< Nehemia 2 >
1 Nisan bosome (bɛyɛ Oforisuo) wɔ Ɔhene Artasasta adedie afe a ɛtɔ so aduonu mu no, na merehyɛ ɔhene nsa. Ɛbɛsi saa ɛberɛ no, na menyɛɛ mʼanim bosaa wɔ ɔhene anim da.
And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king: that wine was before him, and I took up the wine, and gave it to the king: and I was as one languishing away before his face.
2 Enti, ɔhene no bisaa me sɛ, “Adɛn enti na wo werɛ aho saa? Woyare anaa? Wosɛ obi a ɔhaw kɛseɛ bi da ne so.” Ehu kɛseɛ tɔɔ me so,
And the king said to me: Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou dost not appear to be sick? this is not without cause, but some evil, I know not what, is in thy heart. And I was seized with an exceeding great fear:
3 nanso, mebuaa sɛ, “Ɔhene nkwa so! Adɛn enti na ɛnsɛ sɛ me werɛ hoɔ? Kuropɔn a wɔsiee me mpanimfoɔ wɔ mu no abubu, na wɔahye nʼapono no nyinaa.”
And I said to the king: O king, live for ever: why should not my countenance be sorrowful, seeing the city of the place of the sepulchres of my fathers is desolate, and the gates thereof are burnt with fire?
4 Ɔhene no bisaa sɛ, “Ɛyɛ, ɛkwan bɛn so na mɛtumi aboa wo?” Na mebɔɔ ɔsoro Onyankopɔn mpaeɛ,
Then the king said to me: For what dost thou make request? And I prayed to the God of heaven,
5 buaa sɛ, “Sɛ ɛsɔ Ɔhene Kɛseɛ ani, na sɛ me, wo ɔsomfoɔ, mesɔ wʼani a, ɛnneɛ ma menkɔ Yuda nkɔsiesie kuropɔn a wɔasie mʼagyanom wɔ mu no.”
And I said to the king: If it seem good to the king, and if thy servant hath found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldst send me into Judea to the city of the sepulchre of my father, and I will build it.
6 Ɛberɛ a ɔhemmaa te Ɔhene nkyɛn no, Ɔhene no bisaa sɛ, “Wokɔ a, wobɛdi nna ahe? Da bɛn na wobɛsane aba?” Ɔhene penee so, na mekyerɛɛ da a mɛsim.
And the king said to me, and the queen that sat by him: For how long shall thy journey be, and when wilt thou return? And it pleased the king, and he sent me: and I fixed him a time.
7 Afei, meka kyerɛɛ ɔhene sɛ, “Ɔhene Kɛseɛ sɛ ɛsɔ wʼani a, ma me nkrataa nkɔma amradofoɔ a wɔwɔ mantam a ɛda Asubɔnten Eufrate atɔeɛ fam no, na wɔmma me kwan mfa wɔn mantam mu nkɔ Yuda.
And I said to the king: If it seem good to the king, let him give me letters to the governors of the country beyond the river, that they convey me over, till I come into Judea:
8 Na mesrɛ sɛ, ma me krataa nkɔma Asaf a ɔhwɛ ɔhene kwaeɛ so na ɔmma me nnua. Mede bɛyɛ mpunan ama Asɔredan no aban ano apono, kuropɔn no afasuo ne mʼankasa me fie.” Na ɔhene no penee saa abisadeɛ yi nyinaa so, ɛfiri sɛ, na Onyankopɔn ahummɔborɔ nsa no wɔ me so.
And a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, to give me timber that I may cover the gates of the tower of the house, and the walls of the city, and the house that I shall enter into. And the king gave me according to the good hand of my God with me.
9 Meduruu amradofoɔ a wɔwɔ Asubɔnten Eufrate atɔeɛ fam nkyɛn no, mede ɔhene nkrataa no maa wɔn. Deɛ ɛka ho ne sɛ, ɔhene maa asraafoɔ ne apɔnkɔsotefoɔ kaa me ho bɔɔ me ho ban.
And I came to the governors of the country beyond the river, and gave them the king’s letters. And the king had sent with me captains of soldiers, and horsemen.
10 Nanso, Haronini Sanbalat ne Amonni Tobia a wɔyɛ mpanimfoɔ tee sɛ mabɛduru no, wɔn bo fuu yie sɛ obi aba hɔ a ɔpɛ sɛ ɔboa Israel.
