Nehemia 2
1 Mweri-inĩ wa Nisani, mwaka wa mĩrongo ĩĩrĩ wa Mũthamaki Aritashashita, rĩrĩa aareheirwo ndibei, ngĩoya ndibei ĩyo ngĩmĩnengera mũthamaki. Mbere ya hĩndĩ ĩyo ndiatukĩtie gĩthiithi ndĩ harĩ we;
Now in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was set before him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had never been sad in his presence,
2 nĩ ũndũ ũcio mũthamaki akĩnjũũria atĩrĩ, “Nĩ kĩĩ gĩtũmĩte ũtukie gĩthiithi ũguo na ndũrĩ mũrũaru? Ũndũ ũcio no uumanire na kĩeha kĩa ngoro.” Na niĩ ngĩĩtigĩra mũno,
so the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, though you are not ill? This could only be sadness of the heart.” I was overwhelmed with fear
3 no ngĩĩra mũthamaki atĩrĩ, “Mũthamaki arotũũra nginya tene! Gĩthiithi gĩakwa kĩngĩaga gũtuka atĩa hĩndĩ ĩrĩa itũũra inene rĩrĩa maithe makwa mathikĩtwo rĩkirĩte ihooru, na ihingo ciarĩo igacinwo ikaniinwo na mwaki?”
and replied to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should I not be sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
4 Mũthamaki akĩnjũũria atĩrĩ, “Ũkwenda atĩa?” Hĩndĩ ĩyo ngĩhooya Ngai wa Igũrũ,
“What is your request?” replied the king. So I prayed to the God of heaven
5 na ngĩcookeria mũthamaki atĩrĩ, “Mũthamaki, angĩona kwagĩrĩire, na ndungata yaku ĩtĩkĩrĩke maitho-inĩ make, nĩakĩndũme itũũra rĩu inene rĩa Juda, kũrĩa maithe makwa mathikĩtwo, nĩguo ngarĩake rĩngĩ.”
and answered the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city where my fathers are buried, so that I may rebuild it.”
6 Hĩndĩ ĩyo mũthamaki, aikaranĩtie na mũtumia wake, akĩnjũũria atĩrĩ, “Rũgendo rwaku nĩ rwa matukũ maigana na ũgaacooka rĩ?” Mũthamaki akĩona arĩ wega andũme; nĩ ũndũ ũcio ngĩtua ihinda rĩa gũthiĩ.
Then the king, with the queen seated beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I set a time.
7 Ningĩ ngĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Mũthamaki angĩona kwagĩrĩire, reke heo marũa ndwarĩre abarũthi a Mũrĩmo-wa-Farati, nĩgeetha manjĩtĩkĩrie hĩtũkĩre kuo kinya nginye Juda.
I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may letters be given to me for the governors west of the Euphrates, so that they will grant me safe passage until I reach Judah.
8 O na no heo marũa ndwarĩre Asafu, mũmenyereri wa mũtitũ wa mũthamaki, nĩgeetha akaahe mbaũ cia gũthondeka mĩgamba ya ihingo cia nyũmba ya ũthamaki ĩrĩa ĩriganĩtie na hekarũ, na cia gwaka rũthingo rwa itũũra inene o na cia gwaka nyũmba ĩrĩa ndĩrĩikaraga?” Na tondũ ũtugi wa guoko kwa Ngai wakwa warĩ hamwe na niĩ, mũthamaki agĩĩtĩkĩra kũũhingĩria maũndũ marĩa mothe ndaamũũrĩtie.
And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so that he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house I will occupy.” And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.
9 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio ngĩthiĩ kũrĩ abarũthi a Mũrĩmo-wa-Farati, ngĩmanengera marũa ma mũthamaki. Ningĩ mũthamaki nĩatũmĩte anene a mbũtũ cia ita hamwe na thigari iria ithiiaga na mbarathi tũthiĩ hamwe nao.
Then I went to the governors west of the Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.
10 Rĩrĩa Sanibalati ũrĩa Mũhoroni, na Tobia mũnene ũrĩa Mũamoni, maaiguire ũhoro ũcio, magĩtangĩka mũno makĩria nĩkũigua atĩ kwarĩ mũndũ wokĩte gũcaria maũndũ ma kũguna andũ a Isiraeli.
But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were deeply disturbed that someone had come to seek the well-being of the Israelites.
