Nehemia 13

1 I taua ra i korerotia i te pukapuka a Mohi, me te whakarongo ano te iwi, a ka kitea te mea i tuhituhia ki reira kia kaua te Amoni me te Moapi e tapoko ki te whakaminenga a te Atua a ake ake;

One day when the Book of Moses was being read to the people, the section was found where it was written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be allowed into the assembly of God,

2 No te mea kihai i maua mai e ratou he taro, he wai, hei tukunga mai mo nga tama a Iharaira: engari, utua ana e ratou a Paraama hei hoariri mo ratou, hei kanga mo ratou: heoi whakaputaina ketia ake e to tatou Atua te kanga hei manaaki.

because they hadn't brought food and water when they met the Israelites, but instead they had hired Balaam to put a curse on them—though our God turned that curse into a blessing!

3 Na, i to ratou rongonga i te ture, ka wehea atu e ratou nga whakauru katoa i roto i a Iharaira.

When the people heard about this law, they separated out from Israel everyone who had foreign ancestry.

4 Na, i mua ake o tenei ko Eriahipi, tohunga, kaitiaki i nga ruma o te whare o to tatou Atua, he whanaunga no Topia.

Before all this, Eliashib the priest, who was related to Tobiah, had been put in charge of the storerooms of the Temple of our God.

5 Whakapaia ana e tenei he ruma nui mona, ko te wahi i whakatakotoria nei i mua nga whakahere totokore, te parakihe, nga oko, me te whakatekau o te witi, o te waina hou, o te hinu, ko te mea i kiia iho ma nga Riwaiti, ratou ko nga kaiwaiata, ko nga kaitiaki tatau, me nga whakahere hapahapai ma nga tohunga.

He had provided Tobiah with a large room which had previously been used to store the grain offerings, incense, and Temple items, as well as the tithes of grain, new wine, and olive oil allocated to the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, in addition to the offerings for the priests.

6 Otiia i tenei wa katoa kahore ahau i Hiruharama; no te toru tekau ma rua nei hoki o nga tau o Arataherehe kingi o Papurona i tae ai ahau ki te kingi, a maha noa nga ra, ka inoitia e ahau i te kingi:

When all this happened I was not in Jerusalem because I had returned to King Artaxerxes of Babylon in the thirty-second year of his reign. Some time later I requested permission from the king to go back.

7 Na ka tae mai ahau ki Hiruharama, a ka mohio ki ta Eriahipi mahi kino, ki tana mo Topia, i a ia i whakapai i tetahi ruma mona i nga marae o te whare o te Atua;

When I arrived back in Jerusalem I discovered the dreadful thing Eliashib had done in providing Tobiah a room in the courtyard of God's Temple.

8 Na kino rawa ki ahau; akiritia atu ana e ahau nga mea katoa o te whare o Topia i roto i taua ruma.

I was extremely upset, and I went and threw out everything that was in Tobiah's room.

9 Katahi ahau ka korero; a tahia ana e ratou nga ruma. Na whakahokia ana e ahau ki reira nga oko o te whare o te Atua, nga whakahere totokore me te parakihe.

I ordered the rooms purified, and put back the Temple items, the grain offerings, and the incense.

10 I kite ano ahau kihai nga wahi ma nga Riwaiti i hoatu, na oma ana ratou ki tana mara, ki tana mara, nga Riwaiti, nga kaiwaiata i mahia ai te mahi.

I also found out that the food allowances for the Levites were not being provided, so the Levites had gone back to take care of their fields, along with the singers who led the worship services.

11 Katahi ka whawhaitia e ahau nga rangatira; i mea ahau, He aha i whakarerea ai te whare o te Atua? Na huihuia ana ratou e ahau, whakaturia ana ki to ratou turanga.

I went and confronted the leaders, asking, “Why is God's Temple being neglected?” I called the Levites back and made sure they were carrying out their responsibilities.

12 Katahi ka kawea mai e Hura katoa nga whakatekau o te witi, o te waina hou o te hinu, ki nga whare taonga.

Everyone in Judah then brought the tithes of grain, new wine, and olive oil into the storerooms.

13 Na ka whakaritea e ahau he kaitiaki mo nga taonga, ko Heremia tohunga, ko Haroko karaipi, a o nga Riwaiti ko Peraia; i to ratou taha ko Hanana tama a Takuru tama a Matania: i kiia hoki ratou he hunga pono; a ko ta ratou, he tuwha ma o ratou tuak ana, teina.

I put Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah, one of the Levites, in charge of the storerooms with Hanan, son of Zakkur, son of Mattaniah, to assist them, because they were considered honest people. Their responsibility was to distribute the allowances to their fellow Levites.

14 Kia mahara, e toku Atua, ki tenei mea aku, kaua hoki e horoia atu tenei tikanga pai aku i puta nei ki te whare o toku Atua, ki nga ritenga mahi ano mo reira.

My God, please remember me over this. Please don't forget my good deeds I have done for the Temple of my God and its services.

15 I aua ra ka kitea e ahau etahi i roto i a Hura e takahi ana i nga takahanga waina i te hapati, e kawe ana mai i nga paihere witi, e whakawaha ana i nga kaihe; me te waina ano, me nga karepe, me nga piki, me nga pikaunga katoa, e kawea mai ana e ratou ki Hiruharama i te ra o te hapati. Na whakaaturia ana e ahau to ratou he i te ra i hoko ai ratou i te kai.

Around that time I noticed people treading the winepress on Sabbath. I saw others collecting grain and loading it up on donkeys, along with wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens, and bringing it all into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day.

16 I reira ano e noho ana etahi tangata o Taira, he ika te kawenga, me nga mea hoko katoa, a hokona ana e ratou i te hapati ki nga tama a Hura, i roto ano i Hiruharama.

