Neyemi 13
1 Na tango wana, batangaki buku ya Moyize na mongongo makasi mpo ete bato bayoka; mpe bamonaki ete ekomama boye kati na yango: « Moto ya Amoni mpe moto ya Moabi bakotikala kondimama te kati na lisanga ya Nzambe;
On that day, when someone read to the people parts of the laws [that God gave] to Moses, they read where it was written that no one from the Ammon people-group or the Moab people-group was ever to be allowed to be with God’s people while they were gathered together [to worship].
2 mpo ete bayaki te kokutana na bana ya Isalaele mpe kopesa bango bilei mpe mayi, kasi bapesaki nde Balami kanyaka mpo ete alakela bango mabe; atako bongo, Nzambe na biso abongolaki elakeli mabe lipamboli. »
The reason for that was that the people of Ammon and the people of Moab did not give/sell any food or water to the Israelis [while the Israelis were going through their areas after they left Egypt]. Instead, the people of Ammon and Moab paid money to Balaam in order that he would curse the Israelis. But God commanded Balaam to bless the people, not to curse them.
3 Tango kaka bato bayokaki mobeko yango, balongolaki na Isalaele bakitani nyonso ya bapaya.
So when the people heard these laws [being read to them], they sent away all the people whose ancestors had come from other countries.
4 Liboso ya kozwa mokano yango, Nganga-Nzambe Eliashibi oyo azali na mokumba ya kobatela bibombelo ya Ndako ya Nzambe na biso mpe azali moto ya libota ya Tobiya
Previously, Eliashib the priest had been appointed to be in charge of the storerooms in the temple. He was a relative of [our enemy] Tobiah.
5 apesaki Tobiya, ndeko na ye, shambre monene oyo, na kala, ezalaki ebombelo ya makabo ya ble, ansa, bisalelo ya Tempelo, eteni ya zomi ya ble, ya vino ya sika mpe ya mafuta, biloko oyo Mibeko ekata ete ezali mpo na Balevi, bayembi mpe bakengeli bikuke; mpe makabo oyo epesamaka mpo na Banganga-Nzambe.
He allowed Tobiah to use a large room in which they had previously stored the grain offerings and the incense, the equipment that is used in the temple, the offerings [that the people had brought] for the priests, and the tithes of grain and wine and [olive] oil that [God] had commanded the people to bring to the [other] descendants of Levi, and to the temple musicians, and to the temple guards.
6 Kasi wana makambo oyo nyonso ezalaki kosalema, ngai nazalaki na Yelusalemi te, pamba te nazongaki epai ya Aritakizerisesi, mokonzi ya Babiloni, na mobu ya tuku misato na mibale ya bokonzi na ye. Bongo sima na mwa mikolo, na suka ya mobu, nasengaki ye nzela
While [Tobias was using that room], I was not in Jerusalem, because in the 32nd year that Artaxerxes was the king of Babylonia, I went back there to report to him. After a while I requested the king to allow me to return to Jerusalem, [and he allowed me to go].
7 mpe nazongaki na Yelusalemi. Kuna, namonaki mpe nasosolaki mabe oyo Eliashibi asalaki na ndenge apesaki Tobiya shambre kati na lopango ya Ndako ya Nzambe;
When I arrived in Jerusalem, I found out that Eliashib had done an evil thing by allowing Tobiah to use a room in God’s temple.
8 nasilikaki makasi mpe nabwakaki biloko nyonso ya Tobiya na libanda ya shambre.
I became very angry, and I threw out of that room everything that belonged to Tobiah.
9 Napesaki mitindo ete bapetola bashambre mpe, na sima, nazongisaki kati na yango bisalelo ya Ndako ya Nzambe, makabo ya ble mpe ansa.
Then I commanded [that they perform a ritual] to make the rooms (pure/acceptable to God) again. And I also ordered that all the equipment used in the temple and all the grain offerings and incense should be put in that room again.
10 Nayokaki lisusu ete biloko oyo Mibeko ekata mpo na Balevi epesamaka te epai ya Balevi, mpe ete Balevi mpe bayembi oyo bazalaki kosala mosala bazongaki, moto na moto na bilanga na ye.
I also found out that the temple musicians and [other] descendants of Levi had left Jerusalem and returned to their fields/farms, because the Israeli people had not been bringing to them the food [that they needed].
11 Mpo na yango, napamelaki bakambi ya bato mpe natunaki bango: — Mpo na nini Ndako ya Nzambe esundolami? Bongo, nasangisaki Balevi mpe bayembi mpe nazongisaki bango, moto na moto na mosala na ye.
So I rebuked the officials, saying to them, “(Why have you not taken care of the work in the temple?/It is disgraceful that you have not taken care of the work in the temple.)” [RHQ] So I brought the descendants of Levi and the musicians back to the temple, and told them to do their work there again.