And Sanaballat the Horonite, and Tobias the servant, the Ammonite, heard it, and it grieved them exceedingly, that a man was come, who sought the prosperity of the children of Israel.
11 Meduruu Yerusalem nnansa akyi no,
And I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.
12 mefaa nnipa kakra bi kaa me ho, firii hɔ anadwo no. Manka nhyehyɛeɛ a Onyankopɔn de ahyɛ mʼakoma mu wɔ Yerusalem ho no ankyerɛ obiara. Yɛamfa mmoa biara anka yɛn ho sɛ afunumu a mete ne soɔ no nko.
And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me, and I told not any man what God had put in my heart to do in Jerusalem, and there was no beast with me, but the beast that I rode upon.
13 Mefaa Bɔnhwa Ɛpono no ano, twaa Ɔtweaseɛ Abura no ho kɔsii Sumina Ɛpono no ano, kɔhwɛɛ afasuo ne apono a ahyeɛ no.
And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, and before the dragon fountain, and to the dung gate, and I viewed the wall of Jerusalem which was broken down, and the gates thereof which were consumed with fire.
14 Afei, mefaa Asutire Ɛpono no ho kɔsii Ɔhene Abura no ho, nanso na mʼafunumu no ntumi mfa mmubuiɛ no mu.
And I passed to the gate of the fountain, and to the king’s aqueduct, and there was no place for the beast on which I rode to pass.
15 Enti, mefaa Kidron Bɔnhwa no ho mmom, kɔhwɛɛ ɔfasuo no ansa na meresane mʼakyi abɛfa Bɔnhwa Ɛpono no mu bio.
And I went up in the night by the torrent, and viewed the wall, and going back I came to the gate of the valley, and returned.
16 Na kuropɔn no mu mpanimfoɔ nnim sɛ makɔ hɔ, na wɔnnim deɛ mereyɛ nso, ɛfiri sɛ, na menkaa asɛm biara a ɛfa mʼadwene a mayɛ ho nkyerɛɛ obiara. Na me ne asɔre mpanimfoɔ, amanyɛ ntuanofoɔ, adwumayɛfoɔ anaa mmapɔmma no mu biara nkasaeɛ.
But the magistrates knew not whither I went, or what I did: neither had I as yet told any thing to the Jews, or to the priests, or to the nobles, or to the magistrates, or to the rest that did the work.
17 Na afei, meka kyerɛɛ wɔn sɛ, “Monim amaneɛ a ato yɛn kuropɔn yi yie. Abubu na nʼapono nso ahye. Momma yɛnto Yerusalem ɔfasuo no bio mfa mpepa animguaseɛ a ato yɛn yi!”
Then I said to them: You know the affliction wherein we are, because Jerusalem is desolate, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire: come, and let us build up the walls of Jerusalem, and let us be no longer a reproach.
18 Afei, mekaa sɛdeɛ Onyankopɔn ahummɔborɔ nsa aba me so no ne me nkɔmmɔ a me ne ɔhene diiɛ no kyerɛɛ wɔn. Wɔbuaa prɛko pɛ sɛ, “Ɛyɛ asɛm pa: Momma yɛnto ɔfasuo no bio!” Enti wɔhyɛɛ adwuma pa yi ase.
And I shewed them how the hand of my God was good with me, and the king’s words, which he had spoken to me, and I said: Let us rise up, and build. And their hands were strengthened in good.
19 Ɛberɛ a Sanbalat, Tobia ne Arabni Gesem tee yɛn nhyehyɛeɛ no, wɔdii yɛn ho fɛ, na wɔbuu animtia kaa sɛ, “Ɛdeɛn na moreyɛ yi, na morete ɔhene anim atua sei?”
But Sanaballat the Horonite, and Tobias the servant, the Ammonite, and Gossem the Arabian heard of it, and they scoffed at us, and despised us, and said: What is this thing that you do? are you going to rebel against the king?
20 Na mebuaa sɛ, “Ɔsoro Onyankopɔn bɛboa yɛn, ama yɛadi nkonim. Yɛn a yɛyɛ nʼasomfoɔ bɛhyɛ aseɛ ato ɔfasuo yi bio. Nanso, mo deɛ monni kyɛfa biara wɔ Yerusalem.”
And I answered them, and said to them: The God of heaven he helpeth us, and we are his servants: let us rise up and build: but you have no part, nor justice, nor remembrance in Jerusalem.