11 Nĩndathiire Jerusalemu, na thuutha wa gũikara kuo mĩthenya ĩtatũ-rĩ,
After I had arrived in Jerusalem and had been there three days,
12 ngiumagara ũtukũ ndĩ na andũ matarĩ aingĩ. Ndierĩte mũndũ o na ũmwe ũndũ ũrĩa Ngai wakwa eekĩrĩte ngoro-inĩ yakwa njĩke nĩ ũndũ wa Jerusalemu. Gũtiarĩ na mbarathi ingĩ tiga ĩrĩa yanguuĩte.
I set out at night with a few men. I did not tell anyone what my God had laid on my heart to do for Jerusalem. The only animal with me was the one on which I was riding.
13 Nĩndathiire ũtukũ ngereire Kĩhingo gĩa Kĩanda, njerekeire Gĩthima kĩa Ndamathia na Kĩhingo gĩa Kĩara-inĩ, ngĩroraga thingo cia Jerusalemu iria ciamomoretwo, na ihingo ciarĩo iria ciacinĩtwo ikaniinwo nĩ mwaki.
So I went out at night through the Valley Gate toward the Well of the Serpent and the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that had been broken down and the gates that had been destroyed by fire.
14 Ningĩ ngĩthiĩ o na mbere njerekeire Kĩhingo gĩa Gĩthima na Karia-inĩ ka Mũthamaki, no hatiarĩ handũ haiganu ha kũhĩtũkĩrwo nĩ mbarathi yakwa;
Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal under me to get through;
15 nĩ ũndũ ũcio ngĩambata na mũkuru ũtukũ ngĩroraga ũrĩa rũthingo rwatariĩ. Ndakinya mũthia, ngĩhũndũka ngĩingĩrĩra Kĩhingo gĩa Kĩanda rĩngĩ.
so I went up the valley by night and inspected the wall. Then I headed back and reentered through the Valley Gate.
16 Anene a kũu matiamenyire kũrĩa ndathiĩte kana ũrĩa ndekaga tondũ ndiamenyithĩtie Ayahudi, kana athĩnjĩri-Ngai, kana arĩa maarĩ igweta, kana anene, o na kana arĩa angĩ mangĩarutire wĩra.
The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, for I had not yet told the Jews or priests or nobles or officials or any other workers.
17 Ningĩ ngĩmeera atĩrĩ, “Nĩmũrona thĩĩna ũrĩa tũrĩ naguo: itũũra rĩa Jerusalemu nĩrĩanangĩku, na ihingo ciarĩo igacinwo na mwaki. Ũkai twake rũthingo rwa Jerusalemu rĩngĩ, na tũtigacooka kũnyararwo o na rĩ.”
Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned down. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we will no longer be a disgrace.”
18 O na ningĩ ngĩmeera ũrĩa guoko kwa ũtugi kwa Ngai wakwa kwarĩ hamwe na niĩ, na ũrĩa mũthamaki anjĩĩrĩte. Nao magĩcookia atĩrĩ, “Nĩtwambĩrĩriei gwaka rĩngĩ.” Nĩ ũndũ ũcio makĩambĩrĩria wĩra ũcio mwega.
I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me, and what the king had said to me. “Let us start rebuilding,” they replied, and they set their hands to this good work.
19 No rĩrĩa Sanibalati ũrĩa Mũhoroni na Tobia mũnene ũrĩa Mũamoni na Geshemu ũrĩa Mũarabu maiguire ũhoro ũcio, magĩtũnyũrũria na magĩtũthekerera, makĩũria atĩrĩ, “Nĩ atĩa ũũ mũreka? Kaĩ mũkũremera mũthamaki?”
But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard about this, they mocked us and ridiculed us, saying, “What is this you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”
20 Ngĩmacookeria atĩrĩ, “Ngai wa Igũrũ nĩwe ũgũtũma tũgaacĩre. Ithuĩ ndungata ciake nĩtũkwambĩrĩria gwaka rĩngĩ, no ha ũhoro wanyu-rĩ, mũtirĩ na igai gũkũ Jerusalemu, kana kĩhooto, kana ũndũ wa tene wa kũmũnyiitithania narĩo.”
So I answered them and said, “The God of heaven is the One who will grant us success. We, His servants, will start rebuilding, but you have no portion, right, or claim in Jerusalem.”