I told them off for selling their produce on that day.

17 Katahi ka whawhaitia e ahau nga rangatira o Hura. I mea ahau ki a ratou, He aha tenei mea kino e mea nei koutou, i a koutou ka whakapoke nei i te ra hapati?

Some people from Tyre who lived in Jerusalem were bringing in fish and all kinds of things and they were selling them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah in Jerusalem.

18 Kahore ianei o koutou matua i penei, a kawea mai ana e to tatou Atua tenei kino katoa ki runga ki a tatou, ki runga ano i tenei pa? Na ko koutou hei whakaneke ake i te riri mo Iharaira, i te mea ka whakapokea nei te hapati.

I confronted the Jewish leaders, asking them, “Why are you are doing such an evil thing? You are violating the Sabbath day! Wasn't this what your forefathers did, bringing our God down on us, causing us and this city such disasters? Now you're bringing even more trouble on us by violating the Sabbath!”

19 Na pouriuri kau nga kuwaha o Hiruharama i mua ake o te hapati, ka mea ahau, kia tutakina nga keti. I mea ano ahau kia kaua e whakatuwheratia, kia taka ra ano te hapati: i whakaturia ano e ahau etahi o aku: tangata ki nga kuwaha, kei kawea mai ki roto he pikaunga i te ra o te hapati.

So I ordered Jerusalem's gates to be shut at sunset on the day before the Sabbath, and that were not to be opened until after the Sabbath had ended. I assigned some of my men to guard the gates to make sure no goods would be brought in on the Sabbath day.

20 Heoi kotahi, e rua nga moenga i waho o Hiruharama, o nga tangata i nga taonga, o nga kaihoko i nga tini mea.

A couple of times merchants and sellers of all kinds of goods spent the night outside of Jerusalem.

21 Katahi ahau ka whakaatu i to ratou he, a ka mea ki a ratou, He aha koutou i moe ai i te aronga o te taiepa? Ki te pena ano koutou, ka totoro atu toku ringa ki a koutou. No taua ra ano i kore ai to ratou haere mai i te hapati.

I warned them, saying, “Why are you spending the night by the wall? If you do that again I'll have you arrested!” After that they didn't come on the Sabbath.

22 I ki atu ano ahau ki nga Riwaiti kia purea ratou, kia haere hoki ki te tiaki i nga kuwaha hei whakatapu mo te ra hapati. Maharatia ano tenei aku e toku Atua; tohungia hoki ahau, kia rite ki te nui o tou atawhai.

Then I told the Levites to purify themselves and to come and guard the gates to keep the Sabbath day holy. My God, please also remember me for doing this, and be merciful to me because of your trustworthy love.

23 I aua ra ano ka kite ahau i nga Hurai kei a ratou e noho ana etahi wahine o Aharoro, o Amona, o Moapa.

Around the same time I realized some Jews had married women from Ashdod, Moab, and Ammon.

24 Ko a ratou tama hoki, ko tetahi wahi o te reo no Aharoro, kihai ratou i mohio ki to nga Hurai reo; heoi i rite ki te reo o tetahi iwi, o tetahi iwi.

Half their children could only speak the language of Ashdod or that of another people, and didn't know how to speak the language of Judah.

25 Na, whawhaitia iho e ahau, kanga iho, patua ana etahi o ratou, hutihutia ana o ratou makawe, whakaoatitia ana ki te Atua, Kaua e hoatu a koutou tamahine ki a ratou tama, kaua ano hoki e tangohia mai a ratou tamahine ma a koutou tama, ma koutou r anei.

So I confronted them and told them they were cursed. I beat some of them and pulled out their hair. Then I made them take an oath before God, saying, “You must not allow your daughters to marry their sons, or allow your sons—or yourselves— to marry their daughters.

26 He teka ianei na enei mea i hara ai a Horomona kingi o Iharaira? he maha nga iwi, kahore rawa o ratou kingi hei rite mona, he mea aroha ia na tona Atua, a meinga ana e te Atua hei kingi mo Iharaira katoa: ahakoa ko ia, i meinga ia e nga wahine k e kia hara.

Wasn't it marriages like these that made King Solomon of Israel sin? There wasn't a king in any nation like him. God loved him, and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was made to sin by foreign women.

27 Na kia rongo ranei matou ki a koutou, kia mahi i tenei he nui katoa, kia tutu ki to tatou Atua, kia marena ki nga wahine ke?

So do we have to hear about you committing this dreadful sin, how you are being unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women?”

28 Na he hunaonga na Hanaparata Horoni tetahi o nga tama a Ioiara tama a Eriahipi tino tohunga; na peia ana ia e ahau i toku taha.

Even one of the sons of Jehoiada, son of Eliashib the high priest, had become a son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite. So I expelled him.

29 Kia mahara ki a ratou, e toku Atua, mo ratou i whakapoke i te tohungatanga, i te kawenata ano o te tohungatanga, o nga Riwaiti ano hoki.

My God, remember them and what they did, violating the priesthood and the solemn agreement of the priests and Levites.

30 Heoi kua ma ratou i ahau i te poke o nga tangata ke, whakaritea ana hoki e ahau te mahi tiaki a nga tohunga, a nga Riwaiti, te mahi a tenei, a tenei,

I purified them from everything foreign, and I made sure the priests and Levites were carrying out their assigned responsibilities.

31 Me te tikanga ano mo te whakahere wahie i nga wa i whakaritea; mo nga matamua ano. Maharatia ahau e toku Atua mo te pai.

I also arranged for wood to be supplied for the altar at the specified times, and for the first part of the produce to be donated. My God, remember me favorably.