12 Bato nyonso ya Yuda bamemaki kati na bibombelo: eteni ya zomi ya ble, ya vino ya sika mpe ya mafuta.
Then all the people of Judah again started to bring to the temple storerooms their tithes of grain, wine, and [olive] oil.
13 Napesaki mokumba ya kobatela bibombelo epai ya Nganga-Nzambe Shelemiya, epai ya Tsadoki, molakisi ya Mobeko, mpe epai ya Pedaya, moko kati na Balevi; mpe napesaki bango Anani, mwana mobali ya Zakuri, koko ya Matania, mpo ete asunga bango, pamba te bango nyonso bazalaki bato ya sembo. Bapesamelaki mokumba ya kokabola biloko epai ya baninga na bango, Balevi.
I appointed these men to be in charge of the storerooms: Shelemiah, who was a priest; Zadok, who knew the Jewish laws very well; and Pedaiah, a descendant of Levi. I appointed Hanan, who is the son of Zaccur and grandson of Mattaniah, to assist them. I knew that I could trust these men while they distributed those offerings to their fellow workers.
14 Oh Nzambe na ngai, kanisa ngai mpo na makambo oyo nyonso; kobosana te misala nyonso oyo nasali na boyengebene mpo na Ndako ya Nzambe na ngai mpe mpo na misala na yango!
My God, do not forget all these good things that I have faithfully done for your temple and for the work that is done there!
15 Na tango wana kaka, namonaki kati na etuka ya Yuda bato bazali kokamola bambuma ya vino na mokolo ya Saba, bamosusu bazali kobongisa maboke ya matiti ya ble, kotia yango likolo ya ba-ane elongo na masanga ya vino, bambuma ya vino, ya figi mpe mikumba ya ndenge na ndenge mpo na komema yango na Yelusalemi na mokolo ya Saba. Mpo na yango, napamelaki bango ete bateka lisusu biloko te na mokolo wana.
During that time, I saw some people in Judea [who were working] on the Sabbath day. [Some were] pressing grapes [to make wine]. Others were putting grain, [bags of] wine, [baskets of] grapes, figs, and many [HYP] other things, on their donkeys and taking them into Jerusalem. I warned them that they should not sell things to the people of Judea on Sabbath days.
16 Ezalaki mpe na bato ya Tiri, oyo bazalaki kovanda kati na Yelusalemi; bango bazalaki komema mbisi mpe biloko ya ndenge na ndenge, mpe bazalaki kotekela yango bato ya Yuda mpe kati na Yelusalemi na mokolo ya Saba.
I also saw some people from Tyre [city] who were living there in Jerusalem who were bringing fish and other things [into Jerusalem] to sell to the people of Judea on the Sabbath day.
17 Napamelaki bankumu ya Yuda mpe nalobaki na bango: — Ndenge nini bozali kosala likambo mabe makasi boye na kobebisa bosantu ya mokolo ya Saba?
So I rebuked the Jewish leaders and told them, “This is [RHQ] a very evil thing that you are doing! You are causing the Sabbath days to be unholy.
18 Tala, bakoko na bino basalaki mpe kaka boye; mpe ezali mpo na yango nde Nzambe na biso atindelaki biso mpe engumba oyo pasi oyo nyonso. Mpe bino, lokola bozali kobebisa bosantu ya mokolo ya Saba, bozali nde komatisa kanda ya Nzambe likolo ya Isalaele!
Your ancestors did [RHQ] things like that, so God punished them, and as a result, this city was destroyed! And now by causing the Sabbath day to be unholy, you are going to cause God to be angry with us Israeli people [and punish us] more!”
19 Tango molili ya pokwa ekweyaki na bikuke ya Yelusalemi, liboso ete mokolo ya Saba ebanda, napesaki mitindo ete bakanga bikuke yango mpe bafungola yango kaka soki mokolo ya Saba eleki. Bongo, natiaki ndambo ya basali na ngai na bikuke mpo na kopekisa bokoti ya mikumba, na mokolo ya Saba.
So I ordered that at (the beginning of every Sabbath day/every Friday evening) they should shut the gates of the city before it became dark. I also ordered that they should not open the gates until (the Sabbath day was ended [the next day]/Saturday evening). Then [each Sabbath day] I put some of my men at the gates, so they would make sure that nothing to sell was brought into the city on that day.
20 Boye, mbala moko to mibale, basombi mpe bateki biloko ya ndenge na ndenge balekisaki butu libanda ya Yelusalemi.
One or two times merchants [DOU] stayed outside of the city on (Friday night/[the night before the Sabbath day]).
21 Nakebisaki bango makasi mpe nalobaki: — Mpo na nini bozali kolekisa butu pembeni ya mir? Soki bozongeli lisusu kosala bongo, nakokanga bino. Wuta na tango wana, batikalaki lisusu koya te na mokolo ya Saba.
