< Nehemia 4 >

1 Rĩrĩa Sanibalati aaiguire atĩ nĩtwakaga rũthingo rĩngĩ, akĩrakara na agĩthirĩka mũno. Agĩthekerera Ayahudi,
But it came to pass that when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.
2 na arĩ mbere ya athiritũ ake na mbũtũ cia ita cia Samaria, akiuga atĩrĩ, “Ayahudi aya ahinyaru-rĩ, nĩ kĩĩ mareka? Nĩmegũcookereria rũthingo rwao? Nĩmekũruta magongona? Nĩmekũrĩkia wĩra ũyũ na mũthenya ũmwe? Maahota gũtũma mahiga macooke muoyo kuuma hĩba-inĩ ici cia mahuti maya mahĩĩte ũũ wothe?”
And he spoke before his brethren, and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?
3 Tobia ũrĩa Mũamoni, ũrĩa warĩ mwena wake, akiuga atĩrĩ, “Rũthingo rũu rwa mahiga maraaka-rĩ, o na mbwe ĩngĩrũhaica no ĩrũmomore!”
Now Tobiah the Ammonite [was] by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox should go up, he would even break down their stone wall.
4 No rĩrĩ, Wee Ngai witũ tũthikĩrĩrie, tondũ tũrĩ andũ anyarare. Garũra irumi icio ciao imacookerere. Maneane ta matahĩtwo bũrũri-inĩ wa ũkombo.
Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity:
5 Ndũkahithĩrĩre mahĩtia mao kana weherie mehia mao kuuma ũthiũ-inĩ waku, nĩgũkorwo nĩmarumĩte andũ arĩa maraaka.
And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked [thee] to anger before the builders.
6 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio tũgĩaka rũthingo rũu rĩngĩ o nginya ruothe rũgĩkinya nuthu ya ũraihu waruo, nĩgũkorwo andũ acio maarutire wĩra na ngoro cia kwĩyendera.
So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together to the half of it, for the people had a mind to work.
7 No hĩndĩ ĩrĩa Sanibalati, na Tobia, na Aarabu, na Aamoni, na andũ a Ashidodi maiguire atĩ thingo cia Jerusalemu nĩciathiiaga na mbere gũcookererio na atĩ mĩanya nĩyathingagwo-rĩ, makĩrakara mũno.
But it came to pass, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were set up, [and] that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth,
8 Magĩthiĩ ndundu marĩ othe, magĩciira ũrĩa megũka mahũũrane na Jerusalemu, na mambĩrĩrie ngũĩ kuo.
And conspired all of them together to come [and] to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.
9 No nĩtwahooire Ngai witũ na tũkĩiga arangĩri a gũtũgitĩra mũthenya na ũtukũ nĩ ũndũ nĩtwehĩtĩirwo.
Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.
10 O ihinda rĩu, andũ a Juda makiuga atĩrĩ, “Aruti a wĩra nĩmaroorwo nĩ hinya, na nĩ kũrĩ na mahuti maingĩ mũno matangĩreka twake rũthingo rũu rĩngĩ.”
And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and [there is] much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.
11 O nacio thũ ciitũ ikiuga atĩrĩ, “Mũira wa mamenye ũhoro kana matuone, tũgũkorwo hamwe nao, tũmoorage na tũtũme wĩra ũcio ũtige kũrutwo.”
And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.
12 Hĩndĩ ĩyo Ayahudi arĩa maatũũraga hakuhĩ na thũ icio magĩũka, magĩtwĩra maita ikũmi atĩrĩ, “O kũrĩa mũngĩũrĩra-rĩ, nĩmegũtũtharĩkĩra.”
And it came to pass, that when the Jews who dwelt by them came, they said to us ten times, From all places whence ye shall return to us [they will be upon you].
13 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio ngĩiga andũ amwe na thuutha wa kũrĩa rũthingo rwarĩ thĩ mũno na gũtaarĩ na ũgitĩri; ngĩmaiga kũringana na nyũmba ciao marĩ na hiũ ciao cia njora, na matimũ, na mota.
Therefore I set in the lower places behind the wall, [and] on the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.
14 Ndaarĩkia kuona ũrĩa maũndũ maatariĩ, ngĩrũgama ngĩĩra andũ arĩa maarĩ igweta, na anene, na andũ arĩa angĩ atĩrĩ, “Mũtikametigĩre. Ririkanai Mwathani, o we ũrĩa mũnene na wa kũmakania, nĩguo mũrũĩrĩre ariũ a thoguo, na aanake anyu, na airĩtu anyu, na atumia anyu, o na mĩciĩ yanyu.”
And I looked, and arose, and said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be ye not afraid of them: remember the LORD [who is] great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.
15 Rĩrĩa thũ ciitũ ciamenyire atĩ nĩtwamenyete ũhoro wa ndundu yao, na atĩ Ngai nĩarigĩrĩirie ũndũ ũcio, ithuothe tũgĩcooka rũthingo-inĩ, o mũndũ agĩthiĩ wĩra-inĩ wake.
And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and God had brought their counsel to naught, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one to his work.
16 Kuuma mũthenya ũcio nuthu ya andũ akwa nĩo maarutaga wĩra nayo nuthu ĩyo ĩngĩ yao makĩheo matimũ, na ngo, na mota, o na nguo cia kĩgera. Anene nao makĩrũgama thuutha wa andũ othe a Juda
And it came to pass, from that time forth, [that] the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers [were] behind all the house of Judah.
17 arĩa maakaga rũthingo. Nao arĩa maakuuaga indo cia mwako maarutaga wĩra na guoko kũmwe, nakuo kũrĩa kũngĩ kũnyiitĩte kĩndũ kĩa mbaara,
They who built on the wall, and they that bore burdens, with those that laded, [every one] with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other [hand] held a weapon.
18 nake mwaki o wothe aikaraga eyohete rũhiũ rwake rwa njora njohero o akĩrutaga wĩra. No mũhuhi wa karumbeta aanjikaraga hakuhĩ.
For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and [so] built. And he that sounded the trumpet [was] by me.
19 Ningĩ ngĩĩra arĩa maarĩ igweta, na anene, na andũ arĩa angĩ atĩrĩ, “Wĩra nĩ mũingĩ mũno na ũgatambũrũka, na nĩtũraihanĩrĩirie mũno mũndũ na ũrĩa ũngĩ rũthingo-inĩ.
And 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 upon the wall, one far from another.
20 Rĩrĩa rĩothe mũngĩigua karumbeta kaahuhwo, mũũke harĩa tũrĩ. Ngai witũ nĩwe ũgũtũrũĩrĩra!”
In what place [therefore] ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither to us: our God will fight for us.
21 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio tũgĩthiĩ na mbere na kũruta wĩra, nuthu ya andũ ĩnyiitĩte matimũ kuuma rũciinĩ nginya njata cioneke hwaĩ-inĩ.
So we labored in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.
22 Hĩndĩ o ĩyo ngĩĩra andũ atĩrĩ, “Reke o mũndũ na mũteithia wake maikarage Jerusalemu thĩinĩ ũtukũ, nĩgeetha matũtungatagĩre ta arangĩri ũtukũ, na mũthenya makaruta wĩra.”
Likewise at the same time said I to the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labor in the day.
23 Niĩ mwene, kana ariũ a baba, kana andũ akwa, kana arangĩri arĩa maarĩ hamwe na niĩ gũtirĩ warutaga nguo; o mũndũ aakoragwo na indo ciake cia mbaara o na agĩthiĩ gũtaha maaĩ.
So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us put off our clothes, [saving that] every one put them off for washing.

< Nehemia 4 >