Nehemías 6
1 Cuando Sanballat, Tobías, Gésem el árabe y los demás enemigos nuestros supieron que yo había edificado las murallas, y que ya no quedaba brecha en ella, bien que hasta entonces no había puesto las hojas en las puertas,
Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem, and our other enemies heard [a report] that we had finished rebuilding the wall, and that now there were no more (gaps/places where the wall was not finished) (although we had not yet put the doors in the gates).
2 Sanballat y Gésem enviaron a decirme: “Ven a una entrevista en las aldeas del valle de Onó”; pero ellos pensaban hacerme mal.
So Sanballat and Geshem sent [a message] to me, in which they said “Come and talk with us at a place in Ono Plain [north of Jerusalem].” But [I knew that] really they wanted to harm me [if I went there].
3 Les envié mensajeros que les dijeran: “Estoy haciendo una grandísima obra y no puedo bajar. ¿Ha de suspenderse acaso la obra, mientras yo, dejándola, me entreviste con vosotros?”
So I sent messengers to them, to tell them, “I am doing an important work, and I cannot go down [there]. (Why should I stop doing this work just to go down to [talk with] you?/I do not want to stop doing this work just to go down to [talk with] you.)” [RHQ]
4 Me enviaron este mismo mensaje cuatro veces, y yo les contesté de la misma manera.
They sent me the same message four times, and each time when I replied to them I said the same thing.
5 Sanballat me mandó decir lo mismo por quinta vez, por un criado suyo que (traía) en su mano una carta abierta.
Then Sanballat sent one of his servants to me, bringing a fifth message. This one was written, but it was not sealed. [He did that in order that others would read the message that the servant was carrying] in his hand.
6 En ella estaba escrito: “Se dice entre las gentes, y Gasmú lo confirma, que tú y los judíos pensáis en sublevaros; por cuyo motivo estás construyendo las murallas. Según estos mismos rumores tú pretendes también hacerte rey de ellos.
This is what was written in the message: “Some people in the nearby countries have heard a report that you and the other Jews are rebuilding the wall [in order to be able to resist attacks], because you are planning to revolt [against the king of Babylon]. And the report also says that you are planning to become the king [of the Israelis]. Geshem says that what they have reported is true.
7 A más de esto, has constituido profetas que respecto de ti proclaman en Jerusalén diciendo: ¡Hay rey en Judá! Ahora bien, el rey va a ser informado de estas cosas; ven, pues, y pongámonos de acuerdo.”
[People are also saying that] you have appointed some prophets to proclaim in Jerusalem that you, [Nehemiah, ] are now the king in Judea. King [Artaxerxes] will certainly hear these reports, [and then you will be in big trouble]. So I suggest that we should meet together to talk about this matter.”
8 Pero yo envié a decirle: “No se hace nada de lo que tú dices, sino que son invenciones de tu corazón.”
[When I read that message, ] I sent [the messenger] back to Sanballat to say, “None of what you are saying is true. You have (made this up/concocted this) in your own head/mind.”
9 Pues todos ellos querían amedrentarnos, diciéndose: “Se debilitarán sus manos y dejarán la obra, la cual no se cumplirá.” ¡Ahora, fortalece Tú mis manos!
[I said that because I knew that] they were trying to cause us to be afraid, with the result that we would stop working [on the wall]. So I actually became more determined (OR, I prayed to God to help me) [to continue the work].
10 Después fui a la casa de Semaías, hijo de Dalías, hijo de Mehetabel, que se había encerrado; y él me dijo: “Vamos juntos a la Casa de Dios, al interior del Templo, y cerraremos las puertas del Templo; porque vendrán a matarte. Sí, de noche vendrán a matarte.”
[One day] I went to talk with Shemaiah, son of Delaiah and grandson of Mehetabel. I went to talk with him in his house, because he was not able (OR, allowed) to leave his house. He said to me, “You and I must enter the very sacred place in the temple and lock the doors, because people are going to come to kill you at night.”
11 Respondí yo: “¿Un hombre como yo ha de huir? ¿Un hombre como yo ha de entrar en el Templo para salvar su vida? ¡No entraré!”
I replied, “I (am not that kind of person/do not do things like that) [RHQ]! I would not run and hide in the temple to save my life! No, I will not do that!”
12 Y fijándome en él conocí que no era Dios quien le enviaba, sino que él mismo había hecho esta profecía contra mí; porque Tobías y Sanballat le habían sobornado.
When I thought [about what he had said], I realized that God had not told Shemaiah to say that to me. I realized that Tobiah and Sanballat had bribed him [to say that to me].
13 Lo habían comprado para que yo tuviese miedo y obrando así cometiera un pecado; esto les habría servido para infamar mi nombre y cubrirme de oprobio.
They had bribed him to cause me to be afraid. They wanted me to [disobey God’s commands and] sin [by hiding in the temple]. If I did that, they would be able to ruin my reputation [MTY] and discredit me.
14 ¡Acuérdate, oh Dios mío, de Tobías y de Sanballat, según estas obras suyas; y también de Noadiá, la profetisa, y de los demás profetas que procuraban atemorizarme!
[So I prayed, ] “My God, do not forget what Tobiah and Sanballat have done. Punish them. And do not forget that the female prophet Noadiah and some of the other prophets have also tried to cause me to be afraid.”
15 Se acabaron las murallas el veinte y cinco del mes de Elul, en cincuenta y dos días.
On October 2 we finished rebuilding the wall. We did it all in 52 days.
16 Cuando todos nuestros enemigos lo supieron, se atemorizaron todas las gentes que vivían alrededor de nosotros, y cayeron de ánimo, pues conocieron que por nuestro Dios había sido hecha esta obra.
When our enemies in the nearby countries heard about that, they realized that they had been humiliated, because everyone knew that it was because God helped us that we had been able to do this work [and that they had not been able to force us to quit].
17 También en ese tiempo iban muchas cartas, de los nobles de Judá a Tobías, y venían a ellos cartas de parte de Tobías,
During this time, the Jewish leaders had been sending many messages/letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah had been sending messages back to them.
18 porque muchos de Judá le estaban obligados por juramento, puesto que era yerno de Secanías, hijo de Arah, y su hijo Jonatán había tomado por mujer a la hija de Mesullam, hijo de Baraquías.
Many people in Judea were closely associated with Tobiah, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah. Furthermore, Tobiah’s son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berekiah.
19 Hablaban también en mi presencia de sus buenas cualidades y le comunicaron mis palabras. También Tobías envió cartas para intimidarme.
People often talked in my presence about all the good things that Tobiah had done, and then they would tell him everything that I said. So Tobiah sent many letters to me to try to cause me to become afraid.
