< 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帯しこと有ざりき
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 been beforetime 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帯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
Why the king said to me, Why is your countenance sad, seeing you are not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid,
3 遂に王に奏して曰ふ願くは王長壽かれ我が先胆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帯ざるを得んやと
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, lies waste, and the gates thereof 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 do you 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 please the king, and if your servant have found favor in your sight, that you would 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 your journey be? and when will you 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総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 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属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 into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God on me.
9 是に於て我河外ふの総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件なはせたり
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隷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 was 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 on.
13 我すなはち夜中に立いで谷の門を通り龍井の對面を経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 the gates thereof 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観めぐり頓て身を反して谷の門より歸りいりぬ
Then went I 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 where 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 遂に披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, You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we 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ぱ去來起て築かんと言ひ皆奮ひてこの美事を認んとす
Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good on me; as also the king’s words that he had spoken to me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.
19 時にホロニ人サンバラテ、アンモニ人奴隷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 you do? will you 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 answered I them, and said to them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but you have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.

< ネヘミヤ 記 2 >