Nehemaya 2
1 Nʼọnwa Nisan, nʼiri afọ abụọ nke ọchịchị eze Ataksekses, mgbe e wetaara eze mmanya. E buru m mmanya ahụ bugara ya eze. Ugbu a, o nwebeghị mgbe ọbụla m jirila ihu mgbarụ bịa nʼihu eze.
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 Ya mere, eze jụrụ m, “Gịnị mere ihu gị ji gbaruo mgbe ọ dịghị ọrịa ji gị? Nke a na-egosi naanị na obi jọrọ gị njọ.” Ụjọ tụrụ m nnọọ nke ukwu.
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 Azara m eze sị, “Onyenwe m, ka ọchịchị eze dị ogologo ndụ. Gịnị ga-eme ka obi dị m ụtọ ebe ọ bụ na obodo ahụ e liri nna nna m ha aghọọla mkpọmkpọ ebe, nke a kpọkwara ọnụ ụzọ ama ya niile ọkụ?”
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 Eze sịrị m, “Ọ bụ gịnị ka ị chọrọ?” Mgbe ahụ ekpere m ekpere nʼobi m nye Chineke,
The king replied, “What do you want me to do [for you]?” I prayed [silently] to our God [who is/rules] in heaven.
5 ma zaa eze sị, “Ọ bụrụ na ọ ga-amasị eze, biko, ọ bụrụkwa na ohu gị achọta ihuọma nʼanya gị, ana m arịọ ka ị ziga m Juda, bụ obodo nna nna m ha, ka m gaa wugharịakwa ya.”
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 Eze sịrị m, ebe nwunye ya nọkwa nʼakụkụ ya, “Ije gị ọ ga-abụ ruo olee mgbe, olee mgbe ị ga-alọghachitekwa?” Ọ masịrị eze i ziga m. Ya mere, enyere m ya oge.
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 Mgbe ahụ, asịrị m ya, “Ọ bụrụ na ọ ga-amasị eze, aga m achọ ka i nye m akwụkwọ nke m ga-enye ndịisi ọchịchị niile nọ nʼakụkụ ọdịda anyanwụ osimiri Yufretis, ka ha kwere ka m site nʼobodo ha gafee ruo mgbe m ga-eru na Juda.
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 Nyekwa m akwụkwọ ozi m ga-enye Asaf, onye na-elekọta ọhịa eze, ka o nye m osisi nke a ga-eji rụzie ọnụ ụzọ dị nʼakụkụ ụlọnsọ, na nke a ga-eji rụọ mgbidi obodo ahụ, na nke m ga-eji rụọ ụlọ nke aka m.” Eze meere m ihe ndị a niile, nʼihi na aka ebere Chineke dịnyere m.
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 Mgbe m rutere obodo ndị a dị nʼakụkụ ọdịda anyanwụ osimiri Yufretis, enyere m ndịisi ọchịchị niile akwụkwọ ahụ eze dere nye m. Eze dunyere m ndịisi agha na ndị agha na-agba ịnyịnya ka ha chebe m nʼije m.
[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 Ma mgbe Sanbalat, onye Horonaim, na Tobaya, onye Amọn bụ onyeisi ọrụ ọchịchị, nụrụ ihe banyere ọbịbịa m, iwe were ha nke ukwuu ịnụ na o nwere onye na-achọ inyere ndị Izrel aka.
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 E rutere m Jerusalem, nọdụkwa ebe ahụ mkpụrụ ụbọchị atọ,
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 eji m abalị pụọ kpọrọ mmadụ ole na ole. O nwebeghị onye ọbụla m gwara ihe Chineke tinyere m nʼobi ime na Jerusalem. Ọ dịghị ịnyịnya ọzọ anyị ji ma ọ bụghị nke ahụ m na-agba.
13 Nʼabalị a pụrụ m site nʼỌnụ ụzọ ama Ndagwurugwu ruo nʼisi iyi mmiri Nkịta ọhịa, sitekwa nʼebe ahụ ruo nʼỌnụ ụzọ ama ebe ikpofu ahịhịa. Anyị jegharịrị ịhụ ebe niile mgbidi Jerusalem dara ada, na ọnụ ụzọ ama ya niile nke ọkụ rere.
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 Emesịa, ejeruru m ọnụ ụzọ nke dị nʼebe isi iyi dị, ruokwa nʼọdọ mmiri eze, ma ịnyịnya ibu m enweghị ike isite nʼebe ahụ gafee.
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 Ya mere, ejiri m nʼabalị jeruo ndagwurugwu ahụ, leruo mgbidi ahụ anya. Emesịa, atụgharịrị m lọghachi site nʼọnụ ụzọ Ama ndagwurugwu.
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 Ndịisi obodo amaghị ebe m gara maọbụ ihe m na-eme, nʼihi na agwabeghị m onye Juu ọbụla ihe m bu nʼobi, maọbụ ndị nchụaja, maọbụ ndị a na-asọpụrụ, maọbụ ndị ọchịchị obodo, maọbụ onye ọzọ ọbụla ndị ga-arụ ọrụ ahụ.
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 Nʼikpeazụ, agwara m ha sị, “Unu maara nke ọma ihe dakwasịrị obodo anyị. Lee otu mgbidi ya si dakasịa, na otu ọnụ ụzọ ama ya si rechapụ ọkụ. Ka anyị wuzienụ mgbidi Jerusalem, si otu a wepụ ihe ihere a dịịrị anyị.”
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 Akọọrọ m ha ọchịchọ ahụ Chineke tinyere m nʼobi na ihe mụ na eze kwuru, na otu o si kwadoo ihe m gwara ya. Ha zara m sị, “Ọ dị mma, ka anyị wugharịanụ mgbidi ahụ.” Ọrụ ahụ bidokwara na-atụfughị oge.
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 Ma mgbe Sanbalat, onye Horon, na Tobaya, onyeozi ndị Amọn, na Geshem onye Arab, nụrụ ya, ha kwara anyị emo sị, “Gịnị bụ ihe nke a unu na-eme? Ọ bụ eze ka unu na-enupu isi megide?”
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 Ma azara m ha sị, “Chineke nke eluigwe ga-eme ka ihe gara anyị nke ọma. Anyị onwe anyị bụ ndị ohu ya ga-amalite iwughachi mgbidi a, ma unu onwe unu, unu enweghị oke maọbụ ọnọdụ ziri ezi maọbụ ihe ncheta ọbụla nʼime Jerusalem.”
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.”
