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.
It happened in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artachshasta the king, when wine was before me, that I took up the wine, and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad before in his presence.
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.
The king said to me, "Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing else but sorrow of heart." Then I was very much afraid.
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?
I said to the king, "Let the king live forever. Why shouldn't my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies waste, and its gates have been consumed 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.
Then the king said to me, "For what do you make request?" So 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.
I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you would send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' tombs, that I may build 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.
The king said to me (the queen was also sitting by him), "For how long shall your journey be? And when will you return?" So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.
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;
Moreover I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah;
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, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple, for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into." The king granted my requests, because of the good hand of my God on 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.
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 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.
When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly, because a man had come to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.
11 Heoi kua tae ahau ki Hiruharama, a e toru oku ra ki reira.
So I came to Jerusalem, and was there 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.
I arose in the night, I and some few men with me. And I told no one what my God put into my heart to do for Jerusalem; neither was there any animal with me, except the animal that I rode on.
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.
I went out by night by the Valley Gate, even toward the Serpent's Well, and to the Dung Gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and its gates were consumed with 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.
Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King's Pool, but there was no place for the animal that was under me to pass.
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.
Then went I up in the night by the wadi, and viewed the wall; and I turned back, and entered by the Valley Gate, and so 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.
The rulers did not know where 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 who did 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.
Then I said to them, "You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come, let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we won't be disgraced."
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.
I told them of the hand of my God which was good on me, as also of the king's words that he had spoken to me. They said, "Let's rise up and build." So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
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 when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they ridiculed us, and despised us, and said, "What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel 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.
Then answered I them, and said to them, "The God of heaven will prosper us. Therefore we, his servants, will arise and build; but you have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem."
