Nehemia 13
1 Pazuva iroro Bhuku raMozisi rakaverengwa nenzwi guru vanhu vachizvinzwa uye zvakawanikwa zvakanyorwa kuti muAmoni nomuMoabhu havabvumirwi kupinda muungano yaMwari,
On that day, when someone read to the people parts of the laws [that God gave] to Moses, they read where it was written that no one from the Ammon people-group or the Moab people-group was ever to be allowed to be with God’s people while they were gathered together [to worship].
2 nokuti havana kundosangana navaIsraeri nezvokudya nemvura asi vakaripira Bharamu kuti avatuke. Kunyange zvakadaro, Mwari wedu, akashandura kutuka kukava ropafadzo.
The reason for that was that the people of Ammon and the people of Moab did not give/sell any food or water to the Israelis [while the Israelis were going through their areas after they left Egypt]. Instead, the people of Ammon and Moab paid money to Balaam in order that he would curse the Israelis. But God commanded Balaam to bless the people, not to curse them.
3 Vanhu vakati vanzwa murayiro uyu, vakabvisa vose vakanga vari vatorwa pakuberekwa.
So when the people heard these laws [being read to them], they sent away all the people whose ancestors had come from other countries.
4 Zvino zvisati zvaitika izvi, Eriashibhi muprista akanga agadzwa kuti ave mutariri wamatura okuvigira eimba yaMwari wedu. Akanga ane ukama hwepedyo naTobhia,
Previously, Eliashib the priest had been appointed to be in charge of the storerooms in the temple. He was a relative of [our enemy] Tobiah.
5 uye akanga amugadzirira kamuri guru raimbochengeterwa zvipiriso zvezviyo nezvinonhuhwira uye midziyo yetemberi, nezvegumi zvezviyo, waini itsva namafuta akarayirwa kuti apiwe vaRevhi, vaimbi navachengeti vamasuo, uyewo nemigove yavaprista.
He allowed Tobiah to use a large room in which they had previously stored the grain offerings and the incense, the equipment that is used in the temple, the offerings [that the people had brought] for the priests, and the tithes of grain and wine and [olive] oil that [God] had commanded the people to bring to the [other] descendants of Levi, and to the temple musicians, and to the temple guards.
6 Asi pazvaiitika zvose izvi, ndakanga ndisiri muJerusarema, nokuti mugore ramakumi matatu namaviri raAtazekisesi mambo weBhabhironi ndakanga ndadzokera kuna mambo. Mushure menguva yakati kuti ndakakumbira mvumo
While [Tobias was using that room], I was not in Jerusalem, because in the 32nd year that Artaxerxes was the king of Babylonia, I went back there to report to him. After a while I requested the king to allow me to return to Jerusalem, [and he allowed me to go].
7 ndokudzokera kuJerusarema. Ipapo ndakanzwa pamusoro pechinhu chakaipa chakanga chaitwa naEriashibhi chokuti akagadzirira Tobhia kamuri muruvazhe rweimba yaMwari.
When I arrived in Jerusalem, I found out that Eliashib had done an evil thing by allowing Tobiah to use a room in God’s temple.
8 Ndakashatirwa zvikuru ndokurasira kunze kwemba, midziyo yose yaTobhia.
I became very angry, and I threw out of that room everything that belonged to Tobiah.
9 Ndakarayira kuti makamuri acheneswe, ndokubva ndadzorera imomo midziyo yose yeimba yaMwari, pamwe chete nezvipiriso zvezviyo nezvinonhuhwira.
Then I commanded [that they perform a ritual] to make the rooms (pure/acceptable to God) again. And I also ordered that all the equipment used in the temple and all the grain offerings and incense should be put in that room again.
10 Ndakaonawo kuti vaRevhi vakanga vasina kupiwa migove yavo, uye kuti vaRevhi vose navaimbi vaiva nebasa rokushumira vakanga vadzokera kuminda yavo.
I also found out that the temple musicians and [other] descendants of Levi had left Jerusalem and returned to their fields/farms, because the Israeli people had not been bringing to them the food [that they needed].
11 Saka ndakatsiura vabati ndikavabvunza ndikati, “Imba yaMwari yashayirwa hanya neiko?” Ipapo ndakavaunganidza pamwe chete ndikavadzosera kunzvimbo dzavo.
So I rebuked the officials, saying to them, “(Why have you not taken care of the work in the temple?/It is disgraceful that you have not taken care of the work in the temple.)” [RHQ] So I brought the descendants of Levi and the musicians back to the temple, and told them to do their work there again.
