Nehemiæ 2
1 factum est autem in mense nisan anno vicesimo Artarxersis regis et vinum erat ante eum et levavi vinum et dedi regi et non eram quasi languidus ante faciem eius
Now it happened that, in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of king Artaxerxes, wine was before him; and I lifted up the wine, and I gave it to the king. And I was like someone languishing before his face.
2 dixitque mihi rex quare vultus tuus tristis cum te aegrotum non videam non est hoc frustra sed malum nescio quid in corde tuo est et timui valde ac nimis
And the king said to me: “Why is your expression sad, though you do not appear to be sick? This is not without cause, but some evil, I know not what, is in your heart.” And I was struck with an exceedingly great fear.
3 et dixi regi rex in aeternum vive quare non maereat vultus meus quia civitas domus sepulchrorum patris mei deserta est et portae eius conbustae sunt igni
And I said to the king: “O king, live forever. Why should my expression not be mournful, since the city of the house of the sepulchers of my father is desolate, and its gates have been burned with fire?”
4 et ait mihi rex pro qua re postulas et oravi Deum caeli
And the king said to me: “What would you request?” And I prayed to the God of heaven.
5 et dixi ad regem si videtur regi bonum et si placet servus tuus ante faciem tuam ut mittas me in Iudaeam ad civitatem sepulchri patris mei et aedificabo eam
And I said to the king: “If it seems good to the king, and if your servant is pleasing before your face: that you would send me into Judea, to the city of the sepulcher of my father. And I will rebuild it.”
6 dixitque mihi rex et regina quae sedebat iuxta eum usque ad quod tempus erit iter tuum et quando reverteris et placuit ante vultum regis et misit me et constitui ei tempus
And the king said to me, with the queen who was sitting beside him: “Until what time will your journey be, and when will you return?” And it was pleasing before the countenance of the king, and so he sent me. And I established a time for him.
7 et dixi regi si regi videtur bonum epistulas det mihi ad duces regionis trans Flumen ut transducant me donec veniam in Iudaeam
And I said to the king: “If it seems good to the king, may he give me letters to the governors of the region beyond the river, so that they may lead me through, until I arrive in Judea,
8 et epistulam ad Asaph custodem saltus regis ut det mihi ligna et tegere possim portas turris domus et muri civitatis et domum quam ingressus fuero et dedit mihi rex iuxta manum Dei mei bonam mecum
and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, so that he may give me timber, in order that I may be able to cover the gates of the tower of the house, and the walls of the city, and the house that I will enter.” And the king granted to me in accord with the good hand of my God, who is with me.
9 et veni ad duces regionis trans Flumen dedique eis epistulas regis miserat autem mecum rex principes militum et equites
And I went to the governors of the region beyond the river, and I gave them the letters of the king. Now the king had sent with me military leaders and horsemen.
10 et audierunt Sanaballat Horonites et Tobias servus ammanites et contristati sunt adflictione magna quod venisset homo qui quaereret prosperitatem filiorum Israhel
And Sanballat, a Horonite, and the servant Tobiah, an Ammonite, heard this. And they were saddened, with a great affliction, that a man had arrived who was seeking the prosperity of the sons of Israel.
11 et veni Hierusalem et eram ibi diebus tribus
And I arrived at Jerusalem, and I was there for three days.
12 et surrexi nocte ego et viri pauci mecum et non indicavi cuiquam quid Deus dedisset in corde meo ut facerem in Hierusalem et iumentum non erat mecum nisi animal cui sedebam
And I got up in the night, I and a few men with me. And I did not reveal to anyone what God had placed in my heart to do in Jerusalem. And there was no animal with me, except the animal on which I was sitting.
13 et egressus sum per portam Vallis nocte et ante fontem Draconis et ad portam Stercoris et considerabam murum Hierusalem dissipatum et portas eius consumptas igni
And I departed in the night through the gate of the valley, and before the fountain of the dragon, and toward the dung gate. And I considered the wall of Jerusalem, which was broken apart, and its gates, which had been consumed by fire.
14 et transivi ad portam Fontis et ad aquaeductum Regis et non erat locus iumento cui sedebam ut transiret
And I continued on to the gate of the fountain, and to the aqueduct of the king. And there was no room for the beast on which I was sitting to pass through.
15 et ascendi per torrentem nocte et considerabam murum et reversus veni ad portam Vallis et redii
And so I climbed up in the night along the torrent, and I considered the wall. And turning back, I went by the gate of the valley, and I returned.
16 magistratus autem nesciebant quo abissem aut quid ego facerem sed et Iudaeis et sacerdotibus et optimatibus et magistratibus et reliquis qui faciebant opus usque ad id locorum nihil indicaveram
Now the magistrates did not know where I had gone, or what I had done. For I had revealed nothing, even to that point in time, to the Jews, or to the priests, or to the nobles, or to the magistrates, or to the others who were doing the work.
17 et dixi eis vos nostis adflictionem in qua sumus quia Hierusalem deserta est et portae eius consumptae sunt igni venite et aedificemus muros Hierusalem et non simus ultra obprobrium
And so I said to them: “You know the affliction in which we are, because Jerusalem is desolate, and its gates have been consumed by fire. Come, and let us rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, and let us no longer be in disgrace.”
18 et indicavi eis manum Dei mei quod esset bona mecum et verba regis quae locutus est mihi et aio surgamus et aedificemus et confortatae sunt manus eorum in bono
And I revealed to them how the hand of my God was with me for good, and the words of the king, which he had spoken to me. And I said: “Let us rise up, and build.” And their hands were strengthened for good.
19 audierunt autem Sanaballat Horonites et Tobias servus ammanites et Gosem Arabs et subsannaverunt nos et despexerunt dixeruntque quae est haec res quam facitis numquid contra regem vos rebellatis
But Sanballat, a Horonite, and the servant Tobiah, an Ammonite, and Geshem, an Arab, heard of it. And they ridiculed and disparaged us, and they said: “What is this thing that you are doing? Could you be rebelling against the king?”
20 et reddidi eis sermonem dixique ad eos Deus caeli ipse nos iuvat et nos servi eius sumus surgamus et aedificemus vobis autem non est pars et iustitia et memoria in Hierusalem
And I replied to them a word, and I said to them: “The God of heaven himself is helping us, and we are his servants. Let us rise up and build. But there is no portion, or justice, or remembrance in Jerusalem for you.”
