< Nehemia 4 >

1 Esime Sanbalat se be míegbugbɔ gli la nɔ ɖoɖom la, edo dɔmedzoe ŋutɔ. Edzu mí, ɖu fewu le Yudatɔwo ŋu
But it happened that when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.
2 le xɔlɔ̃awo kple Samariatɔwo ƒe asrafoha la ŋkume be, “Nu ka Yudatɔ gblɔe siawo bu be yewole wɔwɔm? Ɖe wobu be yewoate ŋu agbugbɔ gli la aɖo le ŋkeke ɖeka me ne yewosa vɔ geɖewoa? Mikpɔ kpe ƒodzo siwo wole ɖeɖem le gli gbagbãwo me hegale wo ŋu dɔ wɔm ɖa!”
And he spoke before his brothers and the army of Samaria, and said, "What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, which are burned?"
3 Tobia, Amonitɔ la tsi tsitre ɖe egbɔ, eye eya hã gblɔ fewuɖutɔe be, “Ne abei aɖe gɔ̃ hã zɔ woƒe gli dzi la, gli la amu gbloo!”
Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, "What they are building, if a fox climbed up it, he would break down their stone wall."
4 Ale medo gbe ɖa na Mawu be, “Oo, Aƒetɔ mía Mawu, ɖo to mí, elabena wole fewu ɖum le mía ŋu. Na woƒe fewuɖuɖu natrɔ adze woawo ŋutɔ ƒe ta dzi, eye woaɖe aboyo wo ayi dzronyigba aɖe dzi.
"Hear, our God; for we are despised; and turn back their insults on their own head, give them up for a spoil in a land of captivity;
5 Mègaŋe aɖaba ƒu woƒe vodadawo dzi o, eye mègatutu woƒe nu vɔ̃wo ɖa le ŋkuwò me o, elabena wodo vlo wò, to vlododo mí, ame siwo le wò gli la ɖom la me.”
do not cover their iniquity, and do not let their sin be blotted out from before you; for they have insulted the builders."
6 Mlɔeba la, míewu gli la nu ƒo xlã du blibo la wòkɔ abe tsãtɔ ƒe kɔkɔme ƒe afã ene, elabena dɔa wɔlawo wɔ dɔ sesĩe kple moveviɖoɖo.
So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together to half its height: for the people had a mind to work.
7 Ke esi Sanbalat kple Tobia kple Arabiatɔwo kple Amonitɔwo kple Asdodtɔwo se be dɔa le edzi yim nyuie, eye wogbugbɔ gli la ƒe gbagbãƒewo le ɖoɖom la, wodo dɔmedzoe vevie.
But it happened that when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabians, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, and that the breaches began to be filled, then they were very angry;
8 Woɖo be yewoatsɔ aʋakɔ aɖe aho aʋa ɖe Yerusalem ŋu, eye yewoahe ʋunyaʋunya kple tɔtɔ vɛ.
and they conspired all of them together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion in it.
9 Ke míedo gbe ɖa na míaƒe Mawu, eye míedzɔ dua ŋu zã kple keli be míanɔ dedie.
But we made our prayer to our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.
10 Ame siwo nɔ Yuda gblɔ be, “Ŋusẽ le vɔvɔm le dɔwɔlawo ŋu, eye gli gbagbã si woli kɔe la sɔ gbɔ ale gbegbe be míate ŋu agbugbɔ gli la aɖo o.”
Judah said, "The strength of the bearers of burdens is fading, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall."
11 Gawu la, míaƒe futɔwo nɔ ta me ɖom be yewoadze mía dzi, awu mí ale be míaƒe dɔ la wɔwɔ natɔ.
Our adversaries said, "They shall not know, neither see, until we come into their midst, and kill them, and cause the work to cease."
12 Tete Yudatɔ siwo nɔ wo dome la va gblɔ na mí zi ewo be, “Woatso teƒe vovovowo ava dze mía dzi.”
It happened that when the Jews who lived by them came, they said to us ten times from all places, "Wherever you turn, they will attack us."
