Nehemia 13
1 Na rĩrĩ, mũthenya ũcio, Ibuku rĩa Musa rĩgĩthomwo na mũgambo mũnene andũ makĩĩiguagĩra, rĩgĩthomwo handũ haandĩkĩtwo atĩ gũtirĩ Mũamoni kana Mũmoabi ũgetĩkĩrio akorwo kĩũngano-inĩ kĩa andũ a Ngai,
One day when the Book of Moses was being read to the people, the section was found where it was written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be allowed into the assembly of God,
2 tondũ matiigana kũhe andũ a Isiraeli irio na maaĩ; no-o nĩ kũrĩha maarĩhire Balamu amarume. (No rĩrĩ, Ngai witũ akĩgarũra kĩrumi gĩgĩtuĩka kĩrathimo.)
because they hadn't brought food and water when they met the Israelites, but instead they had hired Balaam to put a curse on them—though our God turned that curse into a blessing!
3 Rĩrĩa andũ maaiguire watho ũcio, makĩeheria andũ othe arĩa maarĩ ageni kuuma Isiraeli.
When the people heard about this law, they separated out from Israel everyone who had foreign ancestry.
4 Mbere ĩyo, Eliashibu ũrĩa mũthĩnjĩri-Ngai nĩakoretwo atuĩtwo mũrũgamĩrĩri wa makũmbĩ ma nyũmba ya Ngai witũ. Aarĩ wa thiritũ ya hakuhĩ na Tobia,
Before all this, Eliashib the priest, who was related to Tobiah, had been put in charge of the storerooms of the Temple of our God.
5 na nĩamũhete nyũmba nene aikarage ĩrĩa mbere ĩyo yaigagwo mĩhothi ya ngano, na ũbumba, na indo cia hekarũ, o na mĩhothi ya gĩcunjĩ gĩa ikũmi kĩa ngano, na ndibei ya mũhihano na maguta marĩa maaheagwo Alawii, na aini na aikaria a ihingo, o na mĩhothi ĩrĩa yarutagĩrwo athĩnjĩri-Ngai.
He had provided Tobiah with a large room which had previously been used to store the grain offerings, incense, and Temple items, as well as the tithes of grain, new wine, and olive oil allocated to the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, in addition to the offerings for the priests.
6 No rĩrĩa maũndũ maya mothe maathiiaga na mbere, niĩ ndiarĩ kũu Jerusalemu, nĩgũkorwo mwaka-inĩ ũcio wa mĩrongo ĩtatũ na ĩĩrĩ wa ũthamaki wa Aritashashita, mũthamaki wa Babuloni, nĩndacookete kũrĩ mũthamaki. Matukũ manini maathira nĩndamũhooire rũtha,
When all this happened I was not in Jerusalem because I had returned to King Artaxerxes of Babylon in the thirty-second year of his reign. Some time later I requested permission from the king to go back.
7 ngĩcooka Jerusalemu. Ndacooka Jerusalemu nĩguo ndaamenyire ũũru ũrĩa Eliashibu eekĩte nĩ ũndũ wa kũhe Tobia kanyũmba nja ya nyũmba ya Ngai.
When I arrived back in Jerusalem I discovered the dreadful thing Eliashib had done in providing Tobiah a room in the courtyard of God's Temple.
8 Nĩndarakaririo nĩ ũhoro ũcio mũno na ngĩikia indo ciothe cia Tobia nja.
I was extremely upset, and I went and threw out everything that was in Tobiah's room.
9 Ngĩcooka ngĩruta watho kũgĩe igongona rĩa gũtheria nyũmba ĩyo, na ngĩcookia indo ciothe cia nyũmba ya Ngai kuo, hamwe na maruta ma ngano na ũbumba.
I ordered the rooms purified, and put back the Temple items, the grain offerings, and the incense.
10 Ningĩ nĩndamenyire atĩ Alawii matiaheagwo gĩcunjĩ kĩrĩa kĩerĩtwo maaheagwo, na Alawii othe hamwe na aini arĩa maatungataga nĩmatiganĩirie ũtungata, magacooka mĩgũnda-inĩ yao.
I also found out that the food allowances for the Levites were not being provided, so the Levites had gone back to take care of their fields, along with the singers who led the worship services.
11 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio ngĩrũithia anene acio, ngĩmooria atĩrĩ: “Nyũmba ya Ngai ĩtiganĩirio nĩkĩ?” Ningĩ ngĩmeeta othe hamwe, ngĩmacookia o mũndũ wĩra-inĩ wake.
