Nekkemiya 2
1 Awo mu mwezi gwa Nisani mu mwaka ogw’amakumi abiri ku mulembe gwa Kabaka Alutagizerugizi, nga bamuleetedde wayini, ne nzirira wayini ne muwa kabaka. Nnali sinakuwalirangako mu maaso ge.
In the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, when wine was before him, I picked up the wine, and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad before in his presence.
2 Kabaka n’ambuuza nti, “Kiki ekikunakuwazizza otyo ng’omulwadde? Kino si kigambo kirala wabula obuyinike obw’omu mutima.” Ne ntya nnyo,
The king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing else but sorrow of heart.” Then I was very much afraid.
3 naye ne ŋŋamba kabaka nti, “Kabaka abeere omulamu emirembe gyonna. Lwaki sinakuwala ng’ekibuga bajjajjange gye baaziikibwa kizise, nga ne wankaaki waakyo yayokebwa omuliro?”
I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why shouldn’t my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates have been consumed with fire?”
4 Kabaka n’ambuuza nti, “Kiki ky’oyagala?” Awo ne nsaba eri Katonda w’eggulu,
Then the king said to me, “What is your request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.
5 n’oluvannyuma ne nziramu kabaka nti, “Kabaka bw’anasiima, era omuddu wo bw’anaalaba ekisa mu maaso go, ansindike ŋŋende mu Yuda, mu kibuga bajjajjange gye baaziikibwa, nkiddaabirize.”
I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favour in your sight, I ask that you would send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may build it.”
6 Awo kabaka, ne mukyala we ng’amuli ku lusegere, n’ambuuza nti, “Olugendo lwo luliba lwa nnaku meka, era olidda ddi?” Kabaka n’asiima okuntuma, ne neegerera ekiseera.
The king said to me (the queen was also sitting by him), “How long will your journey be? When will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I set a time for him.
7 Ne nsaba kabaka nti, “Kabaka bw’anaasiima, awandiikire abaamasaza abali emitala w’omugga Fulaati ebbaluwa, ntambule mirembe okutuuka mu Yuda.
Moreover I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah;
8 Ate era nsaba ebbaluwa gye nnaatwalira Asafu omukuumi w’ekibira kya kabaka, ampe emiti gye ndikolamu embaawo ez’okubajjamu enzigi za yeekaalu, n’eza wankaaki wa bbugwe w’ekibuga, n’ekifo we nnaabeeranga.” Olw’omukono gwa Katonda wange ogwali nange, kabaka n’ampa bye namusaba.
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 citadel by the temple, for the wall of the city, and for the house that I will occupy.” The king granted my requests, because of the good hand of my God on me.
9 Awo ne ndaga eri abaamasaza abaali emitala w’omugga Fulaati ne mbakwasa ebbaluwa eziva ewa kabaka. Kabaka yampa abakungu b’eggye n’abeebagala embalaasi okumperekerako.
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 Naye Sanubalaati Omukoloni ne Tobiya omukungu Omwamoni bwe baakiwulira, ne banyiiga nnyo bwe baamanya nga waliwo omuntu afuddeyo ku mbeera y’abaana ba Isirayiri.
When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly, because a man had come to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.
11 Ne ntuuka e Yerusaalemi, ne mbeerayo ennaku ssatu,
So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.
12 ne ngolokoka mu kiro ne ntambulatambula n’abamu ku basajja, naye ne sibuulira muntu n’omu ku ebyo Katonda wange bye yali atadde ku mutima gwange okukolera Yerusaalemi. Twagenda n’ensolo emu yokka gye nnali neebagadde.
I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. I didn’t tell anyone what my God put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There wasn’t any animal with me except the animal that I rode on.
13 Ekiro ekyo ne mpita mu Mulyango ogw’omu Kiwonvu ne njolekera Oluzzi olw’Omusege, n’Omulyango ogw’Obusa, ne ŋŋenda nga neetegereza bbugwe wa Yerusaalemi eyali amenyeddwa, ne wankaaki waakyo eyayokebwa omuliro.
I went out by night by the valley gate towards the jackal’s well, then to the dung gate; and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and its gates were consumed with fire.
14 N’oluvannyuma ne neyongerayo eri Omulyango ogw’Oluzzi n’eri Ekidiba kya Kabaka, naye ensolo yange n’eteyinza kuyitawo.
Then I went on to the spring gate and to the king’s pool, but there was no place for the animal that was under me to pass.
15 Kyennava nserengeta mu kiwonvu ekiro nga ŋŋenda neetegereza bbugwe. Bwe namaliriza ne nkyuka ne nkomawo nga mpitira mu Mulyango ogw’omu Kiwonvu.
Then I went up in the night by the brook and inspected the wall; and I turned back, and entered by the valley gate, and so returned.
16 Abakungu tebaamanya gye nnali ndaze newaakubadde kye nnali nkola; era nnali sinnabuulirako Bayudaaya newaakubadde bakabona, newaakubadde abakungu newaakubadde abakulu, n’abalala abaali bateekwa okukola omulimu.
The rulers didn’t know where I went, or what I did. I had not as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest who did the work.
17 Awo ne mbagamba nti, “Mulaba akabi ke tulimu; Yerusaalemi kizise, ne wankaaki waakyo ayokeddwa omuliro. Mujje tuddaabirize bbugwe wa Yerusaalemi tuve mu buswavu bwe tulimu.”
Then I said to them, “You see the bad situation that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burnt with fire. Come, let’s build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we won’t be disgraced.”
18 Ne mbategeeza omukono gwa Katonda ogw’ekisa bye gwali gunkoledde, ne kabaka bye yaŋŋamba. Ne baddamu nti, “Tugolokoke tutandike okuzimba.” Era ne batandika omulimu.
I told them about the hand of my God which was good on me, and also about the king’s words that he had spoken to me. They said, “Let’s rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
19 Naye Sanubalaati Omukoloni, ne Tobiya omukungu Omwamoni ne Gesemu Omuwalabu bwe baakiwulira ne batunyooma n’okutusekerera ne batusekerera. Ne batubuuza nti, “Kiki kye mukola? Mwagala kujeemera kabaka?”
But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite servant, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they ridiculed us and despised us, and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?”
20 Ne mbaddamu nti, “Katonda w’eggulu alituyamba okukituukiriza, era ffe abaddu be tulitandika okuzimba, naye mmwe temulina mugabo newaakubadde obusika newaakubadde ekijjukizo mu Yerusaalemi.”
Then I answered them, and said to them, “The God of heaven will prosper us. Therefore we, his servants, will arise and build; but you have no portion, nor right, nor memorial in Jerusalem.”
