Nehemia 13
1 Vinaki’ iareo amy andro zay ty boke’ i Mosè am-pijanjiña’ ondatio, le tendrek’ ao te tsy mahazo mimoak’ am-pivorin’ Añahare ao t’i nte-Amone naho t’i nte-Moabe;
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 amy t’ie tsy nifanalaka amo ana’ Israeleo hinday mofo naho rano, te mone kinarama’ iareo t’i Balame hamatse iareo; fe nafoten’ Añaharen-tika ho fitahiañe i fatsey.
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 Aa ie nahajanjiñe Hake iereo le nambaha’ iareo am’ Israele ze hene tamingañe tsy ki’e.
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 Ie taolo’ Izay, i Eliasibe mpisoroñe tinendre hifehe o efets’ efen’ anjomban’ Añaharen-tikañeo, ie longo i Tobià
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 le hinajari’e ho aze ty efetse jabajaba fampipohañe o enga-mahakamao naho i embokey naho o fanakeo naho o fahafolon’ ampembao, ty divay vaho ty menake natolotse, ie liliy amo nte-Levio naho amo mpisaboo naho amo mpañambeñeo; vaho o engan-kelahelam-pisoroñeo.
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 Toe tsy e Ierosalaime ao iraho henane zay iaby; fa nimb’ amy mpanjakay añe amy taom-paha-telopolo-ro’ ambi’ i Artaksastà mpanjaka’ i Baveley; ie modo ty andro tsiampeampe le nihalaly t’ie hienga i mpanjakay;
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 aa ie nivotrake e Ierosalaime ao naho naharendreke ty haratiañe nanoe’ i Eliasibe ho a i Tobià, ie nañajary efetse amo efets’ efen’ Anjomban’ Añahareo,
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 le niforoforo, fonga nahifiko alafe’ i efetsey o kilankan’ akiba’ i Tobiao.
I became very angry, and I threw out of that room everything that belonged to Tobiah.
9 Liniliko amy zao, le niliove’ iereo o efetseo; le nampoliko ao ze haraotse amy anjomban’ Añaharey, miharo amo enga-mahakamao naho i embokey.
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 Tendrek’ ahy ka te tsy natolotse amo nte-Levio ty anjara’ iareo; aa le songa niavotse mb’ an-tete’e añe o nte-Levio naho o mpisabo nimpitoloñeo.
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 Natretreko amy zao o mpifeheo ami’ty hoe: Aa vaho akore te naforintsiñe ty anjomban’ Añahare? Aa le natontoko iereo naho sindre najadoko an-toe’e eo
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 vaho ninday ty fahafolon’ ampemba naho ty divay naho ty menake mb’ am-pañajam-bara ao t’Iehoda iaby.
Then all the people of Judah again started to bring to the temple storerooms their tithes of grain, wine, and [olive] oil.
13 Le nanoeko mpifehe o fañajam-barao t’i Selemià mpisoroñe naho i Tsadoke mpanokitse, vaho amo nte-Iehodao: i Pedaià naho i Kanàne ana’ i Zakore ana’ i Matanià ho mpiama’e; amy t’ie natao ho migahiñe, vaho lili’ iareo ty fanjarañe amo rahalahi’eo.
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 Tiahio iraho ry Andrianañahareko ty amy zay, le ko fòra’o o sata soa nanoeko amy anjomban’ Añaharekoy naho o fitoloñañe azeo.
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 Nitreako amy andro rezay, e Iehodà ao ty mpandialia fampipiritan-divay ami’ty Sabotse naho ty nimoak’ ao nilogologo ampemba naho nampijiny aze ami’ty borìke; naho ty divay, ty valoboke naho ty sakoañe naho ze atao kilankañe vaho nazilike am’ Ierosalaime ao ami’ty andro Sabata; le nendahako amy andro nandetàha’ iareo i mahakamaiy.
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 Nimoneñe ao ka o nte-Tsore mpinday fiañe naho ze hene kilanka’eo, nandetak’ amo ana’ Iehodao naho e Ierosalaime ao ami’ty Sabotse.
