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;
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.
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,
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.
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?”
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.”
4 Mũthamaki akĩnjũũria atĩrĩ, “Ũkwenda atĩa?” Hĩndĩ ĩyo ngĩhooya Ngai wa Igũrũ,
Then the king said to me, “What do you want me to do?” 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.”
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.”
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.
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.
7 Ningĩ ngĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Mũthamaki angĩona kwagĩrĩire, reke heo marũa ndwarĩre abarũthi a Mũrĩmo-wa-Farati, nĩgeetha manjĩtĩkĩrie hĩtũkĩre kuo kinya nginye Juda.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
11 Nĩndathiire Jerusalemu, na thuutha wa gũikara kuo mĩthenya ĩtatũ-rĩ,
So I came to Jerusalem and was 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 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.
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.
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.
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 to the King's Pool. The place was too narrow for the animal I was riding to pass 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 that night by the valley and inspected the wall, and I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned.
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 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.
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.”
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.”
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 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.
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, 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?”
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.”
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.”
