Nehemia 2
1 I KA malama o Nisana, i ka iwakalua o ka makahiki o ke alii o Aretasaseta, imua ona ka waina, a ua lawe au i ka waina, a haawi aku i ke alii; aohe o'u kaumaha mamua imua o kona alo.
After King Artaxerxes [had been ruling the Persian Empire] for almost 20 years, (during the spring/before the hot season) of that year, when it was time to serve wine to him [during a feast], I took the wine and gave it to him. I had never looked sad when I was in front of him before, [but on that day he saw that I looked very sad].
2 A i mai la ke alii ia'u, No ke aha la i inoino ai kou maka, aole hoi ou mai? aohe mea e ae keia, o ke kaumaha no ia o ka naau. Alaila makau nui loa iho la au,
So he asked me, “Why are you sad? [I know that] you are not sick. It must be that you are troubled about something.” Then I was very afraid, [because it was not proper to be sad when I came to the king] (OR, [because I was worried what the king would do to me if he refused to do what I was about to request him to do]).
3 A i aku la i ke alii, I ola mau loa ke alii; heaha ka mea e ole ai e inoino ko'u maka i ka wa e waiho neoneo ana ke kulanakauhale, kahi o ua ilina a ko'u mau makuakane, a o na panipuka no hoi ona ua hoopauia i ke ahi.
I replied, “Your majesty, I hope you will live a very long time! But (how can I prevent myself from being sad, because the city where my ancestors are buried [has been destroyed] and is in ruins?/I cannot keep myself from looking sad, because the city where my ancestors are buried [has been destroyed and] is in ruins.) [RHQ] [Even] the city gates have been completely burned.”
4 A olelo mai la ke alii ia'u, Heaha kau e imi nei? Alaila pule aku la au i ke Akua o ka lani.
The king replied, “What do you want me to do [for you]?” I prayed [silently] to our God [who is/rules] in heaven.
5 A i aku la au i ke alii, Ina he mea oluolu ia i ke alii, a i loaa hoi ke aloha i kau kauwa imua o kou alo, alaila e hoonua oe ia'u ma Iuda, ma ke kulanakauhale o na ilina o ko'u mau makuakane, i kukulu au ia.
Then I replied, “If you are willing [to do it], and if I have pleased you, send me to the city [of Jerusalem] in Judah [province] where my ancestors are buried, in order that I may [help people to] rebuild the city.”
6 A i mai la ke alii ia'u, (o ke alii wahine kekahi o noho pu ana me ia, ) Pehea ka loihi o kou manawa e hele ai? Ahea la oe e hoi mai ai? A he mea oluolu ia i ke alii e hoouna ia'u; a hai aku au ia ia i manawa.
While the queen was sitting beside the king, he asked, [“If I allow you to go, ] how long will you be gone? When will you return?” [I told the king how long I would be gone, and] the king gave me permission to go, and I told him what day [I wanted to leave].
7 A olelo aku no hoi au i ke alii, Ina he mea pono ia i ke alii, e haawiia mai ia'u kekahi mau palapala na na kiaaina ma kela aoao o ka muliwai, i lawe lakou ia'u a hiki au ma Iuda;
I also said to the king, “If you are willing to do it, write letters for me to take to the governors of the province west of the [Euphrates] River. Tell them to allow me to travel safely [through their province] until I arrive in Judah.
8 A i palapala na Asapa ka mea malama i ko ke alii ululaau, i haawi mai ia ia'u i mau laau e kapili ai i na puka o ka pakiai o ka hale, a no ka pa o ke kulanakauhale, a no ka hale hoi a'u e komo ai. A haawi mai no ke alii ia'u, mamuli o ka lima lokomaikai o ko'u Akua maluna o'u.
Also, [please write] a letter to Asaph, the man who takes care of your forest [in that area], telling him to give me timber to make the beams to support the gates of the fortress that is near the temple, and timber for making the walls of the city, and for building the house in which I [will live].” The king did what I requested him to do, because my God was graciously/kindly (helping/acting for) me.
9 A hiki mai la au i na kiaaina ma keia aoao o ka muliwai, haawi aku au ia lakou i na palapala a ke alii. A ua hoouna mai no hoi ke alii me au i mau luna koa a i poe hoohololio.
[After I got ready, I left to travel to Judah]. The king sent some army officers and soldiers riding on horses to accompany me, [to protect me]. When I came to where the governors of the provinces west of the [Euphrates] River lived, I gave them the letters that the king had written.
