UNehemiya 13
1 Ngalolosuku babala egwalweni lukaMozisi endlebeni zabantu; kwasekutholwa kubhaliwe kulo ukuthi umAmoni lomMowabi kabasoze bangene ebandleni likaNkulunkulu phakade;
On that day they read in the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people. It was found written in it that no Ammonite or Moabite should come into the assembly of God, forever.
2 ngoba bengahlangabezanga abantwana bakoIsrayeli ngesinkwa langamanzi, kodwa baqhatsha bemelene labo uBalami, ukubaqalekisa; kodwa uNkulunkulu wethu waphendula isiqalekiso saba yisibusiso.
This was because they had not come to the people of Israel with bread and with water, but they had hired Balaam to curse Israel. However, our God turned the curse into a blessing.
3 Kwasekusithi sebewuzwile umlayo behlukanisa koIsrayeli yonke ingxube yezizwe.
As soon as they heard the law, they separated out from Israel every foreign person.
4 Ngaphambi kwalokho-ke uEliyashibi umpristi owayemiswe phezu kwekamelo likaNkulunkulu wethu, wayeyisihlobo sikaTobiya.
Now before this Eliashib the priest was appointed over the storerooms of the house of our God. He was related to Tobiah.
5 Wayemlungisele ikamelo elikhulu lapho ababekade befaka khona umnikelo wokudla, impepha, lezitsha, lokwetshumi kwamabele, iwayini elitsha, lamafutha, okwakulayelwe amaLevi labahlabeleli labalindimasango, lomnikelo wabapristi.
Eliashib prepared for Tobiah a large storeroom, where previously they kept the grain offering, the incense, the articles, and the tithes of the grain, new wine, and the oil, which were designated for the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests.
6 Kodwa kukho konke lokhu ngangingekho eJerusalema, ngoba ngomnyaka wamatshumi amathathu lambili kaAthakisekisi inkosi yeBhabhiloni ngeza enkosini; lekupheleni kwezinsuku ngacela imvumo enkosini,
But in all this time I was not in Jerusalem. For in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went to the king. After some time I asked the king for permission to leave,
7 ngeza eJerusalema, ngaqedisisa ngokubi uEliyashibi ayekwenzele uTobiya ngokumlungisela ikamelo emagumeni endlu kaNkulunkulu.
and I returned to Jerusalem. I understood the evil that Eliashib had done by giving Tobiah a storeroom in the courts of the house of God.
8 Kwasekusiba kubi kakhulu kimi; ngakho ngaphosela phandle zonke impahla zendlu kaTobiya phandle kwekamelo.
I was very angry and I threw all Tobiah's household articles out of the storeroom.
9 Ngasengilaya, bahlambulula amakamelo; ngabuyisela khona izitsha zendlu kaNkulunkulu lomnikelo wokudla lempepha.
I ordered that they purify the storerooms, and I put back in them the articles of the house of God, the grain offerings, and the incense.
10 Ngasengisazi ukuthi izabelo zamaLevi zazinganikwanga, lokuthi amaLevi labahlabeleli ababesenza umsebenzi babalekela ngulowo ensimini yakhe.
I learned that the Levites' portions had not been given to them, and they had run away, each to his own field, the Levites and the singers who did the work.
11 Ngasengiphikisana lababusi ngathi: Kungani indlu kaNkulunkulu itshiyiwe? Ngababuthanisa, ngabamisa endaweni yabo.
So I confronted the officials and said, “Why is the house of God neglected?” I gathered them together and stationed them at their posts.
12 Khona wonke uJuda waletha okwetshumi kwamabele lewayini elitsha lamafutha eziphaleni.
Then all Judah brought in the tithe of the grain, the new wine, and the oil to the storerooms.
13 Ngasengibeka abagciniziphala phezu kweziphala, oShelemiya umpristi, loZadoki umbhali, loPhedaya kumaLevi, leceleni kwabo uHanani indodana kaZakuri indodana kaMathaniya, ngoba kwathiwa bathembekile; njalo kwakuphezu kwabo ukwabela abafowabo.
I appointed as treasurers over the storehouses Shelemiah the priest and Zadok the scribe, and from the Levites, Pedaiah. Next to them was Hanan son of Zaccur son of Mattaniah, for they were counted as trustworthy. Their duties were to distribute the supplies to their associates.
14 Ngikhumbule, Nkulunkulu wami, mayelana lalokho, ungayicitshi imisebenzi yami yomusa engiyenzele indlu kaNkulunkulu wami lezinkonzo zayo.
Call me to mind, my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out the good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and its services.
15 Ngalezonsuku ngabona koJuda abanyathela izikhamelo zewayini ngesabatha, labangenisa izithungo, abathwalisa obabhemi, lewayini futhi, izithelo zesivini, lemikhiwa, lawo wonke umthwalo, abakungenisa eJerusalema ngosuku lwesabatha. Ngafakaza mhla bethengisa ukudla.
In those days I saw in Judah people treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys, and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of heavy loads, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. I protested that they were selling food on that day.
