Nehemia 13

1 Ɛda no ara, ɛberɛ a wɔgu so rekenkan Mose Nwoma no, ɔmanfoɔ no hunuu asɛm bi a ɛka sɛ, ɛnsɛ sɛ wɔma Amonni anaa Moabni kwan ma ɔkɔ Onyankopɔn adwabɔ ase.

On that day there was a reading from the book of Moses in the hearing of the people; and they saw that it said in the book that no Ammonite or Moabite might ever come into the meeting of God;

2 Aseɛ ne sɛ, ɛberɛ a Israelfoɔ firii Misraim no, wɔne wɔn anni no yie. Mmom, wɔbɔɔ Balaam paa sɛ ɔnnome wɔn, nanso yɛn Onyankopɔn danee nnome no ma ɛyɛɛ nhyira.

Because they did not give the children of Israel bread and water when they came to them, but got Balaam to put a curse on them: though the curse was turned into a blessing by our God.

3 Wɔkenkan saa mmara no wiee no, wɔpamoo amanfrafoɔ no nyinaa firii badwa no ase.

So after hearing the law, they took out of Israel all the mixed people.

4 Ansa na saa asɛm yi rebɛsi no, na ɔsɔfoɔ Eliasib a wɔyii no sɛ ɔnyɛ Onyankopɔn Asɔredan no adekoradan sohwɛfoɔ no a na ɔsane yɛ Tobia busuani no,

Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who had been placed over the rooms of the house of our God, being a friend of Tobiah,

5 adane adekoradan kɛseɛ no bi mu de ahyɛ Tobia nsa. Na anka saa dan no mu na wɔkora atokoɔ afɔrebɔdeɛ, aduhwamfufuo, Asɔredan no nkuku ne nkaka ne atokoɔ ntotosoɔ dudu, nsã foforɔ, ngo ne kyɛfa sononko a wɔahyɛ sɛ wɔmfa mma asɔfoɔ. Na Mose ahyɛ sɛ saa afɔrebɔdeɛ no yɛ Lewifoɔ, nnwomtofoɔ ne aponoanohwɛfoɔ dea.

Had made ready for him a great room, where at one time they kept the meal offerings, the perfume, and the vessels and the tenths of the grain and wine and oil which were given by order to the Levites and the music-makers and the door-keepers, and the lifted offerings for the priests.

6 Saa ɛberɛ no, na menni Yerusalem. Na masane kɔ Babiloniahene Artasasta nkyɛn wɔ nʼahennie afe a ɛtɔ so aduasa mmienu so. Akyire no na ɔmaa me kwan sɛ mensane mmra.

But all this time I was not at Jerusalem: for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes, king of Babylon, I went to the king; and after some days, I got the king to let me go,

7 Mebɛduruu Yerusalem, na metee bɔne a Eliasib ayɛ, sɛ ɔde Onyankopɔn Asɔredan adihɔ dan bi ama Tobia no,

And I came to Jerusalem; and it was clear to me what evil Eliashib had done for Tobiah, in making ready for him a room in the buildings of the house of God.

8 ɛtɔɔ me so, na meyii Tobia nneɛma a ɛwɔ dan no mu no nyinaa guiɛ.

And it was evil in my eyes: so I had all Tobiah's things put out of the room.

9 Afei mehyɛɛ sɛ, wɔnnwira adan no nyinaa ho, na mede Awurade Asɔredan no nkuku ne nkaka no, atokoɔ afɔrebɔdeɛ ne aduhwamfufuo no sane bɛguu mu.

Then I gave orders, and they made the rooms clean: and I put back in them the vessels of the house of God, with the meal offerings and the perfume.

10 Mesane hunuu sɛ wɔmfaa deɛ ɛsɛ sɛ Lewifoɔ no nya no mmaa wɔn, enti, na wɔne nnwomtofoɔ no a ɛsɛ sɛ wɔhwɛ ɔsom no so no asane akɔyɛ adwuma wɔ wɔn mfuo mu.

And I saw that the Levites had not been given what was needed for their support; so that the Levites and the music-makers, who did the work, had gone away, everyone to his field.

11 Ɛhɔ ara na mekɔɔ ntuanofoɔ no nkyɛn, kɔbisaa wɔn sɛ, “Adɛn enti na moayi mo ani afiri Onyankopɔn Asɔredan no so?” Na mefrɛɛ Lewifoɔ no nyinaa, maa wɔsane baeɛ, de wɔn tuatuaa nnwuma a ɛsɛ sɛ wɔyɛ ano.

