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 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. Now I had not [before] been sad in his presence.
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,
Wherefore the king said to me, Why [is] thy countenance sad, seeing thou [art] not sick? this [is] nothing but sorrow of heart. Then I was very greatly afraid,
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 said to the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchers, [lieth] waste, and its gates are consumed 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? So 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 should please the king, and if thy servant hath found favor in thy sight, that thou wouldst send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' sepulchers, that I may 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, (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 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.
Moreover, I said to the king, If it should please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into 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.
And a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which [appertained] to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon 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.
Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.
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.
When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard [of it], it grieved them exceedingly that there had come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.
11 Meduruu Yerusalem nnansa akyi no,
So 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; neither told I [any] man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither [was there any] beast with me, save 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, even before the dragon-well, and to the dung-port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and their gates 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.
Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king's pool: but [there was] no place for the beast [that was] under me to pass.
15 Enti, mefaa Kidron Bɔnhwa no ho mmom, kɔhwɛɛ ɔfasuo no ansa na meresane mʼakyi abɛfa Bɔnhwa Ɛpono no mu bio.
Then I went up in the night by the brook, and viewed the wall, and turned back, and entered by the gate of the valley, and [so] 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.
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 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 said I to them, Ye see the distress that we [are] in, how Jerusalem [lieth] waste, and its gates are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we may be no more 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.
Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken to me. And they said, Let us rise and build. So they strengthened their hands for [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 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 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.”
Then I answered them, and said to 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.
