Nehemia 4

1 Ketika Sanbalat mendengar bahwa kami orang Yahudi sedang memperbaiki tembok kota, ia menjadi marah sekali dan mulai mengejek kami.

Now it came to pass, when Sanaballat heard that we were building the wall, that it was grievous to him, and he was very angry, and railed against the Jews.

2 Di depan rekan-rekannya dan tentara Samaria, ia berkata, "Apa yang sedang dikerjakan orang Yahudi celaka yang tidak bisa apa-apa itu? Apakah mereka mau membangun kembali kota ini? Sangka mereka pekerjaan itu dapat selesai dalam sehari, hanya dengan mempersembahkan kurban? Apakah timbunan sampah yang sudah hangus itu bisa mereka jadikan batu-batu tembok?"

And he said before his brethren (that [is] the army of the Samaritans) [Is it true] that these Jews are building their city? do they indeed offer sacrifices? will they prevail? and will they this day restore the stones, after they have been burnt and made a heap of rubbish?

3 Lalu Tobia yang berdiri di sampingnya berkata juga, "Lihat tembok yang mereka bangun! Anjing hutan pun bisa merobohkannya!"

And Tobias the Ammanite came near to him, and said to them, Do they sacrifice or eat in their place? shall not a fox go up and pull down their wall of stones?

4 Maka berdoalah aku, "Ya Allah, dengarlah bagaimana kami dihina! Timpakanlah penghinaan itu ke atas kepala mereka sendiri. Biarlah segala milik mereka dirampok dan mereka sendiri diangkut sebagai tawanan ke negeri asing.

Hear, O our God, for we have become a scorn; and return you their reproach upon their head, and make them a scorn in a land of captivity,

5 Jangan mengampuni kejahatan mereka dan jangan melupakan dosa mereka, sebab mereka telah menghina kami yang sedang membangun ini."

and do not cover [their] iniquity.

6 Sementara itu kami terus memperbaiki tembok itu, dan tak lama kemudian seluruh tembok itu selesai diperbaiki sampai setengah tinggi, sebab rakyat bekerja dengan penuh semangat.

7 Ketika Sanbalat, Tobia dan orang-orang dari Amon dan Asdod serta orang-orang Arab mendengar bahwa perbaikan tembok Yerusalem itu makin maju dan bahwa lubang-lubang di tembok sudah mulai ditutup, mereka menjadi marah sekali.

But it came to pass, when Sanaballat and Tobia, and the Arabians, and the Ammanites, heard that the building of the walls of Jerusalem was advancing, [and] that the breaches began to be stopped, that it appeared very grievous to them.

8 Mereka bersepakat hendak menyerang Yerusalem untuk menimbulkan kekacauan.

And all of them assembled together, to come to fight against Jerusalem, and to destroy it utterly.

9 Karena itu kami berdoa kepada Allah kami dan menjaga kota itu siang dan malam.

So we prayed to our God and set watchmen against them day and night, because of them.

10 Tetapi orang Yehuda mulai menyanyikan lagu keluhan ini: "Tenaga kita habis untuk mengangkut muatan, sedangkan sampah masih banyak bertumpukan. Tak sanggup rasanya kita bekerja begini membangun tembok kota ini."

And Juda said, The strength of the enemies is broken, yet [there is] much rubbish, and we shall not be able to build the wall.

11 Sementara itu musuh kami merencanakan untuk menyerang kami secara tiba-tiba, lalu membunuh kami sehingga pekerjaan kami terhenti.

And they that afflicted us said, They shall not know, and they shall not see, until we come into the midst of them, and kill them, and cause the work to cease.

12 Tetapi orang Yahudi yang tinggal di dekat mereka, berkali-kali datang kepada kami untuk memberitahukan rencana musuh itu.

And it came to pass, when the Jews who lived near them came, that they said to us, They are coming up against us from every quarter.

13 Sebab itu aku membagi-bagikan pedang, tombak dan panah kepada rakyat, lalu kutempatkan mereka menurut kaumnya masing-masing di belakang tembok, di tempat-tempat yang belum selesai diperbaiki.

So I set [men] in the lowest part of the place behind the wall in the lurking-places, I even set the people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

14 Ketika kulihat bahwa rakyat takut, aku berkata kepada mereka dan kepada para pemuka serta para pemimpin, "Jangan takut kepada musuh! Ingatlah kepada Tuhan yang kuat dan dahsyat, dan berjuanglah untuk saudara-saudaramu, anak-anak, istri dan rumahmu!"

And I looked, and arose, and said to the nobles, and to the captains, and to the rest of the people, Be not afraid of them: remember our great and terrible God, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.

15 Musuh-musuh kami mendengar bahwa rencana mereka telah kami ketahui. Maka sadarlah mereka bahwa Allah telah menggagalkan rencana mereka itu. Kemudian kami semua kembali bekerja memperbaiki tembok itu.

And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was made known to us, and God had frustrated their counsel, that we all returned to the wall, [every] man to his work.

16 Tetapi sejak hari itu hanya setengah dari anak buahku yang bekerja, sedangkan yang setengah lagi berjaga-jaga dengan berpakaian baju perang dan bersenjatakan tombak, perisai dan panah. Para pemimpin rakyat memberikan dukungan sepenuhnya kepada rakyat

And it came to pass from that day [that] half of them that had been driven forth, wrought the work, and half of them kept guard; and [there were] spears, and shields, and bows, and breastplates, and rulers behind the whole house of Juda,

17 yang sedang memperbaiki tembok itu. Para pemikul bahan bangunan melakukan pekerjaan itu dengan satu tangan, sedangkan tangan yang lain memegang senjata.

even of them that were building the wall: —and those who carried the burdens [were] under arms: [each] with one hand wrought his work, and with the other held his dart.

18 Tukang-tukang batu bekerja dengan pedang terikat di pinggang. Peniup trompet tanda bahaya, terus ada di sampingku.

And the builders [wrought] each man having his sword girded upon his loins, and so they built: and the trumpeter with his trumpet next to him.

19 Lalu aku berkata kepada rakyat, para pemuka dan para pemimpin, "Pekerjaan ini telah meluas sampai jarak yang jauh, sehingga kita terpencar-pencar di sepanjang tembok ini, seorang jauh daripada yang lain.

And I said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work [is] great and abundant, and we are dispersed upon the wall, each at a great distance from his brother.

20 Jadi, kalau kalian mendengar bunyi trompet, berkumpullah segera di sekeliling kami di sini. Allah kita akan berperang untuk kita."

In whatever place you shall hear the sound of the cornet, there gather yourselves together to us; and our God shall fight for us.

21 Demikianlah kami bekerja mulai dari subuh sampai bintang-bintang nampak di langit. Setengah dari rakyat memperbaiki tembok, sedangkan yang lain berjaga-jaga dengan tombak di tangan.

So we [continued] laboring at the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning until the stars appeared.

22 Selama masa itu semua petugas dengan pembantu mereka, kusuruh bermalam di Yerusalem. Dengan demikian pada malam hari kami dapat menjaga kota dan siangnya membangun temboknya.

And at that time I said to the people, Lodge you every man with his servant in the midst of Jerusalem, and let the night be a watch-time to you, and the day a work-time.

23 Aku sendiri, rekan-rekanku, anak buahku dan pengawal-pengawalku selalu berpakaian kerja, baik siang maupun malam. Kami terus-menerus dalam keadaan siap siaga, dengan senjata di tangan.

And I was [there], and the watchmen behind me, and there was not a man of us that put off his garments.