< Nehemija 2 >
1 Pripetilo se je v mesecu nisánu, v dvanajstem letu kralja Artakserksa, da je bilo pred njim vino. Vzel sem vino in ga izročil kralju. Torej poprej v njegovi prisotnosti nisem bil žalosten.
In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, he selected wine, and I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never before been sad in his presence.
2 Zato mi je kralj rekel: »Zakaj je tvoje obličje žalostno, ker vidim, da nisi bolan? To ni nič drugega kakor bridkost srca.« Potem sem bil zelo boleče prestrašen
But the king said to me, “Why is your face so sad? You do not appear to be ill. This must be sadness of heart.” Then I became very much afraid.
3 in rekel kralju: »Naj kralj živi na veke. Zakaj naj bi moje obličje ne bilo žalostno, ko [pa] mesto, kraj mavzolejev mojih očetov, leži opustošeno in so njegova velika vrata použita z ognjem?«
I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad? The city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire.”
4 Potem mi je kralj odgovoril: »Za kaj delaš zahtevo?« Tako sem molil k Bogu nebes.
Then the king said to me, “What do you want me to do?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.
5 Kralju sem rekel: »Če kralju ugaja in je tvoj služabnik našel naklonjenost v tvojem pogledu, da bi me hotel poslati v Judejo, v mesto mavzolejev mojih očetov, da ga lahko zgradim.«
I replied to the king, “If it seems good to the king, and if your servant has done well in your sight, you could send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' tombs, that I may rebuild it.”
6 Kralj mi je rekel (tudi kraljica je sedela ob njem): »Kako dolgo bo trajalo tvoje potovanje? In kdaj se boš vrnil?« Tako je kralju ugajalo, da me pošlje, in določil sem mu čas.
The king replied to me (and the queen was also sitting beside him), “How long shall you be away and when will you return?” The king was glad to send me when I gave him the dates.
7 Poleg tega sem kralju rekel: »Če to ugaja kralju, naj mi bodo dana pisma, za voditelje onkraj reke, da me lahko pošljejo preko, dokler ne pridem v Judejo,
Then I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, may letters be given to me for the governors in the Province Beyond the River so that they may permit me to pass through their territories on my way to Judah.
8 in pismo Asáfu, čuvaju kraljevega gozda, da mi bo lahko dal les, da naredim bruna za velika vrata palače, ki so spadala k hiši in za mestno obzidje in za hišo, v katero bom vstopil.« In kralj mi je zagotovil, glede na dobro roko mojega Boga nad menoj.
May there also be a letter for Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, so that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress next to the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house in which I will live.” So because the good hand of God was on me, the king granted me my requests.
9 Potem sem prišel k voditeljem preko reke in jim dal kraljeva pisma. Torej kralj je z menoj poslal vojne poveljnike in konjenike.
I came to the governors in the Province Beyond the River and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen.
10 Ko sta Sanbalát Horónčan in služabnik Tobija, Amónec, slišala o tem, ju je to silno užalostilo, da je tja prišel človek, da išče blaginjo Izraelovih otrok.
When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, they were greatly displeased that someone had come who was seeking to help the people of Israel.
11 Tako sem prišel v Jeruzalem in bil tam tri dni.
So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days.
12 Vstal sem ponoči, jaz in nekaj malega mož z menoj. Niti nisem nobenemu možu povedal, kaj je Bog položil na moje srce, da storim pri Jeruzalemu. Niti ni bila z menoj nobena žival, razen živali, na kateri sem jahal.
I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. I did not tell anyone what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me, other than the one I was riding.
13 Ponoči sem odšel ven pri Dolinskih velikih vratih, celo pred zmajevim vodnjakom in do gnojne odprtine in ogledal sem si jeruzalemske zidove, ki so bili porušeni in njegova velika vrata, ki so bila použita z ognjem.
I went out by night by the Valley Gate, toward the Jackal's Well and to the Dung Gate, and inspected the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken open, and the wooden gates were destroyed by fire.
14 Potem sem odšel naprej do velikih studenčnih vrat in do kraljevega ribnika, toda tam ni bilo prostora za žival, ki je bila pod menoj, da gre mimo.
Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King's Pool. The place was too narrow for the animal I was riding to pass through.
15 Potem sem ponoči odšel gor, poleg potoka in gledal obzidje in se obrnil nazaj in vstopil pri velikih dolinskih vratih in tako sem se vrnil.
So I went up that night by the valley and inspected the wall, and I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned.
16 Vladarji niso vedeli, kam sem odšel ali kaj sem storil, niti do tega trenutka tega še nisem povedal Judom, niti duhovnikom, niti plemičem, niti vladarjem, niti preostalim, ki so opravljali delo.
The rulers did not know where I went or what I did, and I had not yet informed the Jews, nor the priests, nor the nobles, nor the rulers, nor the rest who did the work.
17 Potem sem jim rekel: »Vi vidite stisko, v kateri smo, kako Jeruzalem leži opustošen in so njegova velika vrata požgana z ognjem. Pridite in gradimo jeruzalemsko obzidje, da ne bomo več v grajo.«
I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so we will no longer be in disgrace.”
18 Potem sem jim povedal o roki svojega Boga, ki je bila dobra nad menoj, kot tudi kraljeve besede, ki mi jih je govoril. Rekli so: »Vzdignimo se in gradimo.« Tako so okrepili svoje roke za to dobro delo.
I told them that the good hand of my God was on me and also about the king's words that he had spoken to me. They said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
19 Toda ko so Sanbalát Horónčan in služabnik Tobija, Amónec in Arabec Gešem to slišali, so se smejali do norčevanja, nas prezirali in rekli: »Kaj je ta stvar, ki jo počnete. Ali se hočete upreti zoper kralja?«
But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the Ammonite servant, and Geshem the Arabian heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us, and they said, “What are you doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”
20 Potem sem jim odgovoril in jim rekel: »Bog nebes, on nas bo naredil uspešne, zato bomo mi, njegovi služabniki, vstali in gradili. Toda vi nimate deleža niti pravice niti spomina v Jeruzalemu.«
Then I answered them, “The God of heaven will give us success. We are his servants and we will arise and build. But you have no share, no right, and no historic claim in Jerusalem.”