Nehemías 2
1 Y fue en el mes de Nisán, en el año veinte del rey Artaxerxes, el vino estaba delante de él; y tomé el vino, y di al rey: y no había estado triste delante de él.
After King Artaxerxes [had been ruling the Persian Empire] for almost 20 years, (during the spring/before the hot season) of that year, when it was time to serve wine to him [during a feast], I took the wine and gave it to him. I had never looked sad when I was in front of him before, [but on that day he saw that I looked very sad].
2 Y díjome el rey: ¿Por qué es triste tu rostro, pues no estás enfermo? No es esto sino mal de corazón. Entonces temí en gran manera,
So he asked me, “Why are you sad? [I know that] you are not sick. It must be that you are troubled about something.” Then I was very afraid, [because it was not proper to be sad when I came to the king] (OR, [because I was worried what the king would do to me if he refused to do what I was about to request him to do]).
3 Y dije al rey: El rey viva para siempre: ¿por qué no será triste mi rostro, pues que la ciduad, que es casa de los sepulcros de mis padres, es desierta, y sus puertas consumidas de fuego?
I replied, “Your majesty, I hope you will live a very long time! But (how can I prevent myself from being sad, because the city where my ancestors are buried [has been destroyed] and is in ruins?/I cannot keep myself from looking sad, because the city where my ancestors are buried [has been destroyed and] is in ruins.) [RHQ] [Even] the city gates have been completely burned.”
4 Y díjome el rey: ¿Por qué cosa demandas? Entonces oré al Dios de los cielos,
The king replied, “What do you want me to do [for you]?” I prayed [silently] to our God [who is/rules] in heaven.
5 Y dije al rey: Si al rey place, y si agrada tu siervo delante de ti, demando que me envíes en Judá a la ciudad de los sepulcros de mis padres, y reedificarle he.
Then I replied, “If you are willing [to do it], and if I have pleased you, send me to the city [of Jerusalem] in Judah [province] where my ancestors are buried, in order that I may [help people to] rebuild the city.”
6 Entonces el rey me dijo, (y la reina estaba sentada junto a él: ) ¿Hasta cuándo será tu viaje, y cuándo volverás? Y plugo al rey, y envióme, y yo le di tiempo.
While the queen was sitting beside the king, he asked, [“If I allow you to go, ] how long will you be gone? When will you return?” [I told the king how long I would be gone, and] the king gave me permission to go, and I told him what day [I wanted to leave].
7 Y dije al rey: Si place al rey, dénseme cartas para los capitanes del otro lado del río, que me hagan pasar hasta que venga a Judá:
I also said to the king, “If you are willing to do it, write letters for me to take to the governors of the province west of the [Euphrates] River. Tell them to allow me to travel safely [through their province] until I arrive in Judah.
8 Y carta para Asaf guarda del bosque del rey, que me dé madera para enmaderar los portales del palacio de la casa, y el muro de la ciudad, y la casa donde entraré. Y dióme el rey según que era buena la mano de Jehová sobre mí.
Also, [please write] a letter to Asaph, the man who takes care of your forest [in that area], telling him to give me timber to make the beams to support the gates of the fortress that is near the temple, and timber for making the walls of the city, and for building the house in which I [will live].” The king did what I requested him to do, because my God was graciously/kindly (helping/acting for) me.
9 Y vine a los capitanes del otro lado del río, y díles las cartas del rey: y el rey envió conmigo príncipes del ejército, y gente de a caballo.
[After I got ready, I left to travel to Judah]. The king sent some army officers and soldiers riding on horses to accompany me, [to protect me]. When I came to where the governors of the provinces west of the [Euphrates] River lived, I gave them the letters that the king had written.
10 Y oyéndo lo Sanaballat Horonita, y Tobías el siervo Ammonita, desplúgoles de grande desplacer, que viniese alguno para procurar el bien de los hijos de Israel.
But when [two government officials, ] Sanballat from [a village near] Horon and Tobiah from the Ammon [people-group], heard that I had arrived, they were very angry that someone had come to help the Israeli people.
11 Y vine a Jerusalem, y estuve allí tres días;
When I arrived in Jerusalem, I did not tell anyone what thoughts God had given to me about what I should do there. Three days after I arrived in Jerusalem, I went out of the city in the evening, taking a few other men with me. I was riding a donkey; we had no other animals with us.
12 Y levantéme de noche yo, y pocos varones conmigo, y no declaré a hombre lo que Dios había puesto en mi corazón que hiciese en Jerusalem; ni había bestia conmigo, salvo la cabalgadura en que cabalgaba.
13 Y salí de noche por la puerta del valle hacia la fuente del dragón, y a la puerta del muladar: y consideré los muros de Jerusalem que estaban derribados, y sus puertas que eran consumidas del fuego.
We left the city, going out through the Valley Gate, then past the well called the Jackal (OR, Dragon’s) Well, and then past the gate called the Rubbish/Garbage Gate. We inspected all the walls that had been broken down and all the gates that had been burned down.
14 Y pasé a la puerta de la fuente, y al estanque del rey: y no hubo lugar por donde pasase la bestia que estaba debajo de mí.
Then we went to the Fountain Gate and to the pool called the King’s Pool, but my donkey could not get through [the narrow opening] (OR, [the rubble]).
15 Y subí por el arroyo de noche, y consideré el muro, y volviendo entré por la puerta del valle, y volvíme.
So we turned back and went along the [Kidron] Valley. We inspected the wall there before we turned back/around and entered the city again at the Valley Gate.
16 Y los magistrados no supieron donde yo había ido, ni que había hecho; ni aun a los Judíos y sacerdotes, ni a los nobles y magistrados, ni a los demás que hacían la obra, hasta entonces lo había declarado.
The [city] officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because I had not told anyone about what I planned to do. I had not said anything about it to the Jewish leaders or the officials or the priests or any of the others who would be helping me in the work [that I wanted to do].
17 Y díjeles: Vosotros veis el mal en que estamos, que Jerusalem está desierta, y sus puertas consumidas de fuego: veníd, y edifiquemos el muro de Jerusalem, y no seamos más en vergüenza.
But now I said to them, “You all know very well the terrible things [that have happened to] our city. The city is ruined; even the gates are burned down. So we should rebuild the city wall. If we do that, we will no longer feel humiliated/disgraced.”
18 Entonces les declaré la mano de mi Dios que era buena sobre mí; y asimismo las palabras del rey que me había dicho: y dijeron: Levantémosnos, y edifiquemos. Y confortaron sus manos para bien.
Then I told them about how God had kindly/graciously helped me [when I talked to the king], and what the king had said to me. They immediately replied, “Let’s start rebuilding!” So they started to do this good work.
19 Y oyó lo Sanaballat Horonita, y Tobías el siervo Ammonita, y Gessem Árabe, y escarnecieron de nosotros, y nos despreciaron, diciendo: ¿Qué es esto que hacéis vosotros? ¿Os rebeláis contra el rey?
But when Sanballat, Tobiah, and Gershom the Arab [king of the Kedar region] heard about what we planned to do, they made fun of us and ridiculed us. They said, “What is this work that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king [again]?” [RHQ]
20 Y volvíles respuesta, y díjeles: Dios de los cielos él nos prosperará, y nosotros sus siervos nos levantaremos y edificaremos: que vosotros no tenéis parte, ni justicia, ni memoria en Jerusalem.
But I replied, “Our God [who is/rules] in heaven will help our plans to succeed. But as for you, you have no right to decide anything about this city, because you have not participated in what has happened in this city in previous years.”