I warned them, “It is useless [RHQ] for you to stay here outside the walls [on Friday night]! If you do this again, I will tell my men to arrest you!” So after that, they did not come on Sabbath days.
22 Napesaki lisusu Balevi mitindo ete bamipetola mpe bakende kokengela bikuke mpo na kobatela bule ya mokolo ya Saba. Oh Nzambe na ngai, kanisa ngai lisusu mpo na likambo oyo mpe talisa ngai ngolu na Yo kolanda bolingo monene na Yo!
I also commanded the descendants of Levi to [perform the ritual to] purify themselves and to guard the city gates, to make sure that the Sabbath was kept holy [by not allowing merchants to enter it on Sabbath days]. My God, do not forget this also that I [have done for you]! And because of your faithfully loving me, allow me to continue to live [many more years]!
23 Kaka na mikolo wana, namonaki lisusu bana mibali ya Yuda kobala bana basi ya Asidodi, ya Amoni mpe ya Moabi.
During that time, I also found out that many of the Jewish men had married women from Ashdod [city], and from [the] Ammon and Moab [people-groups].
24 Kati-kati mobimba ya bana na bango bazalaki koloba lokota ya bato ya Asidodi to lokota ya ekolo moko kati na bikolo mosusu, kasi bayebaki te koloba lokota ya Bayuda.
The result was that half of their children spoke the language that people in Ashdod speak or some other language, and they didn’t know how to speak our language.
25 Napamelaki bango mpe nalakelaki bango mabe; nabetaki ndambo kati na bango, napikolaki bango suki mpe nalapisaki bango ndayi oyo na Kombo ya Nzambe: — Bosengeli te kopesa na libala bana na bino ya basi epai ya bana mibali ya bapaya mpe bosengeli te kozwa na libala bana na bango ya basi mpo na bana na bino ya mibali to mpo na bino moko.
So I rebuked those men, and I [asked God to] curse them, and I beat them and pulled out [some of] their hair. Then I forced them to solemnly promise, knowing that God [MTY] was [listening], that they would never again marry foreigners, and never allow their children to marry foreigners.
26 Ezalaki penza na nzela ya mabala ya boye nde Salomo, mokonzi ya Isalaele, akweyaki na masumu. Nzokande, kati na ebele ya bikolo ya bapaya, ezalaki na mokonzi moko te oyo akokanaki na ye! Nzambe na ye azalaki kolinga ye mpe atiaki ye mokonzi ya Isalaele mobimba, kasi basi ya bapaya bakweyisaki ye na masumu.
[I said to them], “Solomon, the king of Israel, sinned [RHQ] as a result of [marrying] foreign women. He was greater than any of the kings of other nations. God loved him, and caused him to become the king of all the Israeli people, but his foreign wives caused even him to sin.
27 Boni, tosengeli sik’oyo koyoka ete bino mpe bozali kosala mabe wana monene mpe bozangi boyengebene liboso ya Nzambe na biso likolo ya kobala basi ya bapaya?
[Do you think that] we should do what you have done, and disobey our God by marrying foreign women [who worship idols]? [RHQ]”
28 Moko kati na bana mibali ya Yoyada, mwana mobali ya Eliashibi, mokonzi ya Banganga-Nzambe, akomaki bokilo ya Sanibala, moto ya Oroni. Mpe nabenganaki ye mosika na ngai.
One of the sons of Jehoiada, the son of Eliashib the Supreme Priest, had married the daughter of [our enemy] Sanballat, from Beth-Horon [town]. So I forced Jehoiada’s son to leave Jerusalem.
29 Oh Nzambe na ngai, kobosana bato wana te, mpo ete babebisaki bosantu ya bonganga-Nzambe mpe boyokani na Yo elongo na Banganga-Nzambe mpe Balevi.
My God, do not forget that those people [who have married foreign women] have caused it to be a shame/disgrace to be a priest, and have caused people to despise the agreement that you made with the priests and with the [other] descendants of Levi [who help the priests])!
30 Napetolaki Banganga-Nzambe mpe Balevi mpo na kolongola mbindo nyonso ya bapaya mpe nazongisaki bango na mosala, moto na moto na mokumba na ye.
I did all that to make sure that there were no more foreign people among the [Israeli] people [who would encourage them to worship idols]. I also established regulations for the priests and [other] descendants of Levi, in order that they would know what work they should do.
31 Nazongisaki lisusu makabo ya bakoni mpo ete epesama na tango na yango oyo ekatama mpe makabo ya bambuma ya liboso ya mabele. Oh Nzambe na ngai, kanisa ngai na bolamu na Yo!
I also arranged for people to bring the firewood [that was needed to burn on the altar, as Moses had declared] that we should [do]. I also arranged for the people to bring the first part of what they harvested [each year]. My God, do not forget [that] I [have done all these things], and bless me [for doing them]!
