Nehemías 13
1 Aquel día leyeron en el libro de Moisés a oídos del pueblo, y se encontró escrito en él que un amonita y un moabita no debían entrar en la asamblea de Dios para siempre,
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 porque no salieron al encuentro de los hijos de Israel con pan y agua, sino que contrataron a Balaam contra ellos para maldecirlos; sin embargo, nuestro Dios convirtió la maldición en bendición.
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 Sucedió que cuando escucharon la ley, separaron de Israel a toda la multitud mixta.
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 Antes de esto, el sacerdote Eliasib, que había sido designado como encargado de las habitaciones de la casa de nuestro Dios, siendo aliado de Tobías,
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 había preparado para él una gran sala, en la que antes se depositaban las ofrendas de comida, el incienso, los vasos y los diezmos del grano, el vino nuevo y el aceite, que se daban por mandato a los levitas, a los cantores y a los porteros; y las ofrendas onduladas para los sacerdotes.
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 Pero en todo esto no estuve en Jerusalén, porque en el año treinta y dos de Artajerjes, rey de Babilonia, fui al rey; y después de algunos días pedí permiso al rey,
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 y llegué a Jerusalén, y comprendí el mal que Eliasib había hecho a Tobías, al prepararle una habitación en los atrios de la casa de Dios.
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 Esto me afligió mucho. Por eso eché de la habitación todos los enseres de Tobías.
I became very angry, and I threw out of that room everything that belonged to Tobiah.
9 Luego ordené, y ellos limpiaron las habitaciones. Llevé a ellas los utensilios de la casa de Dios, con las ofrendas de comida y el incienso de nuevo.
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 Me di cuenta de que las porciones de los levitas no se les habían dado, de modo que los levitas y los cantores, que hacían el trabajo, habían huido cada uno a su campo.
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 Entonces discutí con los jefes y dije: “¿Por qué está abandonada la casa de Dios?” Los reuní y los puse en su lugar.
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 Entonces todo Judá trajo el diezmo del grano, del vino nuevo y del aceite a las arcas.
Then all the people of Judah again started to bring to the temple storerooms their tithes of grain, wine, and [olive] oil.
13 Puse como tesoreros sobre los tesoros al sacerdote Selemías y al escriba Sadoc, y de los levitas a Pedaías; y junto a ellos a Hanán hijo de Zaccur, hijo de Matanías; porque eran tenidos por fieles, y su oficio era repartir a sus hermanos.
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 Acuérdate de mí, Dios mío, en cuanto a esto, y no borres mis buenas obras que he hecho por la casa de mi Dios y por sus celebraciones.
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 En aquellos días vi a algunos hombres que pisaban lagares en sábado en Judá, que traían gavillas y cargaban asnos con vino, uvas, higos y toda clase de cargas que llevaban a Jerusalén en día de reposo; y testifiqué contra ellos en el día en que vendían alimentos.
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 También vivían allí algunos hombres de Tiro, que traían pescado y toda clase de mercancías, y vendían en sábado a los hijos de Judá y en Jerusalén.
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 Entonces discutí con los nobles de Judá y les dije: “¿Qué maldad es ésta que hacéis, profanando el día de reposo?
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 ¿No hicieron esto vuestros padres, y no trajo nuestro Dios todo este mal sobre nosotros y sobre esta ciudad? Sin embargo, vosotros traéis más ira sobre Israel al profanar el sábado”.
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 Sucedió que cuando las puertas de Jerusalén comenzaron a oscurecerse antes del sábado, mandé cerrar las puertas y ordené que no se abrieran hasta después del sábado. Puse a algunos de mis siervos a cargo de las puertas, para que no se introdujera ninguna carga en el día de reposo.
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 Entonces los mercaderes y vendedores de toda clase de mercancías acamparon fuera de Jerusalén una o dos veces.
One or two times merchants [DOU] stayed outside of the city on (Friday night/[the night before the Sabbath day]).
21 Entonces yo testifiqué contra ellos y les dije: “¿Por qué os quedáis alrededor del muro? Si volvéis a hacerlo, os echaré mano”. Desde entonces, no vinieron en sábado.
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 Mandé a los levitas que se purificaran, y que vinieran a guardar las puertas, para santificar el día de reposo. Acuérdate de mí también por esto, Dios mío, y perdóname según la grandeza de tu amorosa bondad.
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 En aquellos días vi también a los judíos que se habían casado con mujeres de Asdod, de Amón y de Moab;
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 y sus hijos hablaban la mitad en el idioma de Asdod, y no podían hablar en la lengua de los judíos, sino según la lengua de cada pueblo.
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 Yo discutí con ellos, los maldije, golpeé a algunos de ellos, les arranqué el cabello y les hice jurar por Dios: “No daréis vuestras hijas a sus hijos, ni tomaréis sus hijas para vuestros hijos, ni para vosotros.
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 ¿No pecó Salomón, rey de Israel, con estas cosas? Sin embargo, entre muchas naciones no hubo un rey como él, y fue amado por su Dios, y Dios lo hizo rey de todo Israel. Sin embargo, las mujeres extranjeras lo hicieron pecar.
[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 ¿Debemos, pues, escucharte para hacer todo este gran mal, para transgredir a nuestro Dios casándonos con mujeres extranjeras?”
[Do you think that] we should do what you have done, and disobey our God by marrying foreign women [who worship idols]? [RHQ]”
28 Uno de los hijos de Joiada, hijo del sumo sacerdote Eliasib, era yerno de Sanbalat el horonita; por eso lo eché de mí.
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 Acuérdate de ellos, Dios mío, porque han profanado el sacerdocio y la alianza del sacerdocio y de los levitas.
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 Así los limpié de todos los extranjeros y señalé los deberes para los sacerdotes y para los levitas, cada uno en su trabajo;
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 y para la ofrenda de leña, en los tiempos señalados, y para las primicias. Acuérdate de mí, Dios mío, para bien.
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]!
