< ネヘミヤ 記 2 >
1 茲にアルタシヤスタ王の二十年ニサンの月王の前に酒のいでし時我酒をつぎて王にたてまつれり我は今まで王の前にて憂色を帶しこと有ざりき
And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, [that] wine [was] before him: and I took up the wine, and gave [it] to the king. Now I had not [before] been sad in his presence.
2 王われに言けるは汝は疾病も有ざるに何とて面に憂色を帶るや是他ならず心に憂ふる所あるなりと是において我甚だ大に懼れたりしが
Wherefore the king said to me, Why [is] thy countenance sad, seeing thou [art] not sick? this [is] nothing but sorrow of heart. Then I was very greatly afraid,
3 遂に王に奏して曰ふ願くは王長壽かれ我が先祖の墓の地たるその邑は荒蕪その門は火にて焚たれば我いかで顔に憂色を帶ざるを得んやと
And said to the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchers, [lieth] waste, and its gates are consumed with fire?
4 王われに向ひて然らば汝何をなさんと願ふやと言ければ我すなはち天の神に祈りて
Then the king said to me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.
5 王に言けるは王もし之を善としたまひ我もし汝の前に恩を得たる者なりせば願くはユダにあるわが先祖の墓の邑に我を遣はして我にこれを建起さしめたまへと
And I said to the king, If it should please the king, and if thy servant hath found favor in thy sight, that thou wouldst send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' sepulchers, that I may build it.
6 時に后妃も傍に坐しをりしが王われに言けるは汝が往てをる間は何程なるべきや何時頃歸りきたるやと王かく我を遣はすことを善としければ我期を定めて奏せり
And the king said to me, (the queen also sitting by him, ) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.
7 而して我また王に言けるは王もし善としたまはば請ふ河外ふの總督等に與ふる書を我に賜ひ彼らをして我をユダまで通さしめたまへ
Moreover, I said to the king, If it should please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah:
8 また王の山林を守るアサフに與ふる書をも賜ひ彼をして殿に屬する城の門を作り邑の石垣および我が入べき家に用ふる材木を我に授けしめたまへと我神善く我を助けたまひしに因て王これを我に允せり
And a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which [appertained] to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.
9 是に於て我河外ふの總督等に詣りて王の書をこれに付せり王は軍長數人に騎兵をそへて我に伴なはせたり
Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.
10 時にホロニ人サンバラテおよびアンモニ人奴隸トビヤこれを聞きイスラエルの子孫の安寧を求むる人來れりとて大に憂ふ
When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard [of it], it grieved them exceedingly that there had come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.
11 我ついにヱルサレムに到りて彼處に三日居りける後
So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.
12 夜中に起いでたり數人の者われに伴なふ我はわが神がヱルサレムのために爲せんとて我心に入たまひし所の事を何人にも告しらせず亦我が乗る一匹の畜の外には畜を引つれざりき
And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I [any] man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither [was there any] beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon.
13 我すなはち夜中に立いで谷の門を通り龍井の對面を經糞門に至りてヱルサレムの石垣を閲せしにその石垣は頽れをりその門は已に火に焚てありき
And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before the dragon-well, and to the dung-port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and their gates were consumed with fire.
14 かくて又前みて泉の門にゆき王の池にいたりしに我が乗る畜の通るべき處なかりき
Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king's pool: but [there was] no place for the beast [that was] under me to pass.
15 我亦その夜の中に渓川に沿て進みのぼりて石垣を觀めぐり頓て身を反して谷の門より歸りいりぬ
Then I went up in the night by the brook, and viewed the wall, and turned back, and entered by the gate of the valley, and [so] returned.
16 然るに牧伯等は我が何處に往しか何を爲しかを知ざりき我また未だこれをユダヤ人にも祭司にも貴き人にも方伯等にも其他の役人にも告しらせざりしが
And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did; neither had I as yet told [it] to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work.
17 遂に彼らに言けるは汝らの見るごとく我儕の境遇は惡くヱルサレムは荒はてその門は火に焚たり來れ我儕ヱルサレムの石垣を築きあげて再び世の凌辱をうくることなからんと
Then said I to them, Ye see the distress that we [are] in, how Jerusalem [lieth] waste, and its gates are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we may be no more a reproach.
18 而して我わが神の善われを助けたまひし事を彼らに告げまた王の我に語りし言詞をも告しらせければ去來起て築かんと言ひ皆奮ひてこの美事を爲んとす
Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken to me. And they said, Let us rise and build. So they strengthened their hands for [this] good [work].
19 時にホロニ人サンバラテ、アンモニ人奴隸トビヤおよびアラビヤ人ガシムこれを聞て我らを嘲けり我儕を悔りて言ふ汝ら何事をなすや王に叛かんとするなるかと
But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard [it], they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What [is] this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?
20 我すなはち答へて彼らに言ふ天の神われらをして志を得させたまはん故に其僕たる我儕起て築くべし然ど汝らはヱルサレムに何の分もなく權理もなく記念もなしと
Then I answered them, and said to them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.