Nehemia 2
1 Nisan ɔsram (bɛyɛ Oforisuo) wɔ Ɔhene Artasasta adedi afe a ɛto so aduonu mu no, na merehyɛ ɔhene nsa. De besi saa bere no, na menyɛɛ mʼanim bosaa wɔ ɔhene anim da,
And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, when wine was before him, that I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.
2 enti ɔhene no bisaa me se, “Adɛn nti na wʼanim ayɛ bosaa nanso wonyare yi? Wosɛ obi a ɔhaw kɛse bi da ne so.” Ehu kɛse tɔɔ me so,
And the king said unto me: 'Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart.' Then I was very sore afraid.
3 nanso mibuae se, “Ɔhene nkwa so! Adɛn nti na ɛnsɛ sɛ me werɛ how? Kuropɔn a wosiee me mpanyimfo wɔ mu no abubu, na wɔahyew nʼapon no nyinaa.”
And I said unto the king: 'Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?'
4 Ɔhene no bisae se, “Dɛn na wohwehwɛ?” Na mebɔɔ ɔsoro Nyankopɔn mpae,
Then the king said unto me: 'For what dost thou make request?' So I prayed to the God of heaven.
5 buae se, “Sɛ ɛsɔ Ɔhempɔn ani, na sɛ me, wo somfo, mesɔ wʼani a, ɛno de ma menkɔ Yuda nkosiesie kuropɔn a wɔasie mʼagyanom wɔ mu no.”
And I said unto the king: 'If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.'
6 Bere a ɔhemmea te Ɔhene nkyɛn no, Ɔhene no bisae se, “Wokɔ a, wubedi nna ahe? Da bɛn na wobɛsan aba?” Ɔhene penee so, na mekyerɛɛ da a mesi mu.
And the king said unto me, the queen also sitting by him: 'For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return?' So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.
7 Afei, meka kyerɛɛ ɔhene se, “Ɔhempɔn, sɛ ɛsɔ wʼani a ma me nkrataa nkɔma amradofo a wɔwɔ mantam a ɛda Asubɔnten Eufrate agya no, na wɔmma me kwan mma memfa wɔn mantam mu nkɔ Yuda.
Moreover I said unto the king: 'If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the River, that they may let me pass through till I come unto Judah;
8 Na mesrɛ sɛ, ma me krataa nkɔma Asaf a ɔhwɛ ɔhene kwae so na ɔmma me nnua. Mede bɛyɛ mpuran ama Asɔredan no aban ano apon, kuropɔn no afasu ne mʼankasa me fi” Na ɔhene no penee saa abisade yi nyinaa so, efisɛ, na Onyankopɔn adom nsa no wɔ me so.
and a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's park, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the castle which appertaineth to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into.' And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.
9 Miduu amradofo a wɔwɔ Asubɔnten Eufrate agya no nkyɛn no, mede ɔhene nkrataa no maa wɔn. Nea ɛka ho ne sɛ, ɔhene maa asraafo ne apɔnkɔsotefo kaa me ho bɔɔ me ho ban.
Then I came to the governors beyond the River, and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent with me captains of the army and horsemen.
10 Nanso Haronini Sanbalat ne Amonni Tobia a wɔyɛ mpanyimfo tee sɛ mabedu no, wɔn bo fuw yiye sɛ obi aba hɔ a ɔpɛ sɛ ɔboa Israel.
And when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly, for that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.
11 Miduu Yerusalem nnansa akyi no,
So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.
12 mefaa nnipa kakraa bi kaa me ho, fii hɔ anadwo no. Manka nhyehyɛe a Onyankopɔn de ahyɛ me koma mu wɔ Yerusalem ho no ankyerɛ obiara. Yɛamfa mmoa biara anka yɛn ho sɛ afurum a mete ne so no nko.
And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God put into my heart to do for Jerusalem; neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon.
13 Mefaa Obon Pon no ano, twaa Ɔwɔ Abura no ho kosii Sumina Pon no ano, kɔhwɛɛ afasu ne apon a ahyew no.
And I went out by night by the valley gate, even toward the dragon's well, and to the dung gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire.
14 Afei, mefaa Asuti Pon no ho kosii Ɔhene Abura no ho, nanso na ɔkwan turodoo nni hɔ ma mʼafurum no.
Then I went on to the fountain gate and to the king's pool; but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass.
15 Enti mefaa Kidron Bon no ho mmom, kɔhwɛɛ ɔfasu no ansa na meresan abɛfa Obon Pon no mu bio.
Then went I up in the night in the valley, and viewed the wall; and I turned back, and entered by the valley gate, and so returned.
16 Na kuropɔn no mu mpanyimfo nnim sɛ makɔ hɔ, na wonnim nea mereyɛ nso, efisɛ na menkaa asɛm biara a ɛfa mʼadwene a mayɛ ho nkyerɛɛ obiara ɛ. Na me ne asɔre mpanyimfo, amanyɛ ntuanofo, adwumayɛfo anaa mmapɔmma no mu biara nkasaa ɛ.
And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work.
17 Na afei, meka kyerɛɛ wɔn se, “Munim amanne a ato yɛn kuropɔn yi yiye. Abubu na nʼapon nso ahyew. Momma yɛnto Yerusalem fasu no bio mfa mpepa animguase a ato yɛn yi!”
Then said I unto them: 'Ye see the evil case that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire; come and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.'
18 Afei, mekaa sɛnea Onyankopɔn adom nsa aba me so no ne me nkɔmmɔ a me ne ɔhene dii no kyerɛɛ wɔn. Wobuaa prɛko pɛ se, “Ɛyɛ asɛm pa: Momma yɛnto ɔfasu no bio!” Enti wofii adwuma pa yi ase.
And I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also of the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said: 'Let us rise up and build.' So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
19 Bere a Sanbalat, Tobia ne Arabni Gesem tee yɛn nhyehyɛe no, wodii yɛn ho fɛw, na wobuu animtiaa kae se, “Dɛn na moreyɛ yi, na moretew ɔhene anim atua sɛɛ?”
But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said: 'What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?'
20 Na mibuae se, “Ɔsoro Nyankopɔn bɛboa yɛn ama yɛadi nkonim. Yɛn a yɛyɛ nʼasomfo befi ase ato ɔfasu yi bio. Nanso mo de munni kyɛfa biara wɔ Yerusalem.”
Then answered I them, and said unto them: 'The God of heaven, He will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build; but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.'
