Nehemia 2
1 Heoi i te marama Nihana i te rua tekau o nga tau o Kingi Arataherehe, i te mea he waina i tona aroaro, ka hapainga ake e ahau te waina, hoatu ana ki te kingi. Kahore hoki ahau i pouri i mua atu i tona aroaro.
Now it happened that, in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of king Artaxerxes, wine was before him; and I lifted up the wine, and I gave it to the king. And I was like someone languishing before his face.
2 Na ka mea te kingi ki ahau, He aha tou kanohi i pouri ai; kahore nei hoki ou mate? ehara tenei i te mea ke atu i te pouri o te ngakau. Na nui atu toku wehi.
And the king said to me: “Why is your expression sad, though you do not appear to be sick? This is not without cause, but some evil, I know not what, is in your heart.” And I was struck with an exceedingly great fear.
3 Ano ra ko ahau ki te kingi, Kia ora tonu te kingi: he aha toku mata i kore ai e pouri, i te mea kua ururuatia te pa, te whare o nga tanumanga o oku matua, a kua pau ona keti i te ahi?
And I said to the king: “O king, live forever. Why should my expression not be mournful, since the city of the house of the sepulchers of my father is desolate, and its gates have been burned with fire?”
4 Ano ra ko te kingi ki ahau, He aha te mea ka tonoa nei e koe? Heoi ko taku inoinga ki te Atua o te rangi.
And the king said to me: “What would you request?” And I prayed to the God of heaven.
5 Na ka ki atu ahau ki te kingi, Ki te pai te kingi, ki te mea hoki e paingia ana tau pononga i tou aroaro, kia unga ahau e koe ki Hura, ki te pa o nga tanumanga o oku matua, kia hanga ai e ahau.
And I said to the king: “If it seems good to the king, and if your servant is pleasing before your face: that you would send me into Judea, to the city of the sepulcher of my father. And I will rebuild it.”
6 Na ka mea te kingi ki ahau, i tona taha ano hoki te kuini e noho ana, Kia pehea te roa ou ka haere nei; a hei a hea koe hoki mai ai? Na kua pai ki te kingi kia unga ahau: a whakaritea ana e ahau he wa ki a ia.
And the king said to me, with the queen who was sitting beside him: “Until what time will your journey be, and when will you return?” And it was pleasing before the countenance of the king, and so he sent me. And I established a time for him.
7 I mea ano ahau ki te kingi, Ki te pai te kingi, me homai he pukapuka ki ahau ki nga kawana i tawahi o te awa, kia tukua ahau e ratou kia puta atu a tae noa ki Hura;
And I said to the king: “If it seems good to the king, may he give me letters to the governors of the region beyond the river, so that they may lead me through, until I arrive in Judea,
8 He pukapuka ano hoki ki a Ahapa, kaitiaki o te ngahere a te kingi, kia homai e ia etahi rakau ki ahau hei hanga mo nga kurupae o nga keti o te nohoanga rangatira i te whare, mo te taiepa hoki o te pa, mo te whare hoki e haere atu ai ahau. Na ka h omai e te kingi ki ahau: i rite tonu ki ta te ringa pai o toku Atua i runga i ahau.
and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, so that he may give me timber, in order that I may be able to cover the gates of the tower of the house, and the walls of the city, and the house that I will enter.” And the king granted to me in accord with the good hand of my God, who is with me.
9 Katahi ka haere ahau ki nga kawana i tera taha o te awa; hoatu ana e ahau nga pukapuka, a te kingi ki a ratou. I unga ano e te kingi etahi rangatira hoia, me etahi hoia eke hoiho hei hoa moku.
And I went to the governors of the region beyond the river, and I gave them the letters of the king. Now the king had sent with me military leaders and horsemen.
10 A, no te rongonga o Hanaparata Horoni raua ko te pononga, ko Topia Amoni, nui rawa te kino i kino ai ki a raua; no te mea kua tae he tangata hei rapu i te pai mo nga tama a Iharaira.
And Sanballat, a Horonite, and the servant Tobiah, an Ammonite, heard this. And they were saddened, with a great affliction, that a man had arrived who was seeking the prosperity of the sons of Israel.