13 Ale meda dzɔla siwo si yi, akplɔ kple dati nɔ la tso ƒome ɖe sia ɖe me ɖe gli la megbe le teƒe siwo gli gbagbãwo meli kɔ ɖo o.
Therefore set I in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in the open places, I set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.
14 Mebu nu si le edzi yim la ŋuti nyuie, eye metsi tsitre gblɔ na bubumewo, dɔnunɔlawo kple ame haho la be, “Migavɔ̃ na wo o. Miɖo ŋku Aƒetɔ si sẽ ŋu, eye ŋɔdzi le eŋuti la dzi ne miawɔ aʋa ɖe mia nɔviŋutsuwo, mia viŋutsuwo, mia vinyɔnuwo, mia srɔ̃wo kple miaƒe aƒewo ta.”
I looked, and rose up, and said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, "Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses."
15 Esi míaƒe futɔwo se be míenya nu tso yewoƒe ɖoɖowo ŋu, eye be Mawu ɖe yewoƒe ɖoɖowo fia mí, eye wògblẽ wo me la, mí katã míetrɔ va yi gli la ɖoɖo dzi.
It happened, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and God had brought their counsel to nothing, that we returned all of us to the wall, everyone to his work.
16 Tso gbe ma gbe dzi la, dɔwɔlawo ƒe afã koe wɔa dɔ la, eye afã mamlɛa léa akplɔwo, akpoxɔnuwo, aŋutrɔwo kple lãnu bubuwo ɖe asi henɔa Yudatɔ,
It happened from that time forth that half of my servants would do the work and half of them held the spears, and the shields, and the bows, and the body armor; and the rulers stood behind the whole house of Judah
17 siwo le gli la ɖom la megbe. Ame siwo nɔ kɔ lɔm la hã wɔa dɔ kple asi ɖeka, eye woléa aʋawɔnu ɖe asi evelia.
who were building the wall. And those who carried loads held their load with one hand and with the other held a weapon;
18 Ke ame siwo nɔ gli la ɖom ya ta yi ɖe ali hafi nɔ dɔ la wɔm. Ke kpẽkula ya nɔ nye axadzi.
and the builders, everyone wore his sword at his side, and so built. He who sounded the trumpet was by me.
19 Meɖe eme na bubumeawo, dɔnunɔlawo kple ame haho la be, “Dɔ la keke ta, míema ɖe eŋuti ale mía dome didi tso mía nɔewo gbɔ le gli la ŋuti,
I said to the nobles, and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, "The work is great and large, and we are separated on the wall, one far from another.
20 eya ta ne mienya se kpẽa ƒe ɖiɖi ko la, miƒu du va mía gbɔ afii. Míaƒe Mawu la awɔ aʋa na mí!”
Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally there to us. Our God will fight for us."
21 Ale míeyi dɔ la wɔwɔ dzi; ŋutsu afã lé akplɔwo ɖe asi tso agudzeɣi va se ɖe esime ɣletiviwo nato.
So we worked in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning until the stars appeared.
22 Megblɔ na ame siwo katã le gli la godo be woava Yerusalem du la me ale be woƒe subɔlawo nate ŋu adzɔ du la ŋu le zã me, eye woawɔ dɔ le ŋkeke me.
Likewise at the same time said I to the people, "Let everyone with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and may labor in the day."
23 Le ɣeyiɣi sia me la, mía dometɔ aɖeke, nye ŋutɔ kple nɔvinyewo kple subɔlawo kple duŋudzɔla siwo nɔ gbɔnye la, míeɖea awu ɖi o, eye aʋawɔnuwo nɔa mía ŋu ɣe sia ɣi ne míeyi tsinoƒe gɔ̃ hã.
So neither I, nor my brothers, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes. Everyone took his weapon to the water.

< Nehemia 4 >