10 A lohe o Sonebalata ka Horona, a me Tobia ke kauwa, ka Amono, ho mea kaumaha loa no ia laua ka hiki ana mai o kekahi kanaka e imi i ka mea e pono ai na mamo a Iseraela.
But when [two government officials, ] Sanballat from [a village near] Horon and Tobiah from the Ammon [people-group], heard that I had arrived, they were very angry that someone had come to help the Israeli people.
11 A hiki aku au ma Ierusalema, a malaila no au i na la ekolu.
When I arrived in Jerusalem, I did not tell anyone what thoughts God had given to me about what I should do there. Three days after I arrived in Jerusalem, I went out of the city in the evening, taking a few other men with me. I was riding a donkey; we had no other animals with us.
12 Alaila ala ae la au iluna i ka po, owau a me kekahi poe kanaka uuku me au; aka, aole au i hai aku i kekahi kanaka i ka mea a ko'u Akua i hookomo mai ai iloko o ko'u naau e hana no Ierusalema. A aohe holoholona me au, o ka holoholona wale no a'u i hooholo ai.
13 A hele aku au ma ka puka awawa i ka po, ma ke alo o ka punawai, a ka puka lepo, a nana aku la au i na pa o Ierusalema i hoohioloia a me na panipuka ona i hoopauia i ke ahi.
We left the city, going out through the Valley Gate, then past the well called the Jackal (OR, Dragon’s) Well, and then past the gate called the Rubbish/Garbage Gate. We inspected all the walls that had been broken down and all the gates that had been burned down.
14 A hele aku au a i ka puka waipuna, a i ka loko hoi o ke alii: a aohe wahi no ka holoholona malalo o'u e hiki aku ai.
Then we went to the Fountain Gate and to the pool called the King’s Pool, but my donkey could not get through [the narrow opening] (OR, [the rubble]).
15 Alaila pii aku la au i ka po ma ke kahawai, a nana aku la au i ka pa, a huli ae la hoi au, a komo ma ka puka awawa, a hoi mai la.
So we turned back and went along the [Kidron] Valley. We inspected the wall there before we turned back/around and entered the city again at the Valley Gate.
16 A o na luna, aole lakou i ike i kahi a'u i hele ai, a me ka mea a'u i hana'i; aole hoi au i hoike aku ia i ka Iuda, aole no hoi i na kahuna, a me ka poe kaukaualii, a me ka poe luna, a me ka poe i koe nana ka hana.
The [city] officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because I had not told anyone about what I planned to do. I had not said anything about it to the Jewish leaders or the officials or the priests or any of the others who would be helping me in the work [that I wanted to do].
17 Alaila, olelo aku la au ia lakou, Ke ike nei oukou i ka popilikia i loaa ia kakou, ua neoneo o Ierusalema, a o na puka ona ua pau i ke ahi: auhea oukou; ea, e kukulu kakou i ka pa o Ierusalema, i ole e hoino hou ia kakou.
But now I said to them, “You all know very well the terrible things [that have happened to] our city. The city is ruined; even the gates are burned down. So we should rebuild the city wall. If we do that, we will no longer feel humiliated/disgraced.”
18 A hai aku la au ia lakou i ka lima o ko'u Akua, he lokomaikai maluna o'u, a me na olelo no hoi a ke alii, ana i olelo mai ai ia'u. A i ae la lakou, E ku ae kakou a e kukulu. A hooikaika iho la ko lakou mau lima ma keia mea e pono ai.
Then I told them about how God had kindly/graciously helped me [when I talked to the king], and what the king had said to me. They immediately replied, “Let’s start rebuilding!” So they started to do this good work.
19 A lohe o Sanebalata ka Horona, a me Tobia ke kauwa, ka Amona, a me Gesema, ka Arabia, ua akahenehene mai lakou ia makou, o ua hoowahawaha mai no hoi ia makou, i mai la, Heaha keia mea a oukou e hana nei? e kipi aku anei oukou i ke alii?
But when Sanballat, Tobiah, and Gershom the Arab [king of the Kedar region] heard about what we planned to do, they made fun of us and ridiculed us. They said, “What is this work that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king [again]?” [RHQ]
20 A pane aku la au ia lakou, a i aku la au ia lakou, o ke Akua o ka lani, oia ka mea nana makou e kokua mai; a o makou, kana poe kauwa, e ku iluua no makou a e kukulu: aka, aole o oukou kuleana, aole no he pono, aole hoi he mea e hoomanao ai iloko o Ierusalema.
But I replied, “Our God [who is/rules] in heaven will help our plans to succeed. But as for you, you have no right to decide anything about this city, because you have not participated in what has happened in this city in previous years.”
