< Nehemia 2 >

1 Mumwedzi waNisani mugore ramakumi maviri raMambo Atazekisesi, panguva yaakavigirwa waini, ndakatora waini ndikapa kuna mambo. Handina kumbenge ndambosuruvara zvakadai pamberi pake.
Now in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was set before him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had never been sad in his presence,
2 Saka mambo akandibvunza akati, “Ko, chiso chako chinoratidza kusuwa seiko iwe usingarwari? Hapangavi nechimwe chinhu asi shungu dzomwoyo bedzi.” Ndakatya kwazvo,
so the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, though you are not ill? This could only be sadness of the heart.” I was overwhelmed with fear
3 asi ndakati kuna mambo, “Mambo ngaararame nokusingaperi! Ko, chiso changu chingatadza kupunyaira seiko kana guta rakavigwa madzibaba angu rava dongo uye masuo aro aparadzwa nomoto?”
and replied to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should I not be sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
4 Mambo akati kwandiri, “Chii chauri kuda?” Ipapo ndakanyengetera kuna Mwari wokudenga,
“What is your request?” replied the king. So I prayed to the God of heaven
5 ndikapindura mambo ndichiti, “Kana zvichifadza mambo uye kana muranda wenyu awana nyasha pamberi pake, mambo ngaanditumire kuguta riri kuJudha kwakavigwa madzibaba angu kuitira kuti ndinorivakazve.”
and answered the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city where my fathers are buried, so that I may rebuild it.”
6 Ipapo mambo, navahosi vakagara parutivi pake, akandibvunza akati, “Rwendo rwako runotora mazuva mangani, uye uchadzoka rinhi?” Naizvozvo zvakafadza mambo kuti anditume; saka ndakatara nguva.
Then the king, with the queen seated beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I set a time.
7 Ndakatizve kwaari, “Kana mambo achifadzwa nazvo, ndingapiwawo tsamba here dzinoenda kuvabati vari mhiri kwaYufuratesi, kuitira kuti vagondipa mvumo yokupfuura kusvikira ndasvika muJudha?
I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may letters be given to me for the governors west of the Euphrates, so that they will grant me safe passage until I reach Judah.
8 Uye ndinokumbirawo tsamba inoenda kuna Asafi, muchengeti wesango ramambo, kuitira kuti azondipa matanda okuchinjika pamusoro pamasuo enhare iri patemberi uye neorusvingo rweguta neeimba yandichagara?” Mambo akandipa zvandakakumbira, nokuti ruoko rwenyasha rwaMwari wangu rwaiva pamusoro pangu.
And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so that he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house I will occupy.” And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.
9 Saka ndakaenda kuvabati vaiva mhiri kwaYufuratesi ndikavapa tsamba dzamambo. Zvino mambo akanga atumawo pamwe chete neni vakuru vehondo navatasvi vamabhiza.
Then I went to the governors west of the Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.
10 Sanibharati muHoroni naTobhia muranda wavaAmoni pavakazvinzwa vakashatirwa kwazvo vachiti kwauya mumwe anoda kusimudzira magariro akanaka avaIsraeri.
But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were deeply disturbed that someone had come to seek the well-being of the Israelites.
11 Naizvozvo ndakaenda kuJerusarema ndikagarako kwamazuva matatu.
After I had arrived in Jerusalem and had been there three days,
12 Ndakamuka usiku navarume vashoma shoma. Ndakanga ndisina kumboudza munhu zvakanga zvaiswa mumwoyo mangu naMwari wangu kuti ndiite muJerusarema. Pakanga pasina chimwe chipfuwo kunze kwechandakanga ndakatasva.
I set out at night with a few men. I did not tell anyone what my God had laid on my heart to do for Jerusalem. The only animal with me was the one on which I was riding.
13 Ndakabuda usiku ndikapinda napaSuo roMupata ndakananga nokuTsime reShato nokuSuo raMarara, ndichiongorora masvingo eJerusarema, akanga akoromorwa, uye masuo awo, akanga aparadzwa nomoto.
So I went out at night through the Valley Gate toward the Well of the Serpent and the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that had been broken down and the gates that had been destroyed by fire.
14 Ipapo ndakapfuurira mberi ndakananga kuSuo reTsime nokuDziva raMambo, asi pakanga pasina nzvimbo yokupinda nechipfuwo changu;
Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal under me to get through;
15 saka ndakakwidza nokumupata nousiku, ndichiongorora rusvingo. Pakupedzisira, ndakadzoka ndikapindazve napakati peSuo roMupata.
so I went up the valley by night and inspected the wall. Then I headed back and reentered through the Valley Gate.
16 Vabati havana kuziva kwandakanga ndaenda kana zvandakanga ndichiita, nokuti ndakanga ndisati ndambotaura chinhu kuvaJudha kana kuvaprista kana vakuru kana vabati, kana vamwewo zvavo vaizoita basa.
The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, for I had not yet told the Jews or priests or nobles or officials or any other workers.
17 Ipapo ndakati kwavari, “Muri kuona dambudziko ratinaro here: Jerusarema rava dongo, uye masuo aro akapiswa nomoto. Uyai, ngativakeizve rusvingo rweJerusarema, kuti tisazonyadziswazve.”
Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned down. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we will no longer be a disgrace.”
18 Ndakavaudza pamusoro poruoko rwenyasha rwaMwari wangu rwaiva pamusoro pangu uye zvakanga zvataurwa namambo kwandiri. Ivo vakati, “Ngatitangei kuvaka.” Saka vakatanga basa rakanaka iri.
I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me, and what the king had said to me. “Let us start rebuilding,” they replied, and they set their hands to this good work.
19 Asi Sanibharati muHoroni, naTobhia muranda wavaAmoni naGeshemu muArabhu vakati vazvinzwa, vakatiseka uye vakatizvidza. Vakatibvunza vachiti, “Chiiko ichi chamuri kuita? Muri kumukira mambo kanhi?”
But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard about this, they mocked us and ridiculed us, saying, “What is this you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”
20 Ndakavapindura ndikati, “Mwari wokudenga achaita kuti tibudirire. Isu varanda vake tichatanga kuvaka asi kana murimi, hamuna mugove kana simba kana chirangaridzo paJerusarema.”
So I answered them and said, “The God of heaven is the One who will grant us success. We, His servants, will start rebuilding, but you have no portion, right, or claim in Jerusalem.”

< Nehemia 2 >