Nahimiyaa 2
1 Waggaa digdammaffaa bara Arxeksis Mootichaatti jiʼa Niisaan keessa yeroo daadhiin wayinii isaaf dhiʼeeffametti ani daadhii wayinii sana fuudhee mootichaaf nan kenne. Ani fuula isaa duratti gaddee hin beeku;
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 kanaafuu mootichi, “Ati utuu hin dhukkubsatin fuulli kee maaliif waan gadde fakkaata? Kun gadda garaa keessaati malee waan biraa miti” naan jedhe. Anis akka maleen sodaadhe;
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 mootichaanis, “Yaa mootii bara baraan jiraadhu! Utuu magaalaan abbootiin koo keessatti awwaalaman barbadooftee jirtuu, utuu karrawwan ishees ibiddaan barbadeeffamanii jiranuu fuulli koo maaliif hin gaddu?” nan jedhe.
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 Mootichis, “Akka ani maal siif godhu barbaadda?” naan jedhe. Kanaafuu ani Waaqa samii kadhadheen
The king replied, “What do you want me to do [for you]?” I prayed [silently] to our God [who is/rules] in heaven.
5 akkana jedhee mootichaaf nan deebise; “Yoo wanni kun mooticha gammachiisee garbichi kee fuula kee duratti surraa argate, akka ani magaalattii deebisee ijaaruuf gara Yihuudaa, gara magaalaa abbootiin koo itti awwaalamanitti na ergi.”
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 Kana irratti mootichi utuma mootittiin isa bira teessuu, “Karaan kee yeroo hammamii fudhata? Atis yoomi deebita?” jedhee na gaafate. Na erguun fedhii mootichaa taʼe; anis yeroo nan murteeffadhe.
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 Ammas ani akkanan isaan jedhe; “Yoo wanni kun mooticha gammachiise, akka isaan hamma ani Yihuudaa gaʼutti nagaadhaan na dabarsaniif bulchitoota Laga Efraaxiis Gamaatiif xalayaan anaaf haa kennamu.
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 Akkasumas akka inni laaxaa ani ittiin dareeraa karra daʼannoo mana qulqullummaa, dallaa magaalaa sanaa fi kan mana ani itti galuuf jiruu tolfadhu naaf kennuuf Aasaaf eegduu bosona mootichaaf xalayaan naaf haa barreeffamu.” Sababii harki Waaqa koo tolaan sun narra tureef mootichi waan ani kadhadhe naa kenne.
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 Kanaafuu ani gara bulchitoota Gama Laga Efraaxiis dhaqee xalayoota mootichaa isaanitti nan kenne. Mootichi ajajjoota waraanaa fi abbootii fardeenii na wajjin ergee ture.
[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 Sanbalaax Hooroonichii fi Xoobbiyaan qondaaltichi Amoon sun yeroo waan kana dhagaʼanitti sababii namni Israaʼeliif waan tolaa yaadu tokko dhufeef akka malee ni raafaman.
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 Ani ergan Yerusaalem dhaqee bultii sadii achi bubbulee booddee
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 halkaniin kaʼee namoota muraasa wajjin nan baʼe. Ani waan Waaqni koo akka ani Yerusaalemiif godhu garaa koo keessa kaaʼe nama tokkotti iyyuu hin himne. Horii tokkicha ani yaabbadhe sana malee horiin tokko illee na bira hin turre.
13 Ani halkaniin Karra Sululaatiin gad baʼee gara Boolla Bishaan Jawweetii fi gara Karra Dikee dhaqee dallaa Yerusaalem kan diigamee fi karrawwan ishee kanneen ibiddaan barbadeeffaman sana irra naannaʼeen ilaale.
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 Ergasiis ani ittuma fufee gara Karra Burqaa fi gara Haroo mootichaa nan dhaqe; garuu karaan horii ani yaabbadhe dabarsu tokko illee hin turre;
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 kanaafuu ani halkaniin karaa sululaatiin ol baʼee dallaa sana nan ilaale. Dhuma irrattis dugda duubatti deebiʼee Karra Sululaatiin ol nan seene.
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 Sababii ani hamma gaafasitti Yihuudootatti yookaan lubootatti yookaan namoota bebeekamootti yookaan qondaaltotatti yookaan namoota hojii sana hojjechuuf jiran biraa kamitti iyyuu homaa hin himiniif qondaaltonni sun gara ani dhaqe yookaan waan ani hojjechaa ture hin beekne.
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 Anis akkana isaaniin nan jedhe; “Isin rakkoo nu keessa jirru ni argitu; Yerusaalem diigamteerti; karrawwan ishees ibiddaan gubamaniiru. Kottaa nu akka siʼachi nama kolfaa hin taaneef dallaa Yerusaalem deebifnee ni ijaarraa.”
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 Ani waaʼee harka Waaqa koo kan narra jiru tolaa sanaa fi waan mootichi naan jedhe illee isaanitti nan hime. Isaanis, “Kottaa kaanee deebisnee haa ijaarru” jedhanii deebisan. Kanaafuu isaan hojii gaarii kana jalqaban.
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 Garuu Sanbalaaxi Hooroonichi, Xoobbiyaan qondaaltichi Amoonii fi Gesheem namni Arabaa sun waan kana dhageenyaan nutti qoosanii nutti kolfan. Isaanis, “Wanni isin hojjettan kun maali? Isin mootichatti fincilaa jirtu moo?” jedhanii gaafatan.
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 Ani immoo akkana jedheen deebii kenneef; “Waaqni samii fiixaan nuuf baasa. Nu garboonni isaa immoo kaanee ni ijaarra; isin garuu Yerusaalem keessaa qooda yookaan mirga yookaan yaadannoo tokko illee hin qabdan.”
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.”