12 VaJudha vose vakauya nezvegumi zvezviyo, newaini itsva namafuta vakazviisa mumatura.
Then all the people of Judah again started to bring to the temple storerooms their tithes of grain, wine, and [olive] oil.
13 Ndakaisa Sheremia muprista, Zadhoki munyori, nomuRevhi ainzi Pedhaya kuti vave vatariri vamatura uye ndikaita kuti Hanania, mwanakomana waZakuri, mwanakomana waMatania, ave mubatsiri wavo, nokuti varume ava vakaonekwa kuti vaiva vakavimbika. Vaiva nebasa rokugovera hama dzavo migove yavo.
I appointed these men to be in charge of the storerooms: Shelemiah, who was a priest; Zadok, who knew the Jewish laws very well; and Pedaiah, a descendant of Levi. I appointed Hanan, who is the son of Zaccur and grandson of Mattaniah, to assist them. I knew that I could trust these men while they distributed those offerings to their fellow workers.
14 Haiwa Mwari wangu, ndirangarireiwo nokuda kwaizvozvi, uye musadzima zvandakaita nokutendeka kuimba yaMwari wangu, neshumiro yayo.
My God, do not forget all these good things that I have faithfully done for your temple and for the work that is done there!
15 Mumazuva iwayo ndakaona varume muJudha vachitsika zvisviniro zvewaini nomusi weSabata vachiuya nezviyo vachizvikwidza pambongoro, pamwe chete newaini, mazambiringa, maonde namarudzi ose emitoro. Vaiuya nezvinhu zvose izvi muJerusarema nomusi weSabata. Naizvozvo ndakavayambira kuti vasatengesa zvokudya pazuva iroro.
During that time, I saw some people in Judea [who were working] on the Sabbath day. [Some were] pressing grapes [to make wine]. Others were putting grain, [bags of] wine, [baskets of] grapes, figs, and many [HYP] other things, on their donkeys and taking them into Jerusalem. I warned them that they should not sell things to the people of Judea on Sabbath days.
16 Varume vaibva kuTire vaigara muJerusarema vaiuya nehove nemhando dzose dzezvokutengesa vachizvitengesa muJerusarema kuvanhu veJudha nomusi weSabata.
I also saw some people from Tyre [city] who were living there in Jerusalem who were bringing fish and other things [into Jerusalem] to sell to the people of Judea on the Sabbath day.
17 Ndakatsiura vakuru veJudha ndikati kwavari, “Chiiko ichi chinhu chakaipa chamunoita muchizvidza zuva reSabata?
So I rebuked the Jewish leaders and told them, “This is [RHQ] a very evil thing that you are doing! You are causing the Sabbath days to be unholy.
18 Ko, madzitateguru enyu haana kuita zvimwe chetezvo here, zvokuti Mwari wedu akazouyisa dambudziko iri pamusoro pedu napamusoro peguta rino? Zvino muri kumutsa hasha dzakawanda pamusoro paIsraeri nokuzvidza Sabata.”
Your ancestors did [RHQ] things like that, so God punished them, and as a result, this city was destroyed! And now by causing the Sabbath day to be unholy, you are going to cause God to be angry with us Israeli people [and punish us] more!”
19 Zvino mimvuri yezuva rovira yakati yafukidza masuo eJerusarema, Sabata risati rasvika, ndakarayira kuti mikova ipfigwe uye kuti isazarurwa kusvikira Sabata rapfuura. Ndakaisa vamwe vavaranda vangu pamasuo kuti kurege kuva nomutoro ungauyiswa mukati nomusi weSabata.
So I ordered that at (the beginning of every Sabbath day/every Friday evening) they should shut the gates of the city before it became dark. I also ordered that they should not open the gates until (the Sabbath day was ended [the next day]/Saturday evening). Then [each Sabbath day] I put some of my men at the gates, so they would make sure that nothing to sell was brought into the city on that day.
20 Naizvozvo kamwe chete kana kaviri, vashambadziri navatengesi vemhando dzose vakarara usiku hwose kunze kweJerusarema.
One or two times merchants [DOU] stayed outside of the city on (Friday night/[the night before the Sabbath day]).
21 Asi ndakavayambira ndikati, “Seiko muchirara usiku hwose parusvingo? Kana mukazviitazve, ndichakusungai.” Kubva panguva iyoyo zvichienda mberi havana kuzouyazve nomusi weSabata.
