Nehemaya 6
1 Mgbe a gwara Sanbalat, na Tobaya, na Geshem onye Arab, na ndị iro anyị ndị ọzọ na m ewuzichaala mgbidi ahụ, na ọ dịkwaghị ntipu fọdụrụ na ya, ọ bụ ezie na nʼoge ahụ, etinyebeghị m ibo nʼọnụ ụzọ ama ya niile,
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 Sanbalat na Geshem zitere m ozi a, “Bịa ka anyị zụkọta nʼotu obodo nta nke dị nʼobosara ala Ono.” Ma ha na-achọ ụzọ imerụ m ahụ.
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 Ya mere, azara m ha site nʼaka ndị ozi sị, “Ana m arụ ọrụ dị oke mkpa, agaghị enwe ike ịrịdata. Nʼihi gịnị ka ọrụ a ga-eji kwụsị mgbe m ga-ahapụ ya ịbịa nʼebe ị nọ?”
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 Ha zitere ozi ahụ ugboro anọ, ma enyere m ha otu ọsịsa ahụ ugboro anọ.
They sent me the same message four times, and each time when I replied to them I said the same thing.
5 Na nke ugboro ise, Sanbalat ziteere m onye na-ejere ya ozi, ya na akwụkwọ ozi nke e mechighị emechi o ji bịa.
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 Nke a bụ ihe e dere nʼime ya; “Anụla ya na mba niile, Geshem kwukwara otu ihe ahụ, na gị na ndị Juu na-akwado inupu isi. Ọ bụ ya mere i ji na-ewu mgbidi ahụ. Ozi ahụ na-ekwukwa na gị onwe gị na-achọ ịbụ eze ha,
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 ị họpụtala ndị amụma ndị ga-ekwupụta na Jerusalem na ị bụ eze ndị Juda. Ugbu a, ozi a ga-eru ntị eze, ya mere, bịa ka mụ na gị kparịtaa ụka nʼetiti onwe anyị.”
[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 Ma eziri m ya ozi sị, “O nweghị eziokwu ọbụla dị nʼihe ị na-ekwu, nʼihi na ha bụ ihe i chepụtara nʼobi gị.”
[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 Nzube ha bụ ime ka ụjọ tụọ anyị. Ha na-echekwa sị, “Ha ga-ada mba nʼọrụ a ma hapụkwa ịrụcha ya.” Ma akpọkuru m Chineke sị ya, “Biko gbaa aka m ume.”
[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 Otu ụbọchị, a gara m nʼụlọ Shemaya, nwa Delaya, nwa Mehetabel, onye e mechibidoro ụzọ nʼụlọ ya. Ọ sịrị m, “Ka anyị zukọta nʼụlọ Chineke, nʼime ụlọnsọ, ka anyị mechiekwa ụzọ niile nke ụlọnsọ ahụ, nʼihi na ndị ikom na-abịa igbu gị, e, nʼabalị ka ha na-abịa igbu gị.”
[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 Ma azara m si; “O kwesiri ka mụ onwe m bụ onyeisi ọchịchị gbaa ọsọ? O kwesiri ka mmadụ dịka m gbaa ọsọ gbaba nʼụlọnsọ Chineke ịzọpụta ndụ ya? Agaghị m aga.”
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 Mgbe ahụ ka o doro m anya na Chineke agwaghị ya okwu ọbụla, kama na ọ bụ Tobaya na Sanbalat zụrụ ya.
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 E goro ya ọrụ ka o yinye m egwu, ka m site na-ime otu a mehie, mgbe ahụ, ha ga-ahụ ihe ha ga-eji nye m aha ọjọọ, kwaa m emo.
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 “Chineke m, cheta Tobaya na Sanbalat, nʼihi ihe ndị a niile ha mere, chetakwa Noadaya, bụ onye amụma nwanyị, na ndị amụma ndị ọzọ niile fọdụrụ, bụ ndị ahụ chọrọ ime ka m tụọ egwu.”
[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 E wuchara mgbidi ahụ nʼụbọchị iri abụọ na ise nke ọnwa Elul, nʼime iri ụbọchị ise na abụọ.
On October 2 we finished rebuilding the wall. We did it all in 52 days.
16 Mgbe ndị iro anyị niile nụrụ ya, mba niile ndị nọ anyị gburugburu tụrụ ụjọ, obi jụkwara ha oyi, nʼihi na ha matara na-arụrụ ọrụ a site nʼinyeaka Chineke.
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 Ọzọ, nʼụbọchị ndị ahụ ndị Juda a na-asọpụrụ na e zigara Tobaya ọtụtụ akwụkwọ ozi, akwụkwọ ozi Tobaya na-erutekwa ha aka.
During this time, the Jewish leaders had been sending many messages/letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah had been sending messages back to them.
18 Nʼihi na ọtụtụ ndị Juda ṅụrụ iyi ịnọ ya nʼukwu, nʼihi na ọgọ ya nwoke nʼala Juda bụ Shekanaya nwa Ara. Ọzọkwa, Jehohanan nwa nwoke Tobaya na-alụ nwa nwanyị Meshulam, nwa Berekaya.
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 Ha niile nọgidere na-agwa m otu Tobaya si bụrụ ezigbo mmadụ. Ma ha na-apụkwa gaa kọọrọ ya ihe niile m kwuru. Nʼihi ya Tobaya zitere ọtụtụ akwụkwọ ozi ime ka ụjọ tụọ m.
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.