16 LabeTire bahlala kuyo, beletha inhlanzi lempahla yonke ethengiswayo, bakuthengisa ngesabatha kubantwana bakoJuda laseJerusalema.
Men from Tyre living in Jerusalem brought in fish and all kinds of goods, and they sold them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah and in the city!
17 Khona ngaphikisana lezikhulu zakoJuda, ngathi kuzo: Iyini le into embi eliyenzayo lingcolisa usuku lwesabatha?
Then I confronted the leaders of Judah, “What is this evil thing you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day?
18 Kabenzanga njalo yini oyihlo, loNkulunkulu wethu wehlisela phezu kwethu bonke lobububi laphezu kwalumuzi? Kanti lina landisa ulaka phezu kukaIsrayeli ngokungcolisa isabatha.
Did not your fathers do this? Did not our God bring all this evil on us and on this city? Now you are bringing more wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”
19 Kwasekusithi lapho amasango eJerusalema eseqala ukuba mnyama mandulo kwesabatha, ngalaya ukuthi iminyango kayivalwe, njalo ngalaya ukuthi bangayivuli kuze kube ngemva kwesabatha. Ngabeka ezinye zenceku zami emasangweni ukuze kungangeni mthwalo ngosuku lwesabatha.
As soon as it became dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I commanded that the doors be shut and that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath. I stationed some of my servants at the gates so no load could be brought in on the Sabbath day.
20 Ngakho abathengi labathengisi bempahla yonke balala ngaphandle kweJerusalema kanye loba kabili.
The merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares camped outside Jerusalem once or twice.
21 Khona ngafakaza ngimelene labo ngathi kibo: Lilalelani maqondana lomduli? Uba likwenza futhi, ngizalidumela ngesandla. Kusukela kulesosikhathi kababuyanga ngesabatha.
But I warned them, “Why do you camp outside the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you!” From that time on they did not come on the Sabbath.
22 Ngasengitshela amaLevi ukuthi azihlambulule, eze alinde amasango, ukungcwelisa usuku lwesabatha. Langalokho ungikhumbule, Nkulunkulu wami, ungihawukele ngokobunengi bomusa wakho.
Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves, and come and guard the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day. Call me to mind for this also, my God, and have mercy on me because of the covenant loyalty you have toward me.
23 Futhi, ngalezonsuku ngabona amaJuda ayethethe abafazi, abangamaAshidodikazi, amaAmoni, amaMowabi.
In those days I also saw Jews that had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.
24 Labantwana babo, ingxenye babekhuluma isiAshidodi njalo bengelakukhuluma isiJuda, kodwa ngokolimi lwezizwe ngezizwe.
Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod. None of them could speak the language of Judah, but only the language of one of the other peoples.
25 Ngasengiphikisana lawo, ngawaqalekisa, ngatshaya amanye awo, ngawangcothula inwele; ngawafungisa ngoNkulunkulu: Kaliyikunika amadodakazi enu kumadodana abo, njalo kaliyikuthathela amadodana enu emadodakazini abo, kumbe lina ngokwenu.
I confronted them, and I cursed them, and I hit some of them and pulled out their hair. I made them swear by God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons, or for yourselves.
26 USolomoni inkosi yakoIsrayeli konanga yini ngalezozinto? Kube kanti phakathi kwezizwe ezinengi kwakungelankosi enjengaye, owayethandeka kuNkulunkulu wakhe, loNkulunkulu wamenza inkosi phezu kukaIsrayeli wonke; laye abafazi bezizweni bamenza ukuthi one.
Did not Solomon king of Israel sin on account of these women? Among many nations there was no king like him, and he was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless, his foreign wives caused him to sin.
27 Pho, sizalilalela yini ukwenza bonke lobobubi obukhulu, ngokona kuNkulunkulu wethu ngokuthatha abafazi bezizweni?
Should we then listen to you and do all this great evil, and act treacherously against our God by marrying foreign women?”
28 Lenye yamadodana kaJehoyada indodana kaEliyashibi umpristi omkhulu, yayingumkhwenyana kaSanibhalathi umHoroni; ngakho ngayixotsha yasuka kimi.
One of the sons of Joiada son of Eliashib the high priest was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite. Therefore I caused him to flee from my presence.
29 Bakhumbule, Nkulunkulu wami, ngoba bangcolisile ubupristi lesivumelwano sobupristi lesamaLevi.
Call them to mind, my God, because they have defiled the priesthood, and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.
30 Ngokunjalo ngabahlambulula kubo bonke abezizweni, ngamisa imfanelo kubapristi lakumaLevi, ngulowo lalowo emsebenzini wakhe,
Thus I cleansed them from everything foreign, and established the duties of the priests and the Levites, each to his own task.
31 leyomnikelo wenkuni ngezikhathi ezimisiweyo, leyezithelo zokuqala. Ngikhumbule, Nkulunkulu wami, ngokuhle.
I provided for the wood offering at the appointed times and for the firstfruits. Call me to mind, my God, for good.
