< Neemi 2 >
1 Lè sa a, wa Atagzèsès te gen ventan depi li t'ap gouvènen, nou te nan mitan mwa Nisan. Jou sa a, se te tou pa m' pou m' te pote diven bay wa a. Mwen pran diven an, mwen pote l' ba li. Li pa t' janm konn wè m' parèt devan l' kagou.
Now it happened that, in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of king Artaxerxes, wine was before him; and I lifted up the wine, and I gave it to the king. And I was like someone languishing before his face.
2 Epi li di m' konsa: -Ki jan figi ou fè rale konsa? Se pa malad ou malad? Kisa k'ap fè ou lapenn konsa? Lè sa a m'ap mande nan kè m' sa ki pral rive m'.
And the king said to me: “Why is your expression sad, though you do not appear to be sick? This is not without cause, but some evil, I know not what, is in your heart.” And I was struck with an exceedingly great fear.
3 Mwen reponn li: -Mwen swete pou monwa viv lontan! Men, ki jan pou m' fè pa kagou lè lavil kote zansèt mwen yo antere a ap fin kraze, lè dife fin boule tout pòtay li yo?
And I said to the king: “O king, live forever. Why should my expression not be mournful, since the city of the house of the sepulchers of my father is desolate, and its gates have been burned with fire?”
4 Wa a di m' konsa: -Kisa ou ta renmen m' fè pou ou? Mwen lapriyè Bondye ki nan syèl la nan kè m'.
And the king said to me: “What would you request?” And I prayed to the God of heaven.
5 Epi mwen reponn li: -Si sa fè monwa plezi, si ou kontan jan m'ap sèvi ou la, tanpri, kite m' ale nan peyi Jida, nan lavil kote zansèt mwen yo antere a, pou m' ka rebati l'.
And I said to the king: “If it seems good to the king, and if your servant is pleasing before your face: that you would send me into Judea, to the city of the sepulcher of my father. And I will rebuild it.”
6 Wa a te chita avèk larenn li bò kote l', li mande m': -Konbe tan vwayaj la pral pran ou? Kilè w'a tounen? Mwen di l' konbe tan sa ka pran m'. Epi li dakò pou l' kite m' ale.
And the king said to me, with the queen who was sitting beside him: “Until what time will your journey be, and when will you return?” And it was pleasing before the countenance of the king, and so he sent me. And I established a time for him.
7 Lè sa a, mwen di wa a: -Si sa fè monwa plezi, li ta fè ekri kèk lèt pou mwen pou gouvènè ki nan pwovens lòt bò larivyè Lefrat yo, pou yo ka kite m' pase jouk mwen rive nan peyi Jida.
And I said to the king: “If it seems good to the king, may he give me letters to the governors of the region beyond the river, so that they may lead me through, until I arrive in Judea,
8 Li ta ban m' yon lèt tou pou Azaf, chèf ki reskonsab rakbwa leta yo, pou l' ka ban mwen bwa pou gwo pòtay fò k'ap pwoteje tanp lan, bwa pou ranpa lavil la ak bwa pou kay kote pou m' rete a. Wa a ban mwen tou sa mwen te mande l' paske Bondye te avèk mwen.
and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, so that he may give me timber, in order that I may be able to cover the gates of the tower of the house, and the walls of the city, and the house that I will enter.” And the king granted to me in accord with the good hand of my God, who is with me.
9 Wa a te voye kèk ofisye nan lame a ak kèk kavalye pou ale avè m'. Se konsa, mwen pati pou pwovens ki lòt bò larivyè Lefrat la, mwen pase lakay tout gouvènè yo, mwen renmèt yo lèt wa a te ban mwen pou yo.
And I went to the governors of the region beyond the river, and I gave them the letters of the king. Now the king had sent with me military leaders and horsemen.
10 Men, lè Sanbala, moun lavil Bèt-Owon, ak Tobija, yon moun peyi Amon ki t'ap travay nan gouvènman an, vin konnen te gen yon nonm ki te vin travay pou byen pèp Izrayèl la, sa te gate san yo anpil.
And Sanballat, a Horonite, and the servant Tobiah, an Ammonite, heard this. And they were saddened, with a great affliction, that a man had arrived who was seeking the prosperity of the sons of Israel.
11 Lè m' rive lavil Jerizalèm, mwen kite twa jou pase anvan m' fè anyen.
And I arrived at Jerusalem, and I was there for three days.