Then I made protests to the chiefs, and said, Why has the house of God been given up? And I got them together and put them in their places.

12 Na bio, Yudafoɔ nyinaa hyɛɛ aseɛ de wɔn atokoɔ ntotosoɔ dudu, nsã foforɔ ne ngo baa Asɔredan no adekoradan no mu.

Then all Judah came with the tenth part of the grain and wine and oil and put it into the store-houses.

13 Na mede adekoradan no hyɛɛ ɔsɔfoɔ Selemia, mmara no ɔkyerɛkyerɛfoɔ Sadok ne Lewifoɔ no mu baako a wɔfrɛ no Pedaia nsa sɛ wɔnhwɛ so. Na meyii Sakur babarima Hanan a ɔyɛ Matania nana sɛ wɔn ɔboafoɔ. Na saa mmarima yi wɔ edin pa, na wɔn adwuma ne sɛ, wɔde nokorɛ bɛkyɛ nneɛma ama wɔn mfɛfoɔ Lewifoɔ no.

And I made controllers over the store-houses, Shelemiah the priest and Zadok the scribe, and of the Levites, Pedaiah: and with them was Hanan, the son of Zaccur the son of Mattaniah: they were taken to be true men and their business was the distribution of these things to their brothers.

14 Kae saa ade pa yi yɛ, Ao me Onyankopɔn, na mma wo werɛ mfiri deɛ mefiri nokorɛdie mu ayɛ nyinaa de ama me Onyankopɔn Asɔredan.

Keep me in mind, O my God, in connection with this, and do not let the good which I have done for the house of my God and its worship go from your memory completely.

15 Ɛda koro Homeda bi, mehunuu Yuda mmarima bi sɛ wɔretiatia wɔn nsakyiamena so. Na wɔrehyehyɛ atokoɔ afiafi wɔ wɔn mfunumu so de aba. Na saa da no, na wɔde wɔn nsã, bobe aba, borɔdɔma ne mfudeɛ bebree reba Yerusalem abɛtɔn. Na mekaa wɔn anim sɛ, wɔretɔn wɔn mfudeɛ homeda.

In those days, I saw in Judah some who were crushing grapes on the Sabbath, and getting in grain and putting it on asses; as well as wine and grapes and figs and all sorts of goods which they took into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day: and I gave witness against them on the day when they were marketing food.

16 Na mmarima bi nso firi Tiro a wɔde nsuomnam ne adwadeɛ ahodoɔ bebree aba. Na wɔretɔn no Homeda ama Yudafoɔ wɔ Yerusalem fie ankasa!

And there were men of Tyre there, who came with fish and all sorts of goods, trading with the children of Judah and in Jerusalem on the Sabbath.

17 Ɛno enti, mekɔɔ Yuda ntuanofoɔ no so, kɔbisaa wɔn sɛ, “Adɛn enti na mode saa bɔne yi gu homeda ho fi?

Then I made protests to the chiefs of Judah, and said to them, What is this evil which you are doing, not keeping the Sabbath day holy?

18 Monnim sɛ mo agyanom yɛɛ saa bi no enti na yɛn Onyankopɔn de saa ɔhaw a ɛwɔ yɛn so seesei yi brɛɛ yɛn ne yɛn kuro yi? Gu a moregu Homeda no ho fi ntrasoɔ seesei no bɛma abufuhyeɛ aba Israelfoɔ so.”

Did not your fathers do the same, and did not our God send all this evil on us and on this town? but you are causing more wrath to come on Israel by not keeping the Sabbath holy.

19 Na afei, mehyɛɛ sɛ, ɛfiri saa ɛberɛ no rekorɔ, Efiada biara anwummerɛ, wɔntoto kuro no apono mu a wɔmmue ara kɔsi sɛ Homeda no bɛtwam. Bio, memaa mʼankasa mʼasomfoɔ kɔwɛnn apono no, sɛdeɛ wɔrentumi mfa adwadeɛ mma homeda no.

And so, when the streets of Jerusalem were getting dark before the Sabbath, I gave orders for the doors to be shut and not to be open again till after the Sabbath: and I put some of my servants by the door so that nothing might be taken in on the Sabbath day.

20 Adwadifoɔ ne nsaanodwumayɛfoɔ a wɔde adwadeɛ ahodoɔ ba no soɛɛ Yerusalem mfikyire pɛnkorɔ anaa mprenu.

So the traders in all sorts of goods took their night's rest outside Jerusalem once or twice.

