< Neemi 2 >
1 Li te vin rive nan mwa Nisan an, nan ventyèm ane a Wa Artaxerxès la, ke te gen diven devan li e mwen te monte pote diven an e te bay li a wa a. Alò, mwen pa t janm konn tris nan prezans li konsa.
Now in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was set before him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had never been sad in his presence,
2 Konsa, wa a te di mwen: “Poukisa figi ou tris konsa, malgre ou pa malad? Sa pa mwens ke tristès kè.” Konsa, mwen te krent anpil.
so the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, though you are not ill? This could only be sadness of the heart.” I was overwhelmed with fear
3 Mwen te di a wa a: “Kite wa a viv jis pou tout tan. Poukisa figi mwen pa ta dwe tris lè vil la, plas a tonm papa zansèt mwen yo, dezole nèt e pòtay li yo fin brile ak dife?”
and replied to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should I not be sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
4 Wa a te reponn mwen: “Kisa ou ta mande?” Konsa, mwen te priye a Bondye syèl la.
“What is your request?” replied the king. So I prayed to the God of heaven
5 Mwen te di wa a: “Si li ta fè wa plezi, e si sèvitè ou a te jwenn favè devan ou, voye m Juda, nan vil tonm a papa zansèt mwen yo, pou m ta kab rebati li.”
and answered the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city where my fathers are buried, so that I may rebuild it.”
6 Epi wa a te di mwen pandan rèn nan te chita akote l: “Konbyen de tan vwayaj ou kapab ye? Epi kilè ou va retounen?” Konsa, sa te fè wa a plezi pou voye mwen, e mwen te bay li yon lè jis.
Then the king, with the queen seated beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I set a time.
7 Anplis mwen te di wa a: “Si sa fè wa a plezi, kite lèt bay a mwen pou gouvènè nan pwovens yo lòtbò rivyè a, pou yo kapab kite mwen pase ladann yo jiskaske mwen rive Juda;
I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may letters be given to me for the governors west of the Euphrates, so that they will grant me safe passage until I reach Judah.
8 anplis, yon lèt a Asaph, gadyen nan forè a wa a, pou li kapab ban mwen bwa chapant pou fè travès pou pòtay a fò ki akote tanp lan; epi pou miray lavil la e pou kay nan sila mwen prale a.” Wa a te ban m tout sa akoz bon men Bondye mwen an te sou mwen.
And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so that he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house I will occupy.” And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.
9 Mwen te rive kote gouvènè nan pwovens lòtbò rivyè yo, e te bay yo lèt a wa a. Alò, wa a te voye mwen avèk chèf lame yo ak chevalye yo.
Then I went to the governors west of the Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.
10 Lè Sanballat, Owonit lan avèk Tobija, chèf Amonit lan te tande koze sila a, sa te fè yo pa kontan anpil, pou yon moun ta vin chache fè byen pou fis a Israël yo.
But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were deeply disturbed that someone had come to seek the well-being of the Israelites.
11 Konsa, mwen te vini Jérusalem, e mwen te la pandan twa jou.
After I had arrived in Jerusalem and had been there three days,
12 Mwen te leve pandan lannwit lan, avèk kèk bon mesye avèk mwen. Mwen pa t pale pèsòn sa ke Bondye mwen an te mete nan tèt mwen pou fè pou Jérusalem nan, e pa t gen bèt avè m sof ke sila ke mwen menm te monte a.
I set out at night with a few men. I did not tell anyone what my God had laid on my heart to do for Jerusalem. The only animal with me was the one on which I was riding.
13 Konsa, mwen te sòti deyò nan nwit lan akote Pòtay Vale a, vè Pwi Dragon an, anplis pou rive nan Pòtay Fimye a, e mwen t ap pase fè enspeksyon miray Jérusalem yo, ki te kraze nèt ak pòtay li yo ki te manje pa dife.
So I went out at night through the Valley Gate toward the Well of the Serpent and the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that had been broken down and the gates that had been destroyed by fire.
14 Mwen te pase rive pi lwen nan Pòtay Sous Bwote a, avèk Dlo Etan a Wa a; men pa t gen kote pou bèt mwen an pase.
Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal under me to get through;
15 Konsa, mwen te pase pandan nwit lan pa ravin nan pou te fè enspeksyon miray la. Epi mwen te antre ankò nan Pòtay Vale a e mwen te retounen.
so I went up the valley by night and inspected the wall. Then I headed back and reentered through the Valley Gate.
16 Chèf lokal yo pa t konnen kote mwen te ale a, ni sa mwen te fè a; ni jis rive nan moman sa a, mwen potko pale Jwif yo, prèt yo, moun nòb yo, chèf yo, ni lòt moun ki t ap fè travay yo.
The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, for I had not yet told the Jews or priests or nobles or officials or any other workers.
17 Konsa mwen te di yo: “Nou wè move ka nou an, ke Jérusalem dezole e pòtay li yo fin brile pa dife? Vini, annou rebati miray Jérusalem nan pou nou pa parèt kon yon wont ankò.”
Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned down. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we will no longer be a disgrace.”
18 Mwen te pale yo jan men Bondye mwen an te ban m favè e anplis, pawòl ke wa a te pale mwen yo. Yo te di: “Annou leve pou bati.” Konsa, yo te mete men yo nan bon èv sila a.
I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me, and what the king had said to me. “Let us start rebuilding,” they replied, and they set their hands to this good work.
19 Men lè Sanballat, Owonit lan avèk Tobija, chèf Amonit lan, avèk Guéschem, Arab la, te tande koze sa a, yo te moke nou, te meprize nou, epi te di: “Ki bagay sa n ap fè la a? Èske nou ap fè rebèl kont wa a?”
But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard about this, they mocked us and ridiculed us, saying, “What is this you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”
20 Konsa, mwen te reponn yo epi te di yo: “Bondye syèl la va fè nou reyisi. Se akoz sa a, sèvitè li yo va leve pou bati. Men nou menm, nou p ap gen pòsyon, ni dwa, ni souvni nan Jérusalem.”
So I answered them and said, “The God of heaven is the One who will grant us success. We, His servants, will start rebuilding, but you have no portion, right, or claim in Jerusalem.”