻae tangata ke kumi ke lelei ai ʻae fānau ʻa ʻIsileli.
11 So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days.
Ko ia, ne u hoko ki Selūsalema, pea ne u ʻi ai ʻi he ʻaho ʻe tolu.
12 I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. I did not tell anyone what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me, other than the one I was riding.
Pea ne u tuʻu hake ʻi he poʻuli, mo e kau tangata tokosiʻi naʻe ʻiate au; pea naʻe ʻikai te u tala ki ha tokotaha ʻaia naʻe tuku ʻe hoku ʻOtua ki hoku loto ke fai ʻi Selūsalema: pea naʻe ʻikai ha manu ʻiate au ka ko ia naʻaku heka ai.
13 I went out by night by the Valley Gate, toward the Jackal's Well and to the Dung Gate, and inspected the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken open, and the wooden gates were destroyed by fire.
Pea ne u ʻalu kituaʻā ʻi he poʻuli ʻi he matapā ʻoe teleʻa, ʻo hangatonu mo e vaikeli ko e talākoni, pea ki he matapā fokotuʻunga veve, pea u vakai ki he ngaahi ʻā maka ʻo Selūsalema, ʻaia naʻe holoki hifo, mo e ngaahi matapā ʻaia naʻe fakaʻauha ʻaki ʻae afi.
14 Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King's Pool. The place was too narrow for the animal I was riding to pass through.
Pea naʻaku ʻalu ai pe ki he matapā ʻoe matavai, pea ki he anovai ʻoe tuʻi: pea naʻe ʻikai ha potu ke ʻalu ai ʻae manu naʻaku heka ai.
15 So I went up that night by the valley and inspected the wall, and I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned.
Pea naʻaku ʻalu hake ai ʻi he poʻuli ʻo ofi ki he vaitafe, ʻo vakai ki he ʻā maka, pea u tafoki ki mui, pea hū ʻi he matapā ʻoe teleʻa, pea toe foki atu ai.
16 The rulers did not know where I went or what I did, and I had not yet informed the Jews, nor the priests, nor the nobles, nor the rulers, nor the rest who did the work.
Pea naʻe ʻikai ʻilo ʻe he kau pule pe naʻaku ʻalu ki fē, pe ko ia naʻaku fai; pea naʻe teʻeki te u tala ia ki he kakai Siu, pe ki he kau taulaʻeiki, pe ki he houʻeiki, pe ki he kau pule, pe ki he toenga [kakai ]naʻe fai ʻae ngāue.
17 I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so we will no longer be in disgrace.”
Pea ne u pehē ai kiate kinautolu, “ʻOku mou mamata ki he mamahi ʻoku tau moʻua ai, koeʻuhi kuo tutu liʻaki pe ʻa Selūsalema, pea kuo tuku hono ngaahi matapā ʻaki ʻae afi: haʻu, ketau langa hake ʻae ʻā maka ʻo Selūsalema, koeʻuhi ke ʻoua naʻa tau kei hoko ko e lumaʻanga.”
18 I told them that the good hand of my God was on me and also about the king's words that he had spoken to me. They said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
Pea ne u toki tala kiate kinautolu ʻae nima ʻo hoku ʻOtua ʻaia naʻe hili lelei kiate au; pea mo e ngaahi lea ʻae tuʻi foki ʻaia naʻa ne lea kiate au. Pea naʻa nau pehē, “Ke tau tuʻu hake pea langa.” Ko ia naʻa nau fakamālohiʻi honau nima ki he ngāue lelei ni.
19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the Ammonite servant, and Geshem the Arabian heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us, and they said, “What are you doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”
Ka ʻi he fanongo ki ai ʻe Sanipalate ko e tangata Holoni, mo Topaia ko e tamaioʻeiki, ko e tangata ʻAmoni, mo Kesemi ko e tangata ʻAlepea, naʻa nau kata manukiʻi ʻakimautolu, pea lumaʻi ʻakimautolu, ʻo pehē, “Ko e hā ʻae meʻa ni ʻoku mou fai? ʻOku mou loto ke angatuʻu ki he tuʻi?”
20 Then I answered them, “The God of heaven will give us success. We are his servants and we will arise and build. But you have no share, no right, and no historic claim in Jerusalem.”
Pea naʻaku talia ʻakinautolu, pea u pehē kiate kinautolu, “Ko e ʻOtua ʻoe langi, te ne fakamonūʻia ʻakimautolu; ko ia ko kimautolu ko ʻene kau tamaioʻeiki te mau tuʻu hake ʻo langa: ka ʻoku ʻikai ha tofiʻa, pe ha potu, pe ha fakaʻilonga ʻi Selūsalema maʻamoutolu.”