11 Heoi kua tae ahau ki Hiruharama, a e toru oku ra ki reira.
And I arrived at Jerusalem, and I was there for three days.
12 Na ka maranga ahau i te po, matou ko etahi tangata torutoru hei hoa moku: kihai hoki i korerotia e ahau ki tetahi ta toku Atua i homai ai ki toku ngakau kia meatia ki Hiruharama: kahore hoki oku kararehe; heoi ano ko te kararehe i eke ai ahau.
And I got up in the night, I and a few men with me. And I did not reveal to anyone what God had placed in my heart to do in Jerusalem. And there was no animal with me, except the animal on which I was sitting.
13 I haere ano ahau i te po i te kuwaha o te raorao, ki te ritenga o te puna tarakona, ki te kuwaha paru ano hoki, a tirotirohia iho e ahau nga taiepa o Hiruharama kua pakaru nei me ona keti kua pau nei i te ahi.
And I departed in the night through the gate of the valley, and before the fountain of the dragon, and toward the dung gate. And I considered the wall of Jerusalem, which was broken apart, and its gates, which had been consumed by fire.
14 Katahi ahau ka haere ki te kuwaha o te puna, ki te poka wai ano a te kingi; heoi kahore he wahi e haere atu ai te kararehe e waha ana i ahau.
And I continued on to the gate of the fountain, and to the aqueduct of the king. And there was no room for the beast on which I was sitting to pass through.
15 Na piki ana ahau i te awaawa i te po, tirotirohia ana e ahau te taiepa. Na tahuri ana ahau, tomo ana na te kuwaha o te raorao, hoki ana.
And so I climbed up in the night along the torrent, and I considered the wall. And turning back, I went by the gate of the valley, and I returned.
16 Heoi kihai nga rangatira i mohio e haere ana ranei ahau ki hea, he aha ranei taku e mea nei; kahore ano kia korerotia noatia e ahau ki nga Hurai, ki nga tohunga, ki nga tino tangata, ki nga rangatira, ki tera atu hunga ranei i mahi nei i nga mah i.
Now the magistrates did not know where I had gone, or what I had done. For I had revealed nothing, even to that point in time, to the Jews, or to the priests, or to the nobles, or to the magistrates, or to the others who were doing the work.
17 Katahi ka mea ahau ki a ratou, Ka kite koutou i te nui o to tatou aitua, ko Hiruharama kua ururuatia, ko ona keti kua wera i te ahi. Haere mai, tatou ka hanga i te taiepa o Hiruharama; kei waiho tonu tatou hei tawainga.
And so I said to them: “You know the affliction in which we are, because Jerusalem is desolate, and its gates have been consumed by fire. Come, and let us rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, and let us no longer be in disgrace.”
18 Na ka korerotia e ahau ki a ratou te ringa o toku Atua i pai nei ki runga i ahau, me nga kupu a te kingi i korerotia ki ahau. Na ka mea ratou, Tatou ka whakatika, ka hanga. Heoi kei te whakakaha ratou i o ratou ringa mo tenei mahi pai.
And I revealed to them how the hand of my God was with me for good, and the words of the king, which he had spoken to me. And I said: “Let us rise up, and build.” And their hands were strengthened for good.
19 I te rongonga ia o Hanaparata Horoni, ratou ko te pononga, ko Topia Amoni, ko Keheme Arapi, ka whakahi mai ratou ki a matou, ka whakahawea ki a matou, ka mea, He aha tenei mea ka meatia nei e koutou? ka whakakeke ranei koutou ki te kingi?
But Sanballat, a Horonite, and the servant Tobiah, an Ammonite, and Geshem, an Arab, heard of it. And they ridiculed and disparaged us, and they said: “What is this thing that you are doing? Could you be rebelling against the king?”
20 Katahi ka whakahoki ahau ki a ratou, ka mea ki a ratou, Ko te Atua o te rangi, mana e tika ai ta matou. Na ka whakatika matou, ana tangata, ka hanga. Ko koutou ia, kahore he wahi, he tikanga, he maharatanga ranei, i Hiruharama.
And I replied to them a word, and I said to them: “The God of heaven himself is helping us, and we are his servants. Let us rise up and build. But there is no portion, or justice, or remembrance in Jerusalem for you.”
