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,
Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem, and our other enemies heard [a report] that we had finished rebuilding the wall, and that now there were no more (gaps/places where the wall was not finished) (although we had not yet put 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;
So Sanballat and Geshem sent [a message] to me, in which they said “Come and talk with us at a place in Ono Plain [north of Jerusalem].” But [I knew that] really they wanted to harm me [if I went there].
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, to tell them, “I am doing an important work, and I cannot go down [there]. (Why should I stop doing this work just to go down to [talk with] you?/I do not want to stop doing this work just to go down to [talk with] you.)” [RHQ]
4 Maandũmĩire ndũmĩrĩri ta ĩyo maita mana, na o hĩndĩ ndaacookagia icookio rĩu.
They sent me the same message four times, and each time when I replied to them I said the same thing.
5 Ihinda rĩa gatano Sanibalati akĩndũmĩra ndungata yake na ndũmĩrĩri o ro ĩyo, ĩkuuĩte marũa mataarĩ matume,
Then Sanballat sent one of his servants to me, bringing a fifth message. This one was written, but it was not sealed. [He did that in order that others would read the message that the servant was carrying] in his hand.
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
This is what was written in the message: “Some people in the nearby countries have heard a report that you and the other Jews are rebuilding the wall [in order to be able to resist attacks], because you are planning to revolt [against the king of Babylon]. And the report also says that you are planning to become the king [of the Israelis]. Geshem says that what they have reported is true.
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.”
[People are also saying that] you have appointed some prophets to proclaim in Jerusalem that you, [Nehemiah, ] are now the king in Judea. King [Artaxerxes] will certainly hear these reports, [and then you will be in big trouble]. So I suggest that we should meet together to talk about this matter.”
8 Na niĩ ngĩkĩmũcookeria atĩrĩ: “Gũtirĩ ũndũ ta ũcio ũroiga ũrekĩka; nĩ gwĩthugundĩra ũrethugundĩra ũhoro ũcio meciiria-inĩ maku.”
[When I read that message, ] I sent [the messenger] back to Sanballat to say, “None of what you are saying is true. You have (made this up/concocted this) in your own head/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.”
[I said that because I knew that] they were trying to cause us to be afraid, with the result that we would stop working [on the wall]. So I actually became more determined (OR, I prayed to God to help me) [to continue the work].
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.”
[One day] I went to talk with Shemaiah, son of Delaiah and grandson of Mehetabel. I went to talk with him in his house, because he was not able (OR, allowed) to leave his house. He said to me, “You and I must enter the very sacred place in the temple and lock the doors, because people are going to come to kill you at night.”
11 No ngĩmũũria atĩrĩ, “Mũndũ ta niĩ nĩagĩrĩirwo nĩ kũũra? Kana mũndũ ta niĩ nĩagĩrĩirwo kwĩhitha thĩinĩ wa hekarũ ahonokie muoyo wake? Niĩ ndigũthiĩ!”
I replied, “I (am not that kind of person/do not do things like that) [RHQ]! I would not run and hide in the temple to save my life! No, I will not do that!”
12 Nĩndamenyire atĩ ti Ngai wamũtũmĩte, no aandathagĩra ũũru tondũ Tobia na Sanibalati nĩmamũrĩhĩte eke ũguo.
When I thought [about what he had said], I realized that God had not told Shemaiah to say that to me. I realized that Tobiah and Sanballat had bribed him [to say that to me].
13 Aarĩhĩtwo nĩguo atũme ndĩtigĩre nĩgeetha ndeka ũguo njĩhie, ngĩe na rĩĩtwa rĩũru nao mone njĩra ya kũũmenithia.
They had bribed him to cause me to be afraid. They wanted me to [disobey God’s commands and] sin [by hiding in the temple]. If I did that, they would be able to ruin my reputation [MTY] and 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.
[So I prayed, ] “My God, do not forget what Tobiah and Sanballat have done. Punish them. And do not forget that the female prophet Noadiah and some of the other prophets have also tried to cause me to be afraid.”
15 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio, rũthingo rũu rwarĩĩkire thuutha wa mĩthenya mĩrongo ĩtano na ĩĩrĩ, mũthenya wa mĩrongo ĩĩrĩ na ĩtano, mweri-inĩ wa Eluli.
On October 2 we finished rebuilding the wall. We did it all in 52 days.
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 our enemies in the nearby countries heard about that, they realized that they had been humiliated, because everyone knew that it was because God helped us that we had been able to do this work [and that they had not been able to force us to quit].
17 Ningĩ matukũ-inĩ macio, andũ arĩa maarĩ igweta a Juda nĩmatũmagĩra Tobia marũa maingĩ, nao nĩmanyiitaga macookio kuuma kũrĩ Tobia.
During this time, the Jewish leaders had been sending many messages/letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah had been sending messages 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.
Many people in Judea were closely associated with Tobiah, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah. Furthermore, Tobiah’s son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berekiah.
19 Na ningĩ nĩmaikaraga makĩĩheaga ũhoro wa ciĩko ciake njega magacooka makamwĩra ũrĩa na niĩ njugĩte. Nake Tobia akaandũmagĩra marũa ma gũtũma ndĩĩtigĩre.
People often talked in my presence about all the good things that Tobiah had done, and then they would tell him everything that I said. So Tobiah sent many letters to me to try to cause me to become afraid.