I warned them, “It is useless [RHQ] for you to stay here outside the walls [on Friday night]! If you do this again, I will tell my men to arrest you!” So after that, they did not come on Sabbath days.
22 Ipapo ndakarayira vaRevhi kuti vazvinatse uye kuti vaende kundorinda masuo kuitira kuti zuva reSabata richengetwe riri dzvene. Haiwa Mwari wangu, ndirangarireiwo pachinhu ichi, Mwari wangu, mugoratidza tsitsi kwandiri maererano norudo rwenyu rukuru.
I also commanded the descendants of Levi to [perform the ritual to] purify themselves and to guard the city gates, to make sure that the Sabbath was kept holy [by not allowing merchants to enter it on Sabbath days]. My God, do not forget this also that I [have done for you]! And because of your faithfully loving me, allow me to continue to live [many more years]!
23 Pamusoro pezvo, mumazuva iwayo, ndakaona varume vokwaJudha vakanga vawana vakadzi vaibva kuAshidhodhi, neAmoni neMoabhu.
During that time, I also found out that many of the Jewish men had married women from Ashdod [city], and from [the] Ammon and Moab [people-groups].
24 Hafu yavana vavo vaitaura mutauro wechiAshidhodhi kana mutauro mumwewo wavamwe vanhu, uye vakanga vasingazivi mutauro wechiJudha.
The result was that half of their children spoke the language that people in Ashdod speak or some other language, and they didn’t know how to speak our language.
25 Ndakavatsiura ndikavatuka. Ndakarova vamwe varume uye ndikadzura bvudzi ravo. Ndakaita kuti vapike nezita raMwari uye ndikati kwavari, “Hamufaniri kupa vanasikana venyu kuti vawanikwe navanakomana vavo, kana kuzvitorera imi.
So I rebuked those men, and I [asked God to] curse them, and I beat them and pulled out [some of] their hair. Then I forced them to solemnly promise, knowing that God [MTY] was [listening], that they would never again marry foreigners, and never allow their children to marry foreigners.
26 Ko, Soromoni mambo weIsraeri haana kutadza here nokuda kwavakadzi vakadai? Pakati pendudzi zhinji hapana kumbova namambo akaita saye. Aidikanwa naMwari wake, uye Mwari akamuita mambo pamusoro pavaIsraeri vose, asi kunyange zvakadaro akapinzwa muchivi navakadzi vatorwa.
[I said to them], “Solomon, the king of Israel, sinned [RHQ] as a result of [marrying] foreign women. He was greater than any of the kings of other nations. God loved him, and caused him to become the king of all the Israeli people, but his foreign wives caused even him to sin.
27 Ko, isu zvino tingazvinzwawo here kuti nemiwo zvakare muri kuita zvinhu zvakaipa kudai uye kuti hamuna kutendeka kuna Mwari wedu, muchiwana vakadzi vatorwa?”
[Do you think that] we should do what you have done, and disobey our God by marrying foreign women [who worship idols]? [RHQ]”
28 Mumwe wavanakomana vaJoyadha mwanakomana waEriashibhi muprista mukuru akanga ari mukuwasha waSanibharati muHoroni. Zvino ndakamudzingira kure neni.
One of the sons of Jehoiada, the son of Eliashib the Supreme Priest, had married the daughter of [our enemy] Sanballat, from Beth-Horon [town]. So I forced Jehoiada’s son to leave Jerusalem.
29 Haiwa Mwari wangu, varangarirei nokuti vakasvibisa basa rouprista uye nesungano youprista neyavaRevhi.
My God, do not forget that those people [who have married foreign women] have caused it to be a shame/disgrace to be a priest, and have caused people to despise the agreement that you made with the priests and with the [other] descendants of Levi [who help the priests])!
30 Saka ndakanatsa vaprista navaRevhi pazvinhu zvose zvavatorwa, ndikavapa madzoro avo, mumwe nomumwe pabasa rake.
I did all that to make sure that there were no more foreign people among the [Israeli] people [who would encourage them to worship idols]. I also established regulations for the priests and [other] descendants of Levi, in order that they would know what work they should do.
31 Ndakapawo zvipo zvehuni panguva dzakatarwa nezvezvibereko zvokutanga. Mundirangarirewo, Mwari wangu, mundiitire zvakanaka.
I also arranged for people to bring the firewood [that was needed to burn on the altar, as Moses had declared] that we should [do]. I also arranged for the people to bring the first part of what they harvested [each year]. My God, do not forget [that] I [have done all these things], and bless me [for doing them]!
