Nehemia 6
1 Na rĩrĩa Sanibalati, na Tobia, na Geshemu ũrĩa Mũarabu, na thũ iria ingĩ ciitũ maakinyĩirwo nĩ ũhoro atĩ nĩnjakĩte rũthingo rĩngĩ na hatiarĩ ithenya o na rĩmwe rĩatigarĩte rũthingo-inĩ, o na gũtuĩka nginyagia ihinda rĩu ndiekĩrĩte mĩrango ya ihingo,
When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left—though to that time I had not yet installed the doors in the gates—
2 Sanibalati na Geshemu makĩndũmĩra ndũmĩrĩri ĩno: “Ũka, reke tũcemanie itũũra-inĩ rĩmwe werũ-inĩ wa Ono.” No rĩrĩ, maathugundaga kũnjĩka ũũru;
Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” But they were planning to harm me.
3 nĩ ũndũ ũcio ngĩmatũmĩra andũ mamacookerie atĩrĩ: “Ndĩ na wĩra wa bata ndĩraruta, ndingĩhota gũikũrũka njũke. Wĩra ũngĩkĩrũgamio nĩkĩ, atĩ nyambe njikũrũke kũrĩ inyuĩ?”
So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to go down to you?”
4 Maandũmĩire ndũmĩrĩri ta ĩyo maita mana, na o hĩndĩ ndaacookagia icookio rĩu.
Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave the same reply.
5 Ihinda rĩa gatano Sanibalati akĩndũmĩra ndungata yake na ndũmĩrĩri o ro ĩyo, ĩkuuĩte marũa mataarĩ matume,
The fifth time, Sanballat sent me this same message by his young servant, who had in his hand an unsealed letter
6 marĩa maandĩkĩtwo ũũ: “Ũhoro nĩwarĩtio ndũrĩrĩ-inĩ, na Geshemu aroiga ũhoro ũcio nĩ wa ma, atĩ wee na Ayahudi nĩmũrathugunda kũremera mũthamaki mũmũũkĩrĩre, na nĩ ũndũ ũcio nĩmũraaka rũthingo. Ningĩ kũringana na ũhoro ũcio nĩũrenda gũtuĩka mũthamaki wao
that read: “It is reported among the nations—and Geshem agrees—that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and this is why you are building the wall. According to these reports, you are to become their king,
7 na atĩ nĩ ũthuurĩte anabii a kwanĩrĩra ũhoro ũgũkoniĩ kũu Jerusalemu makiugaga atĩrĩ, ‘Juda kũrĩ na mũthamaki!’ Rĩu-rĩ, ũhoro ũcio nĩũgũkinyĩra mũthamaki; nĩ ũndũ ũcio ũka, twaranĩrie.”
and you have even appointed prophets in Jerusalem to proclaim on your behalf: ‘There is a king in Judah.’ Soon these rumors will reach the ears of the king. So come, let us confer together.”
8 Na niĩ ngĩkĩmũcookeria atĩrĩ: “Gũtirĩ ũndũ ta ũcio ũroiga ũrekĩka; nĩ gwĩthugundĩra ũrethugundĩra ũhoro ũcio meciiria-inĩ maku.”
Then I sent him this reply: “There is nothing to these rumors you are spreading; you are inventing them in your own mind.”
9 Andũ acio maageragia ũrĩa wothe mangĩtũguoyohia, magĩĩciiria atĩrĩ, “Moko mao nĩmekwaga hinya wa kũruta wĩra, naguo wage kũrĩĩka.” No ngĩhooya Ngai, ngĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Rĩu ĩkĩra moko makwa hinya.”
For they were all trying to frighten us, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will never be finished.” But now, my God, strengthen my hands.
10 Mũthenya ũmwe nĩndathiire mũciĩ gwa Shemaia mũrũ wa Delaia, mũrũ wa Mehetabeli, ũrĩa wahingĩirwo gwake mũciĩ. Akĩnjĩĩra atĩrĩ, “Nĩtũcemanie nyũmba ya Ngai, hekarũ thĩinĩ, na tũhinge mĩrango ya hekarũ, tondũ kũrĩ na andũ maroka gũkũũraga, megũka gũkũũraga ũtukũ.”
Later, I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his house. He said: “Let us meet at the house of God inside the temple. Let us shut the temple doors because they are coming to kill you— by night they are coming to kill you!”
11 No ngĩmũũria atĩrĩ, “Mũndũ ta niĩ nĩagĩrĩirwo nĩ kũũra? Kana mũndũ ta niĩ nĩagĩrĩirwo kwĩhitha thĩinĩ wa hekarũ ahonokie muoyo wake? Niĩ ndigũthiĩ!”
But I replied, “Should a man like me run away? Should one like me go into the temple to save his own life? I will not go!”
12 Nĩndamenyire atĩ ti Ngai wamũtũmĩte, no aandathagĩra ũũru tondũ Tobia na Sanibalati nĩmamũrĩhĩte eke ũguo.
I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had uttered this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.
13 Aarĩhĩtwo nĩguo atũme ndĩtigĩre nĩgeetha ndeka ũguo njĩhie, ngĩe na rĩĩtwa rĩũru nao mone njĩra ya kũũmenithia.
He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would sin by doing as he suggested, so they could give me a bad name in order to discredit me.
14 Wee Ngai wakwa, ririkana Tobia na Sanibalati tondũ wa ũrĩa mekĩte, na ũririkane Noadia mũnabii mũndũ-wa-nja, o na anabii arĩa angĩ makoretwo makĩgeria kũnjĩkĩra guoya.
O my God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat for what they have done, and also Noadiah the prophetess and the other prophets who tried to intimidate me.
15 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio, rũthingo rũu rwarĩĩkire thuutha wa mĩthenya mĩrongo ĩtano na ĩĩrĩ, mũthenya wa mĩrongo ĩĩrĩ na ĩtano, mweri-inĩ wa Eluli.
So the wall was completed in fifty-two days, on the twenty-fifth of Elul.
16 Rĩrĩa thũ ciitũ ciaiguire ũhoro ũcio, ndũrĩrĩ ciothe iria ciatũthiũrũrũkĩirie igĩĩtigĩra na ikĩaga mwĩhoko, nĩ ũndũ nĩmamenyire atĩ wĩra ũcio warutĩkire na ũndũ wa ũteithio wa Ngai witũ.
When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and disheartened, for they realized that this task had been accomplished by our God.
17 Ningĩ matukũ-inĩ macio, andũ arĩa maarĩ igweta a Juda nĩmatũmagĩra Tobia marũa maingĩ, nao nĩmanyiitaga macookio kuuma kũrĩ Tobia.
Also in those days, the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came back to them.
18 Nĩgũkorwo andũ aingĩ a Juda nĩmehĩtĩte gũkorwo mwena wake, tondũ aarĩ mũthoni-we wa Shekania mũrũ wa Ara, na mũriũ wake Jehohanani aahikĩtie mwarĩ wa Meshulamu mũrũ wa Berekia.
For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, since he was a son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah.
19 Na ningĩ nĩmaikaraga makĩĩheaga ũhoro wa ciĩko ciake njega magacooka makamwĩra ũrĩa na niĩ njugĩte. Nake Tobia akaandũmagĩra marũa ma gũtũma ndĩĩtigĩre.
Moreover, these nobles kept reporting to me Tobiah’s good deeds, and they relayed my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.