I went and confronted the leaders, asking, “Why is God's Temple being neglected?” I called the Levites back and made sure they were carrying out their responsibilities.
12 Andũ othe a Juda nĩmarehire gĩcunjĩ gĩa ikũmi kĩa ngano, na ndibei ya mũhihano, o na maguta makũmbĩ-inĩ.
Everyone in Judah then brought the tithes of grain, new wine, and olive oil into the storerooms.
13 Na niĩ ngĩtua Shelemia ũrĩa mũthĩnjĩri-Ngai, na Zadoku ũrĩa mwandĩki-marũa, marĩ na Mulawii wetagwo Pedaia, arũgamĩrĩri a makũmbĩ, na ngĩtua Hanani mũrũ wa Zakuri mũrũ wa Matania mũnini wao, tondũ andũ aya nĩmoonagwo marĩ ehokeku. Nĩmatuirwo a kũgayagĩra ariũ a ithe wao indo.
I put Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah, one of the Levites, in charge of the storerooms with Hanan, son of Zakkur, son of Mattaniah, to assist them, because they were considered honest people. Their responsibility was to distribute the allowances to their fellow Levites.
14 Ndirikana, Wee Ngai wakwa, nĩ ũndũ wa maũndũ maya, na ndũgatharie wĩra na ũtungata ũrĩa ndungatĩte nyũmba-inĩ ya Ngai wakwa ndĩ mwĩhokeku.
My God, please remember me over this. Please don't forget my good deeds I have done for the Temple of my God and its services.
15 Matukũ-inĩ macio nĩndeyoneire andũ a Juda makĩhiha ndibei mũthenya wa Thabatũ na makĩrehe ngano, na magĩkuuithia ndigiri ngano hamwe na ndibei, na thabibũ, na ngũyũ, na mĩthemba yothe ya mĩrigo. Indo icio ciothe maarehaga Jerusalemu mũthenya wa Thabatũ. Nĩ ũndũ ũcio ngĩmakaania kwendia irio mũthenya ũcio wa Thabatũ.
Around that time I noticed people treading the winepress on Sabbath. I saw others collecting grain and loading it up on donkeys, along with wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens, and bringing it all into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day.
16 Andũ a Turo arĩa maatũũraga Jerusalemu nĩmarehaga thamaki na indo cia mĩthemba yothe, na magaciendagĩria andũ a Juda mũthenya wa Thabatũ kũu Jerusalemu.
I told them off for selling their produce on that day.
17 Ngĩrũithia andũ arĩa maarĩ igweta a Juda, ngĩmooria atĩrĩ, “Nĩ ũndũ ũrĩkũ ũyũ mũreka wa waganu wa gũthaahia mũthenya wa Thabatũ?
Some people from Tyre who lived in Jerusalem were bringing in fish and all kinds of things and they were selling them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah in Jerusalem.
18 Maithe manyu ma tene-rĩ, githĩ ti maũndũ ta maya meekire, nake Ngai witũ agĩtũrehere mathĩĩna maya mothe matũkorete na magakora itũũra rĩĩrĩ inene? No rĩu inyuĩ mũrarehera Isiraeli mangʼũrĩ maingĩ makĩria na ũndũ wa gũthaahia Thabatũ.”
I confronted the Jewish leaders, asking them, “Why are you are doing such an evil thing? You are violating the Sabbath day! Wasn't this what your forefathers did, bringing our God down on us, causing us and this city such disasters? Now you're bringing even more trouble on us by violating the Sabbath!”
19 Na rĩrĩ, hwaĩ-inĩ kwambĩrĩria kũgĩa nduma ihingo-inĩ cia Jerusalemu Thabatũ ĩtanakinya-rĩ, ngĩathana mĩrango ya Jerusalemu ĩhingwo na ndĩkahingũrwo nginya Thabatũ ĩthire. Ngĩiga andũ amwe akwa ihingo-inĩ marangĩre, nĩgeetha gũtikagĩe mũrigo ũngĩtoonyio thĩinĩ mũthenya wa Thabatũ.
So I ordered Jerusalem's gates to be shut at sunset on the day before the Sabbath, and that were not to be opened until after the Sabbath had ended. I assigned some of my men to guard the gates to make sure no goods would be brought in on the Sabbath day.
20 Rĩmwe kana meerĩ, onjorithia na endia a indo cia mĩthemba yothe maraarire nja ya Jerusalemu.
A couple of times merchants and sellers of all kinds of goods spent the night outside of Jerusalem.
