Neyemi 2
1 Na sanza ya Nisani, na mobu ya tuku mibale ya bokonzi ya Aritakizerisesi, lokola vino ezalaki liboso ya mokonzi, nazwaki vino mpe napesaki ye mpo ete amela. Ezalaki mbala na ngai ya liboso ya kozala mawa-mawa liboso ya mokonzi.
After King Artaxerxes [had been ruling the Persian Empire] for almost 20 years, (during the spring/before the hot season) of that year, when it was time to serve wine to him [during a feast], I took the wine and gave it to him. I had never looked sad when I was in front of him before, [but on that day he saw that I looked very sad].
2 Boye mokonzi atunaki ngai: — Mpo na nini elongi na yo ezali mawa-mawa lokola nde ozali kobela, nzokande ozali kobela te? Boni, ozali na mawa na motema? Nabangaki makasi;
So he asked me, “Why are you sad? [I know that] you are not sick. It must be that you are troubled about something.” Then I was very afraid, [because it was not proper to be sad when I came to the king] (OR, [because I was worried what the king would do to me if he refused to do what I was about to request him to do]).
3 kasi nazongiselaki mokonzi: — Tika ete mokonzi awumela na bomoi! Ndenge nini elongi na ngai ezala mawa-mawa te tango engumba epai wapi bakunda batata na ngai ebebi mpe bikuke na yango ebebisamaki na moto?
I replied, “Your majesty, I hope you will live a very long time! But (how can I prevent myself from being sad, because the city where my ancestors are buried [has been destroyed] and is in ruins?/I cannot keep myself from looking sad, because the city where my ancestors are buried [has been destroyed and] is in ruins.) [RHQ] [Even] the city gates have been completely burned.”
4 Mokonzi atunaki ngai: — Olingi nini? Nasambelaki Nzambe ya Likolo,
The king replied, “What do you want me to do [for you]?” I prayed [silently] to our God [who is/rules] in heaven.
5 mpe nazongiselaki mokonzi: — Soki esepelisi mokonzi mpe soki mowumbu na ye azwi ngolu na miso na ye, tika ete mokonzi atinda ngai na engumba Yuda epai wapi bakunda batata na ngai, mpo ete nakende kotonga yango lisusu.
Then I replied, “If you are willing [to do it], and if I have pleased you, send me to the city [of Jerusalem] in Judah [province] where my ancestors are buried, in order that I may [help people to] rebuild the city.”
6 Mokonzi, oyo mwasi na ye avandaki pembeni na ye, atunaki ngai: — Mobembo na yo ekosala mikolo boni mpe okozonga tango nini. Esepelisaki mokonzi kotinda ngai; mpe nakataki tango oyo mobembo yango ekokaki kosala.
While the queen was sitting beside the king, he asked, [“If I allow you to go, ] how long will you be gone? When will you return?” [I told the king how long I would be gone, and] the king gave me permission to go, and I told him what day [I wanted to leave].
7 Nalobaki na ye lisusu: — Soki esepelisi mokonzi, tika ete mokonzi apesa ngai mikanda mpo na bayangeli ya etuka ya ngambo ya weste ya ebale Efrate, mpo ete batika ngai koleka kino nakokoma kati na Yuda;
I also said to the king, “If you are willing to do it, write letters for me to take to the governors of the province west of the [Euphrates] River. Tell them to allow me to travel safely [through their province] until I arrive in Judah.
8 mpe tika ete nazwa mokanda mpo na Azafi, mokengeli ya zamba ya mokonzi, mpo ete apesa ngai mabaya ya motondo mpo na bikuke ya engumba batonga makasi pene ya Tempelo, mpo na mir ya engumba mpe mpo na ndako oyo nakovanda. Lokola loboko ya ngolu ya Nzambe na ngai ezalaki likolo na ngai, mokonzi apesaki ngai mikanda yango.
Also, [please write] a letter to Asaph, the man who takes care of your forest [in that area], telling him to give me timber to make the beams to support the gates of the fortress that is near the temple, and timber for making the walls of the city, and for building the house in which I [will live].” The king did what I requested him to do, because my God was graciously/kindly (helping/acting for) me.
9 Nakendeki epai ya bayangeli ya etuka ya ngambo ya weste ya ebale Efrate mpe napesaki bango mikanda ya mokonzi. Mokonzi atindaki lisusu bakonzi ya basoda mpe basoda oyo batambolaka likolo ya bampunda mpo ete bazala elongo na ngai.
[After I got ready, I left to travel to Judah]. The king sent some army officers and soldiers riding on horses to accompany me, [to protect me]. When I came to where the governors of the provinces west of the [Euphrates] River lived, I gave them the letters that the king had written.
10 Tango kaka Sanibala, moto ya Oroni, mpe Tobiya, kalaka ya mboka Amoni, bayokaki ete nazali koya, basepelaki ata moke te komona moto moko koya mpo na bolamu ya bana ya Isalaele.
