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,
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 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,
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 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?
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 Le hoe i mpanjakay tamako, Ino o ihalalia’oo? Aa le nihalaly aman’ Añaharen-dikeran-draho,
The king replied, “What do you want me to do [for you]?” I prayed [silently] to our God [who is/rules] in 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.
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 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.
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 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
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 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.
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 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.
[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 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.
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 Aa le nandoake e Ierosalaime ao iraho naho nitobok’ ao telo andro,
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 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.
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.
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 Le tinonjohiko mb’ an-dalambein-drano migoangoam-beo naho mb’ amy antaram-panjakay mb’eo, fe tsy teo ty homba’ i biby niningerekoy.
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 Le nionjomb’ amy torahañey mb’eo amy haleñey, nisary i kijoliy naho nibalike nimoak’ amy lalambeim-bavataney vaho nimpoly.
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 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, 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 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.
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.”
