Nehemia 2

1 Ie tamy volan-kofahofa an-taom-paha-roapolo’ i Artaksastà, mpanjakay, naho aolo’e eo ty divay, le rinambeko i divaiy vaho nazotsoko amy mpanjakay. Aa kanao mbe liako tsy nimonjetse añatrefa’e eo,

And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, when wine was before him, that I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.

2 le hoe i mpanjakay tamako, Ino ty mampanjokòke o lahara’oo, ihe tsy siloke? Tsi’ inoñe zao naho tsy ty hakoretan’ arofo. Aa le vata’e nihemban-draho,

And the king said unto me: 'Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart.' Then I was very sore afraid.

3 le hoe ty asako amy mpanjakay, Ee te ho veloñe nainai’e i mpanjakay; ino ty tsy hahalonjetse ty tareheko, kanao nadoke mangoakoake i rovay, i toen-kiborin-droaekoy vaho tinomonto’ ty afo o lalambei’eo?

And I said unto the king: 'Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?'

4 Le hoe i mpanjakay tamako, Ino o ihalalia’oo? Aa le nihalaly aman’ Añaharen-dikeran-draho,

Then the king said unto me: 'For what dost thou make request?' So I prayed to the God of heaven.

5 vaho nanao ty hoe amy mpanjakay, Naho mahafale i mpanjakay vaho nanjo fañisohañe am-pahaisaha’o ty mpitoro’o, le hañiraha’o mb’e Iehoda mb’ an-drovan-kiborin-droaeko mb’eo hañamboats’ aze.

And I said unto the king: 'If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.'

6 Le hoe i mpanjakay tamako, ie niambesatse añ’ila’e eo i mpanjaka’ ampelay, Akore ty halava’ i lia’oy, ombia irehe te hibalike? Aa le ninò’ i mpanjakay ty hampihitrik’ ahy; le namantañako andro.

And the king said unto me, the queen also sitting by him: 'For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return?' So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.

7 Tinovoko ty hoe amy mpanjakay, Naho mahafale’ i mpanjakay, le ho tolora’e taratasy ho amo mpifehe alafe’ i Sakaio, hanese ahy hitsake mb’eo ampara’ ty hivo­trahako e Iehodà añe

Moreover I said unto the king: 'If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the River, that they may let me pass through till I come unto Judah;

8 naho ty taratasy ho amy Asafe, mpañambeñe ty ala’ i mpanjakay, hitolora’e bodan-katae hamboarako o fahan-dalambein-kijolin’ anjombao naho ho ami’ty kijoli’ i rovay vaho ho ami’ty anjomba himoa­hako. Le natolo’ i mpanjakay ahiko izay, ty amy fitàn-tsoan’ Añahareko amakoy.

and a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's park, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the castle which appertaineth to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into.' And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.

9 Aa le niheoveko o mpifehe alafe’ i Sakaio vaho natoloko iareo o taratasi’ i mpanjakaio. Ie amy zao fa nampihitrike mpifehen-dahin-defoñe naho mpiningi-tsoavala hindre amako i mpanjakay.

Then I came to the governors beyond the River, and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent with me captains of the army and horsemen.

10 Ie napota’ i Sanbalate nte-Koronaime naho i Tobià nte-Amone, mpitoro­ñe, le vata’e niboseke te nivotrake eo t’indaty mipay hañasoa o ana’ Israeleo.

And when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly, for that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.

11 Aa le nandoake e Ierosalaime ao iraho naho nitobok’ ao telo andro,

So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.

12 naho nitroatse haleñe, rekets’ ondaty tsiampeampe; vaho tsy natoroko ondatio heike ty najon’ Añahareko an-troko ao hanoeko ho a Ierosa­laime; le tsy amam-biby iraho naho tsy i borìke nijoñakoy.

And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God put into my heart to do for Jerusalem; neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon.

13 Niavotse haleñe iraho niakatse i lalam-beim-bavataney mb’ amy vovom-pañaneñey mb’eo naho mb’ amy lalam-bein-ditsakey nisary o kijoli’ Ierosalaime nikoromakeo naho o lalambei’e niforototoen’ afoo.

And I went out by night by the valley gate, even toward the dragon's well, and to the dung gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire.

14 Le tinonjohiko mb’ an-dalambein-drano migoangoam-beo naho mb’ amy antaram-panjakay mb’eo, fe tsy teo ty homba’ i biby niningerekoy.

Then I went on to the fountain gate and to the king's pool; but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass.

15 Le nionjomb’ amy torahañey mb’eo amy haleñey, nisary i kijoliy naho nibalike nimoak’ amy lalambeim-bavataney vaho nimpoly.

Then went I up in the night in the valley, and viewed the wall; and I turned back, and entered by the valley gate, and so returned.

16 Tsy napota’ o mpifeheo ty nom­bako, ndra ty nanoeko; ie mboe tsy nitalilieko o nte-Iehodao ndra o mpisoroñeo ndra o roandriañeo ndra o mpifeheo ndra o ila’e nanao i fitoloñañeio.

And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work.

17 Le hoe iraho am’ iereo: Oni’ areo ty falovilovian-tika, ie mangoakoake t’Ierosalaime naho nitomontoñen’ afo o lalam-bei’eo; antao hamboatse ty kijoli’ Ierosalaime soa t’ie tsy hinjeñe ka.

Then said I unto them: 'Ye see the evil case that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire; come and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.'

18 Le nitaro­ñeko am’ iereo te nañasoa ahy ty fitàn’ Añahareko; naho o saontsi’ i mpanjakay amakoo. Aa le hoe iereo, Antao hiongake, hamboatse. Aa le nihaozare’ iareo fitàñe ho ami’ty hasoa.

And I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also of the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said: 'Let us rise up and build.' So they strengthened their hands for the good work.

19 F’ie napota’ i Sanbalate nte Koronaime naho i Tobià nte Amone, mpitoroñe naho i Geseme nte-Arabe, le niankahafa’ iareo an-drabioñe naho nimavoe’ iereo ami’ty hoe: Ino o anoe’ areo zao? Hiola amy mpanjakay v’ina­hareoo?

But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said: 'What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?'

20 Aa le tinoiko ty hoe; I Andrianañaharen-dindiñey ty hañonjoñe anay; aa le hiongake hamboatse zahay mpitoro’e fe tsy aman’ anjara ndra zo ndra tiahy e Ierosalaime ao nahareo.

Then answered I them, and said unto them: 'The God of heaven, He will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build; but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.'

Nehemiah Views the Ruins of Jerusalem's Walls