But when [two government officials, ] Sanballat from [a village near] Horon and Tobiah from the Ammon [people-group], heard that I had arrived, they were very angry that someone had come to help the Israeli people.
11 Nakomaki na Yelusalemi mpe, sima na ngai kosala kuna mikolo misato,
When I arrived in Jerusalem, I did not tell anyone what thoughts God had given to me about what I should do there. Three days after I arrived in Jerusalem, I went out of the city in the evening, taking a few other men with me. I was riding a donkey; we had no other animals with us.
12 nabimaki na butu elongo na ndambo ya bato. Nalobaki na moto ata moko te makambo oyo Nzambe na ngai atiaki kati na motema na ngai, makambo oyo nasengeli kokokisa mpo na bolamu ya Yelusalemi. Ezalaki na nyama mosusu te elongo na ngai longola kaka nyama oyo nazalaki kotambola likolo na yango.
13 Na butu, nabimelaki na ekuke oyo ememaka na Lubwaku, nakendeki na nzela oyo ekenda na etima ya Dalagona mpe na Ekuke ya Fulu, mpo na kotala malamu-malamu bamir ya Yelusalemi, oyo etondaki na madusu mpe bikuke na yango esilaki kobebisama na moto.
We left the city, going out through the Valley Gate, then past the well called the Jackal (OR, Dragon’s) Well, and then past the gate called the Rubbish/Garbage Gate. We inspected all the walls that had been broken down and all the gates that had been burned down.
14 Nalekaki pembeni ya Ekuke ya Etima mpe pembeni ya Liziba ya mokonzi, kasi nzela ezalaki penza te mpo ete nyama oyo nazalaki kotambola likolo na yango ekoka koleka.
Then we went to the Fountain Gate and to the pool called the King’s Pool, but my donkey could not get through [the narrow opening] (OR, [the rubble]).
15 Namataki wuta na lubwaku, kaka na butu, mpo na kokoba kotala malamu-malamu mir. Nabalukaki mpe nazongelaki na nzela ya Ekuke ya Lubwaku.
So we turned back and went along the [Kidron] Valley. We inspected the wall there before we turned back/around and entered the city again at the Valley Gate.
16 Bakalaka bayebaki te esika oyo nakendeki to likambo oyo nazalaki kosala; pamba te kino na ngonga wana, nalobaki nanu ata likambo moko te, ezala epai ya Bayuda, epai ya Banganga-Nzambe, epai ya bankumu, epai ya bayangeli to mpe epai ya bakambi mosusu oyo bazalaki kosala mosala.
The [city] officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because I had not told anyone about what I planned to do. I had not said anything about it to the Jewish leaders or the officials or the priests or any of the others who would be helping me in the work [that I wanted to do].
17 Bongo nalobaki na bango: — Bozali komona pasi oyo tozali na yango! Yelusalemi ebebi, mpe bikuke na yango ebebisamaki na moto! Boya, totonga lisusu mir ya Yelusalemi mpo ete tolongwa kati na soni oyo!
But now I said to them, “You all know very well the terrible things [that have happened to] our city. The city is ruined; even the gates are burned down. So we should rebuild the city wall. If we do that, we will no longer feel humiliated/disgraced.”
18 Nayebisaki bango lisusu ndenge nini loboko ya ngolu ya Nzambe na ngai ezalaki likolo na ngai mpe makambo oyo mokonzi alobaki na ngai. Mbala moko, bazongisaki: — Totelema mpe totonga! Boye bazwaki mpiko mpe babandaki mbala moko mosala kitoko yango.
Then I told them about how God had kindly/graciously helped me [when I talked to the king], and what the king had said to me. They immediately replied, “Let’s start rebuilding!” So they started to do this good work.
19 Kasi tango Sanibala, moto ya Oroni; Tobiya, kalaka ya mboka Amoni; mpe Geshemi, moto ya mboka Arabi, bayokaki sango na yango, basekaki mpe batiolaki biso. Balobaki: — Eloko nini oyo bozali kosala? Bozali kotombokela mokonzi?
But when Sanballat, Tobiah, and Gershom the Arab [king of the Kedar region] heard about what we planned to do, they made fun of us and ridiculed us. They said, “What is this work that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king [again]?” [RHQ]
20 Nazongiselaki bango: — Nzambe ya Likolo akolongisa biso solo. Biso bawumbu na Ye, tokotelema mpe tokotonga. Kasi bino, bozali ata na eteni moko te ya mabele to na bokonzi moko te kati na Yelusalemi, mpe moto moko te akozala kuna na ekaniseli malamu mpo na bino!
But I replied, “Our God [who is/rules] in heaven will help our plans to succeed. But as for you, you have no right to decide anything about this city, because you have not participated in what has happened in this city in previous years.”