21 Nanso, mekasa kyerɛɛ wɔn anibereɛ so sɛ, “Ɛdeɛn na motete ɔfasuo yi akyi reyɛ? Sɛ moyɛ saa bio a, mɛkyere mo!” Ɛfiri hɔ, wɔamma Yerusalem wɔ Homeda bio.

Then I gave witness against them and said, Why are you waiting all night by the wall? if you do so again I will have you taken prisoners. From that time they did not come again on the Sabbath.

22 Na mehyɛɛ Lewifoɔ no sɛ, wɔnnwira wɔn ho, na wɔnnwɛn apono no sɛdeɛ Homeda no kronnyɛ no bɛka hɔ. Kae saa ade pa yi yɛ nso, Ao me Onyankopɔn, na wʼadɔeɛ kɛseɛ a ɛnsa da no enti, hunu me mmɔbɔ.

And I gave the Levites orders to make themselves clean and come and keep the doors and make the Sabbath holy. Keep this in mind to my credit, O my God, and have mercy on me, for great is your mercy.

23 Saa ɛberɛ korɔ no ara mu, mehunuu sɛ Yuda mmarima no bi awareware mmaa a wɔfiri Asdod, Amon ne Moab.

And in those days I saw the Jews who were married to women of Ashdod and Ammon and Moab:

24 Na deɛ na ɛnyɛ koraa ne sɛ, na wɔn mma no mu fa ka Asdod ne nnipa foforɔ bi kasa a na wɔntumi nka Yudafoɔ kasa no koraa.

And their children were talking half in the language of Ashdod; they had no knowledge of the Jews' language, but made use of the language of the two peoples.

25 Enti, mekɔɔ wɔn so, kɔdomee wɔn. Mehwee wɔn mu bi, tutuu wɔn tirinwi. Memaa wɔkaa ntam Awurade anim sɛ, wɔremma wɔn mma ne abosonsomfoɔ a wɔwɔ asase no so nni awadeɛ.

And I took up the cause against them, cursing them and giving blows to some of them and pulling out their hair; and I made them take an oath by God, saying, You are not to give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.

26 Mebisaa sɛ, “Ɛnyɛ yei bi pɛpɛɛpɛ na ɛde Israelhene Salomo kɔɔ bɔne mu no?” Na wode ɔman biara so ɔhene to ne ho a, ɛnyɛ yie. Onyankopɔn dɔɔ no, na ɔsii no ɔhene wɔ Israel nyinaa so. Nanso, ɔno mpo ananafoɔ awadeɛ de no kɔɔ bɔne mu.

Was it not in these things that Solomon, king of Israel, did wrong? among a number of nations there was no king like him, and he was dear to his God, and God made him king over all Israel: but even he was made to do evil by strange women.

27 Ɛdeɛn na ɛha mo ma modwene sɛ mobɛware ananafoɔ mmaa, na monam so ayɛ bɔne a ɛte saa, na monni Onyankopɔn nokorɛ?

Are we then without protest to let you do all this great evil, sinning against our God by taking strange women for your wives?

28 Esiane sɛ ɔsɔfopanin Eliasib babarima Yehoiada aware Horonni Sanbalat babaa enti, mepamoo no firii mʼanim.

And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib, the chief priest, was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite: so I sent him away from me.

29 Kae wɔn, Ao me Onyankopɔn, ɛfiri sɛ, wɔagu asɔfodwuma, asɔfoɔ ne Lewifoɔ bɔhyɛ ne ntam ho fi.

Keep them in mind, O my God, because they have put shame on the priests' name and on the agreement of the priests and the Levites.

30 Enti, meguu biribiara a ɛyɛ ananasɛm, na mede nnwuma hyehyɛɛ asɔfoɔ ne Lewifoɔ nsa, hwɛɛ sɛ obiara nim nʼadwuma.

So I made them clean from all strange people, and had regular watches fixed for the priests and for the Levites, everyone in his work;

31 Mehwɛɛ nso sɛ, nnyina a ɛba afɔrebukyia so no nso bɛba mmerɛ a ɛsɛ mu, na afei wɔbɛgye otwa a ɛdi ɛkan no mu nnɔbaeɛ de abrɛ asɔfoɔ no. Kae yei na dom me, Ao me Onyankopɔn.

And for the wood offering, at fixed times, and for the first fruits. Keep me in mind, O my God, for good.