Neemia 6

1 Or quando Samballat e Tobia e Ghescem, l’Arabo, e gli altri nostri nemici ebbero udito che io avevo riedificate le mura e che non c’era più rimasta alcuna breccia quantunque allora io non avessi ancora messe le imposte alle porte

Now it happened that, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem, an Arab, and our other enemies, had heard that I had built the wall, and that there was no interruption remaining in it, (even though, at that time, I had not set up the double doors at the gates, )

2 Samballat e Ghescem mi mandarono a dire: “Vieni, e troviamoci assieme in uno dei villaggi della valle di Ono”. Or essi pensavano a farmi del male.

Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying: “Come, and let us strike a pact together in the villages, on the plain of Ono.” But they were thinking that they would do me harm.

3 E io inviai loro dei messi per dire: “Io sto facendo un gran lavoro, e non posso scendere. Perché il lavoro rimarrebb’egli sospeso mentr’io lo lascerei per scendere da voi?”

Therefore, I sent messengers to them, saying: “I am doing a great work, and I cannot descend, lest perhaps it may be neglected when I go out and descend to you.”

4 Essi mandarono quattro volte a dirmi la stessa cosa, e io risposi loro nello stesso modo.

Then they sent to me, with this same word, four times. And I responded to them with the same word as before.

5 Allora Samballat mi mandò a dire la stessa cosa la quinta volta per mezzo del suo servo che aveva in mano una lettera aperta,

And Sanballat sent his servant to me a fifth time, with the former word, and he had a letter in his hand written in this manner:

6 nella quale stava scritto: “Corre voce fra queste genti, e Gashmu l’afferma, che tu e i Giudei meditate di ribellarvi; e che perciò tu ricostruisci le mura; e, stando a quel che si dice, tu diventeresti loro re,

“It has been heard among the Gentiles, and Geshem has said it, that you and the Jews are planning to rebel, and because of this, you are building the wall and thinking to raise yourself as a king over them. For this reason,

7 e avresti perfino stabiliti de’ profeti per far la tua proclamazione a Gerusalemme, dicendo: V’è un re in Giuda! Or questi discorsi saranno riferiti al re. Vieni dunque, e consultiamoci assieme”.

you also have stationed prophets, who preach about you in Jerusalem, saying: ‘There is a king in Judea!’ But the king will hear about these words. Therefore, come now, so that we may go to counsel together.”

8 Ma io gli feci rispondere: “Le cose non stanno come tu dici, ma sei tu che le inventi!”

And I sent to them, saying: “There has been nothing done according to these words, which you have spoken. For you are inventing these things from your own heart.”

9 Perché tutta quella gente ci voleva impaurire e diceva: “Le loro mani si rilasseranno e il lavoro non si farà più”. Ma tu, o Dio, fortifica ora le mie mani!

For all these men wished to frighten us, thinking that our hands would cease from the work, and that we would cease. For this reason, I strengthened my hands all the more.

10 Ed io andai a casa di Scemaia, figliuolo di Delaia, figliuolo di Mehetabeel, che s’era quivi rinchiuso; ed egli mi disse: “Troviamoci assieme nella casa di Dio, dentro al tempio, e chiudiamo le porte del tempio; poiché coloro verranno ad ucciderti, e verranno a ucciderti di notte”.

And I entered into the house of Shemaiah, the son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, in secret. And he said: “Let us consult together in the house of God, in the midst of the temple. And let us close the doors of the temple. For they will come to kill you, and they will arrive in the night to put you to death.”

11 Ma io risposi: “Un uomo come me si dà egli alla fuga? E un uomo qual son io potrebb’egli entrare nel tempio e vivere? No, io non v’entrerò”.

And I said: “How could anyone like me flee? And who like me should enter the temple, so that he may live? I will not enter.”

12 E io compresi ch’ei non era mandato da Dio, ma avea pronunziata quella profezia contro di me, perché Tobia e Samballat l’aveano pagato.

And I understood that God had not sent him, but he had spoken to me as if he were prophesying, and that Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

13 E l’aveano pagato per impaurirmi e indurmi ad agire a quel modo e a peccare, affin di aver materia da farmi una cattiva riputazione e da coprirmi d’onta.

For he had accepted money, so that I would be afraid, and would sin, and so that they would have some evil with which to rebuke me.

14 O mio Dio, ricordati di Tobia, di Samballat, e di queste loro opere! Ricordati anche della profetessa Noadia e degli altri profeti che han cercato di spaventarmi!

Remember me, O Lord, because of Tobiah and Sanballat, because of their works of this kind. Then, too, Noadiah, a prophetess, and the rest of the prophets, would have made me afraid.

15 Or le mura furon condotte a fine il venticinquesimo giorno di Elul, in cinquantadue giorni.

Now the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul, in fifty-two days.

16 E quando tutti i nostri nemici l’ebber saputo, tutte le nazioni circonvicine furon prese da timore, e restarono grandemente avvilite ai loro propri occhi perché riconobbero che quest’opera s’era compiuta con l’aiuto del nostro Dio.

Then it happened that, when all our enemies had heard of it, all the nations that were around us were afraid, and they were downcast within themselves. For they knew that this work had been accomplished by God.

17 In que’ giorni, anche de’ notabili di Giuda mandavano frequenti lettere a Tobia, e ne ricevevano da Tobia,

But also, in those days, many letters were being sent by the nobles of the Jews to Tobiah, and were arriving from Tobiah to them.

18 giacché molti in Giuda gli eran legati per giuramento perch’egli era genero di Scecania figliuolo di Arah, e Johanan, suo figliuolo, avea sposata la figliuola di Meshullam, figliuolo di Berekia.

For there were many in Judea who had sworn an oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah, the son of Arah, and because Jehohanan, his son, had married the daughter of Meshullam, the son of Berechiah.

19 Essi dicevan del bene di lui perfino in presenza mia, e gli riferivan le mie parole. E Tobia mandava lettere per impaurirmi.

Moreover, they praised him before me, and they reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters, so that he might make me afraid.