12 Apre sa, mwen leve nan mitan lannwit, mwen pran kèk moun pa m' avè m'. Mwen pati san m' pa di pesonn sa Bondye te ban m' lide fè pou lavil Jerizalèm. Sèl bèt nou te pran ak nou, se te bèt pou m' moute a.
And I got up in the night, I and a few men with me. And I did not reveal to anyone what God had placed in my heart to do in Jerusalem. And there was no animal with me, except the animal on which I was sitting.
13 Li te fè nwa. Nou soti nan pòtay Ti Fon an ki sou bò lwès, nou vire desann nan direksyon sid, nou pase devan Fontenn Dragon an, ak devan pòtay Depotwa a. Sou tout wout la, mwen t'ap egzaminen eta ranpa lavil Jerizalèm lan, kote ki te gen twou ak pòtay dife te boule yo.
And I departed in the night through the gate of the valley, and before the fountain of the dragon, and toward the dung gate. And I considered the wall of Jerusalem, which was broken apart, and its gates, which had been consumed by fire.
14 Mwen vanse pi devan, mwen vire sou bò nò. Mwen pase devan pòtay Fontenn lan ak Rezèvwa Wa a. Lè m' rive la, bèt mwen te moute a pa t' ka jwenn kote pou l' pase.
And I continued on to the gate of the fountain, and to the aqueduct of the king. And there was no room for the beast on which I was sitting to pass through.
15 Nan fènwa a, mwen pase nan ravin lan, mwen moute nan direksyon nò. Mwen t'ap egzaminen eta miray la byen. Apre sa, mwen kase tèt tounen sou menm chemen m' te pase a, mwen antre nan lavil la, nan pòtay Ti-Fon an.
And so I climbed up in the night along the torrent, and I considered the wall. And turning back, I went by the gate of the valley, and I returned.
16 Pesonn nan chèf lavil yo pa t' konnen kote m' te ale ni sa m' te al fè. Lè sa a, mwen pa t' ankò di jwif yo anyen, ni prèt yo, ni chèf yo, ni majistra yo, ni ankenn lòt moun ki te reskonsab travay reparasyon yo.
Now the magistrates did not know where I had gone, or what I had done. For I had revealed nothing, even to that point in time, to the Jews, or to the priests, or to the nobles, or to the magistrates, or to the others who were doing the work.
17 Men lè sa a, mwen di yo: -Nou wè nan ki traka nou ye avèk lavil Jerizalèm k'ap fin kraze nan men nou avèk pòtay boule li yo. Vini non! Ann al rebati miray ranpa lavil la! Moun va sispann fè nou wont.
And so I said to them: “You know the affliction in which we are, because Jerusalem is desolate, and its gates have been consumed by fire. Come, and let us rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, and let us no longer be in disgrace.”
18 Lè sa a, mwen fè yo konnen ki jan Bondye te la avè m' pou pwoteje m' ak tou sa wa a te di m'. Yo reponn: -Bon. Annavan! Ann al rebati! Epi yo ranje kò yo pou mete men nan travay la.
And I revealed to them how the hand of my God was with me for good, and the words of the king, which he had spoken to me. And I said: “Let us rise up, and build.” And their hands were strengthened for good.
19 Men, lè Sanbala, moun lavil Bèt-Owon an, Tobija, moun Amon ki t'ap travay nan gouvènman an, ak Gechèm, arab la, vin pran nouvèl la, yo ri nou kont kò yo, epi yo pase nou nan kont betiz yo. Yo di nou: -Sa n'ap fè la a, mesye? Apa n'ap dezobeyi lòd wa a!
But Sanballat, a Horonite, and the servant Tobiah, an Ammonite, and Geshem, an Arab, heard of it. And they ridiculed and disparaged us, and they said: “What is this thing that you are doing? Could you be rebelling against the king?”
20 Mwen reponn, mwen di yo: -Se Bondye nan syèl la k'ap fè nou reyisi nan sa nou vle fè a. Nou menm ki sèvitè Bondye, nou pral konmanse rebati l'. Men nou menm, moun lòt nasyon, nou pa gen ankenn dwa sou lavil Jerizalèm. Nou pa gen anyen pou nou wè nan sa. Pesonn pa janm nonmen non nou nan koze lavil Jerizalèm.
And I replied to them a word, and I said to them: “The God of heaven himself is helping us, and we are his servants. Let us rise up and build. But there is no portion, or justice, or remembrance in Jerusalem for you.”