< 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.
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 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,
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 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.”
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 Ɔhene no bisaa sɛ, “Ɛyɛ, ɛkwan bɛn so na mɛtumi aboa wo?” Na mebɔɔ ɔsoro Onyankopɔn mpaeɛ,
The king replied, “What do you want me to do [for you]?” I prayed [silently] to our God [who is/rules] in 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.”
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
[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 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.
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 Meduruu Yerusalem nnansa akyi no,
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 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.
13 Mefaa Bɔnhwa Ɛpono no ano, twaa Ɔtweaseɛ Abura no ho kɔsii Sumina Ɛpono no ano, kɔhwɛɛ afasuo ne apono a ahyeɛ no.
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 Afei, mefaa Asutire Ɛpono no ho kɔsii Ɔhene Abura no ho, nanso na mʼafunumu no ntumi mfa mmubuiɛ no mu.
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 Enti, mefaa Kidron Bɔnhwa no ho mmom, kɔhwɛɛ ɔfasuo no ansa na meresane mʼakyi abɛfa Bɔnhwa Ɛpono no mu bio.
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 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.
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 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!”
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 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.
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 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 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 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.”
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.”

< Nehemia 2 >