Nehemia 2
1 Ary tamin’ ny volana Nisana tamin’ ny taona faharoa-polo nanjakan’ i Artaksersesy, raha teo anoloany ny divay, dia noraisiko ka natolotro ny mpanjaka. Fa vao izay aho no mba nalahelo teo anatrehany.
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 Dia hoy ny mpanjaka tamiko: Nahoana no malahelo tarehy ianao, kanefa tsy marary tsinona? Tsy zavatra hafa izao, fa alahelom-po mihitsy. Dia raiki-tahotra indrindra aho
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 ka nanao tamin’ ny mpanjaka hoe: Ho velona mandrakizay anie ny mpanjaka; nahoana no tsy halahelo tarehy aho, fa rava ny tanàna misy ny fasan-drazako, sady efa levon’ ny afo ny vavahadiny?
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 Dia hoy ny mpanjaka tamiko: Inona ary no angatahinao? Dia nivavaka tamin’ Andriamanitry ny lanitra aho aloha,
Then the king said to me, “What is your request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.
5 dia vao niteny tamin’ ny mpanjaka hoe: Raha sitraky ny mpanjaka, ka mahita fitia eto imasonao ny mpanomponao, dia alefaso ho any Joda aho, ho any amin’ ny tanàna misy ny fasan-drazako mba hanamboarako izany.
I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor 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 Ary hoy ny mpanjaka tamiko (ny vadin’ ny mpanjaka koa nipetraka teo anilany): Haharitra hoatrinona any anefa ianao, ary rahoviana no hiverina? Ka dia sitraky ny mpanjaka ny handefa ahy; ary dia nilaza fotoana taminy aho.
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 Ary hoy koa aho tamin’ ny mpanjaka: Raha sitraky ny mpanjaka, aoka homena taratasy ho amin’ ireo governora any an-dafin’ ny ony aho, mba hamelany ahy handeha hatrany Joda,
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 sy taratasy ho amin’ i Asafa, mpitandrina ny alan’ i ny mpanjaka mba hanomezany hazo hanaovako ny vavahadin’ ny lapa izay momba ny tempoly sy hanaovako ny mandan’ ny tanàna sy ny trano izay hitoerako. Dia nomen’ ny mpanjaka ahy izany araka ny soa nataon’ ny tànan’ Andriamanitro tamiko.
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 Dia tonga tany amin’ ireo governora any an-dafin’ ny ony aho, ka natolotro azy ny taratasin’ ny mpanjaka. Ary ny mpanjaka efa naniraka manamboninahitra sy mpitaingin-tsoavaly hanatitra ahy.
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 Raha nahare izany Sanbala Horonita sy Tobia Amonita mpanompo, dia sosotra loatra izy, satria nisy lehilahy tonga hitady izay hahasoa ny Zanak’ Isiraely.
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 Dia tonga tany Jerosalema aho ka nitoetra tany hateloana.
So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.
12 Ary nifoha tamin’ ny alina aho, dia izaho sy ny olom-bitsy nomba ahy; nefa tsy nisy olona nilazako izay natsindrin’ Andriamanitra ny foko hatao any Jerosalema; ary tsy nisy biby nentiko afa-tsy ilay nitaingenako ihany.
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 Dia nandeha alina aho ka nivoaka tamin’ ny vavahady mankany amin’ ny lohasaha, tandrifin’ ny loharanon’ ny dragona, sy tamin’ ny vavahadin-jezika ka nizaha ny mandan’ i Jerosalema izay efa rava sy ny vavahadiny izay efa levon’ ny afo.
I went out by night by the valley gate toward 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 Dia nankany amin’ ny vavahadin-doharano sy ny farihin’ ny mpanjaka koa aho; nefa tsy nisy lalana azon’ ilay biby nitaingenako naleha akory.
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 Dia niakatra teo amin’ ny lohasahan-driaka aho tamin’ ny alina ka nizaha ny manda, dia nitodika ka niditra tamin’ ny vavahady mankany amin’ ny lohasaha, dia niverina.
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 Nefa ireo mpanapaka tsy nahalala izay nalehako, na izay nataoko; fa hatramin’ izay dia tsy mbola nolazaiko tamin’ ny Jiosy izany, na tamin’ ny mpisorona, na tamin’ ny manan-kaja, na tamin’ ny mpanapaka, na tamin’ ny vahoaka sisa izay nanao ny asa.
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 Ary hoy izaho taminy: Hianareo mahita ny fahoriantsika, fa rava Jerosalema ary nodoran’ ny afo ny vavahadiny; koa andeha isika hanangana ny mandan’ i Jerosalema, mba tsy ho latsa intsony isika.
Then I said to them, “You see the bad situation that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come, let’s build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we won’t be disgraced.”
18 Dia nambarako azy ny tànan’ Andriamanitro izay nahasoa ahy, ary ny tenin’ ny mpanjaka koa izay nolazainy tamiko. Ary hoy izy: Eny, aoka ary isika hitsangana ka handrafitra azy. Koa dia nampahery ny tànany hanao izany soa izany izy.
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 Fa nony ren’ i Sanbala Horonita sy Tobia Amonita mpanompo ary Gasema Arabo izany, dia nanaraby sy nanevateva anay izy nanao hoe: Inona izao zavatra ataonareo izao? Hikomy amin’ ny mpanjaka angaha ianareo?
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 Dia namaly azy aho ka nanao taminy hoe: Andriamanitry ny lanitra, Izy no hanambina anay, ka dia hitsangana handrafitra izahay mpanompony; fa ianareo tsy manana anjara, na rariny, na fahatsiarovana akory, atỳ Jerosalema.
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.”