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 Aa le nendahako o mpiaolo’ Iehodao ami’ty hoe: Ino ze o haloloañe anoe’ areo zao? kanao mañota-faly ami’ty andro Sabata.
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 Tsy Izay hao ty nanoen-droae’ areo nampifetsahan’ Añaharen-tika amantika naho ami’ty rova toy o hankàñe iaby zao? Te mone tompea’ areo am’ Israele ty haviñerañe t’ie mandilatse amo Sabotseo.
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 Aa ie fa nihamaieñe o lalambei’ Ierosalaimeo aolo’ ty Sabata, le liniliko te harindriñe o lalambeio naho liniliko t’ie tsy ho sokafeñe ampara’ te modo ty Sabotse vaho najadoko hifelek’ o lalambeio ty ila’ o mpitorokoo tsy mone hazilik’ ao ami’ty andro Sabata o kilankañeo.
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 Teo te nitobe alafe’ Ierosalaime ao indraike ndra indroe o mpandetake naho mpanao takinak’ amy ze karaza kilankañe iabio;
One or two times merchants [DOU] stayed outside of the city on (Friday night/[the night before the Sabbath day]).
21 le hinatahatako ami’ty hoe: Ino ty itobea’ areo marine’ o kijolio? Ie mb’e ahere’ areo le ho zevoñeko am-pitàñe. Mifototse amy zay tsy nionjo-mb’eo ami’ty Sabotse iereo.
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 Ie amy zao liniliko o nte-Levio ty hañefe-batañe naho homb’ amo lalambeio hañambeñe ty hamasiña’ ty andro Sabata. Tiahio ty amako ka zao ry Andrianañahareko vaho arovo ami’ty hara’elahim-pitretreza’o.
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 Nitreako amy andro rezay ka te nanambaly rakemba nte-Asdode naho nte-Amone vaho nte-Moabe o nte-Iehodào;
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 le o ana’eo, ty ila’e nirehake an-tsaontsi’ i Asdode fa tsy nahafirehake an-tsaontsi’ Iehoda, songa ami’ty fireha’ ondati’eo avao;
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 aa le natreatréko, nafako, linafako ty ila’e naho nonorako o maroi’eo vaho nampifantàko aman’ Añahare: Ko atolo’ areo amo ana-dahi’ iareoo o anak’ ampela’ areoo, ndra mañenga o anak’ ampela’ iareo ho amo ana-dahi’ areoo ndra ho am-bata’ areo.
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 Tsy nanan-kakeo amy rezay hao t’i Selomò mpanjaka? Ie amo fifeheañe màroy, leo raike tsy nanam-panjaka nañirinkiriñe aze naho nikokoan’ Añahare vaho nanoen’ Añahare mpanjaka’ Israele iaby; fe nampanan-tahiñe aze o rakemba ambahinio.
[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 Aa vaho hitrao-drehak’ ama’ areo hao zahay hanoa’ areo o haloloañe zao, ty hikitrofan-draha raty aman’ Añaharen-tika am-pañengañe valy ambahiny?
[Do you think that] we should do what you have done, and disobey our God by marrying foreign women [who worship idols]? [RHQ]”
28 Le nataoko soike ty ana’ Ioiadà, ana’ i Eliasibe mpisorom-bey, amy t’ie vinanto’ i Sanbalate nte-Koroneo.
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 Tiahio iereo ry Andrianañahareko, amy t’ie nahativa ty fisoroñañe naho ty fañina amo mpisoroñeo vaho amo nte-Levio.
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 Izay ty nikotriñeko iareo amy ze hene raha ambahiny naho tinendreko ty fitoroña’ o mpisoroñeo naho o nte-Levio, songa amo tolon-draha’eo;
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 naho ty fanoloran-katae naho o andro tinendreo vaho o loha-voao. Tiahio iraho ho ami’ty hasoa ry Andrianañahareko.
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]!