21 No ngĩmakaania ngĩmooria atĩrĩ, “Nĩ kĩĩ gĩgũtũma mũraare rũthingo-inĩ? Mũngĩĩka ũguo rĩngĩ nĩndĩmũnyiitithia.” Kuuma hĩndĩ ĩyo matiacookire gũũka mũthenya wa Thabatũ.
I warned them, saying, “Why are you spending the night by the wall? If you do that again I'll have you arrested!” After that they didn't come on the Sabbath.
22 Ningĩ ngĩatha Alawii meetherie macooke mathiĩ makarangĩre ihingo nĩgeetha maige mũthenya wa Thabatũ ũrĩ mũtheru. Ndirikana, Wee Ngai wakwa, nĩ ũndũ wa ũndũ ũyũ o naguo, na ũnjiguĩre tha kũringana na wendo waku mũnene.
Then I told the Levites to purify themselves and to come and guard the gates to keep the Sabbath day holy. My God, please also remember me for doing this, and be merciful to me because of your trustworthy love.
23 Na rĩrĩ, matukũ-inĩ macio nĩndonire arũme a Juda arĩa maahikĩtie andũ-a-nja a kuuma Ashidodi, na Amoni, na Moabi.
Around the same time I realized some Jews had married women from Ashdod, Moab, and Ammon.
24 Nuthu ya ciana ciao ciaaragia rũthiomi rwa Ashidodi kana thiomi cia ndũrĩrĩ icio ingĩ, no matiooĩ kwaria rũthiomi rwa Juda.
Half their children could only speak the language of Ashdod or that of another people, and didn't know how to speak the language of Judah.
25 Ngĩmarũithia na ngĩmetĩria kĩrumi. Nĩndahũũrire arũme amwe ao na ngĩmamunya njuĩrĩ. Ngĩtũma mehĩte mwĩhĩtwa makĩgwetaga rĩĩtwa rĩa Ngai, ngĩmeera atĩrĩ: “Menyai gũkaaneana airĩtu anyu mahikio nĩ ariũ ao, kana aanake anyu inyuĩ ene mahikie airĩtu ao.
So I confronted them and told them they were cursed. I beat some of them and pulled out their hair. Then I made them take an oath before God, saying, “You must not allow your daughters to marry their sons, or allow your sons—or yourselves— to marry their daughters.
26 Githĩ ti ihikanio ta icio ciatũmire Solomoni mũthamaki wa Isiraeli eehie? Ndũrĩrĩ-inĩ nyingĩ gũtiarĩ mũthamaki ũngĩ watariĩ take. Ngai wake nĩamwendete, akĩmũtua mũthamaki Isiraeli guothe; no-o na kũrĩ ũguo-rĩ, nĩatoonyirio mehia-inĩ nĩ andũ-a-nja a kũngĩ.
Wasn't it marriages like these that made King Solomon of Israel sin? There wasn't a king in any nation like him. God loved him, and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was made to sin by foreign women.
27 Ithuĩ-rĩ, no nginya tũigue atĩ o na inyuĩ mũreka waganu ũyũ wothe mũũru ũũ, mũkaaga kwĩhokeka kũrĩ Ngai witũ na ũndũ wa kũhikia andũ-a-nja a kũngĩ?”
So do we have to hear about you committing this dreadful sin, how you are being unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women?”
28 Mũriũ ũmwe wa Joiada mũrũ wa Eliashibu mũthĩnjĩri-Ngai ũrĩa mũnene aarĩ mũthoni-we wa Sanibalati ũrĩa Mũhoroni. Nĩndamũingatire oime harĩ niĩ.
Even one of the sons of Jehoiada, son of Eliashib the high priest, had become a son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite. So I expelled him.
29 Maririkane, Wee Ngai wakwa, tondũ nĩmathaahirie wĩra wa ũthĩnjĩri-Ngai, o na magĩthaahia kĩrĩkanĩro kĩa wĩra wa athĩnjĩri-Ngai na kĩa Alawii.
My God, remember them and what they did, violating the priesthood and the solemn agreement of the priests and Levites.
30 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio, ngĩtheria athĩnjĩri-Ngai na Alawii kuuma kũrĩ ũndũ o wothe mũgeni, ngĩcooka ngĩmagaĩra o mũndũ wĩra wake kĩũmbe.
I purified them from everything foreign, and I made sure the priests and Levites were carrying out their assigned responsibilities.
31 Ningĩ nĩndathondekire mweke wa kũhothaga ngũ na maciaro ma mbere mahinda marĩa maatuĩtwo. Wee Ngai wakwa, ndirikana na ũnjĩke wega.
I also arranged for wood to be supplied for the altar at the specified times, and for the first part of the produce to be donated. My God, remember me favorably.
