Nehemia 4
1 Ɛberɛ a Sanbalat tee sɛ yɛreto ɔfasuo no, ne bo fuu yie. Nʼani beree yie, dii Yudafoɔ no ho fɛ,
But it happened that when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.
2 wɔ ne nnamfonom ne Samaria asraafoɔ mpanimfoɔ anim sɛ, “Ɛdeɛn na Yudafoɔ ahiafoɔ, mmɔborɔfoɔ ekuo yi dwene sɛ wɔreyɛ? Wɔgye di sɛ, sɛ wɔbɔ afɔdeɛ sɛ ɛdeɛn koraa a, wɔbɛtumi de ɛda koro ato ɔfasuo yi anaa? Monhwɛ aboɔ a ahye asɛeɛ yi a wɔreyiyi afiri nkunkumaboɔ yi mu de ayɛ adwuma bio?”
And he spoke before his brothers and the army of Samaria, and said, "What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, which are burned?"
3 Na Amonni Tobia a na ɔgyina ne nkyɛn kaa sɛ, “Saa aboɔ ɔfasuo yi deɛ, sɛ sakraman koraa fa so a, ɛbɛdwiri agu fam!”
Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, "What they are building, if a fox climbed up it, he would break down their stone wall."
4 Na mebɔɔ mpaeɛ sɛ, “Ao yɛn Onyankopɔn, tie yɛn, na wɔredi yɛn ho fɛ. Ma wɔn fɛdie no mmɔ wɔn ara wɔn tiri so, na ma wɔn ankasa nkɔyɛ nnommumfoɔ wɔ amamfrafoɔ asase so.
"Hear, our God; for we are despised; and turn back their insults on their own head, give them up for a spoil in a land of captivity;
5 Mmu wʼani ngu wɔn afɔdie so. Mpepa wɔn bɔne, ɛfiri sɛ, wɔahyɛ wo abufuo wɔ adansifoɔ yi anim.”
do not cover their iniquity, and do not let their sin be blotted out from before you; for they have insulted the builders."
6 Yei nyinaa akyi, wɔtoo ɔfasuo no kɔsii dada no ɔsorokɔ fa twaa kuro no ho hyiaeɛ, ɛfiri sɛ, ɔmanfoɔ no yɛɛ adwumaden.
So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together to half its height: for the people had a mind to work.
7 Na ɛberɛ a Sanbalat ne Tobia ne Arabfoɔ ne Amonfoɔ ne Asdodfoɔ tee sɛ adwuma no rekɔ so na wɔretuatua ɔfasuo no mu ntokuro no, wɔn bo fuu yie.
But it happened that when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabians, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, and that the breaches began to be filled, then they were very angry;
8 Wɔn nyinaa yɛɛ nhyehyɛeɛ sɛ wɔbɛba abɛko atia Yerusalem, na wɔama basabasayɛ aba hɔ.
and they conspired all of them together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion in it.
9 Nanso, yɛbɔɔ yɛn Onyankopɔn mpaeɛ, wɛnee kuro no awia ne anadwo de bɔɔ yɛn ho ban.
But we made our prayer to our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.
10 Afei, nnipa a wɔwɔ Yuda no hyɛɛ aseɛ nwiinwiiɛ kaa sɛ, “Adwumayɛfoɔ no rebrɛ, na nkunkumaboɔ no dɔɔso, na yɛn nko ara rentumi nyɛ adwuma no.”
Judah said, "The strength of the bearers of burdens is fading, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall."
11 Ɛberɛ korɔ no ara mu no na yɛn atamfoɔ nso reka sɛ, “Ansa na wɔn ani bɛba wɔn ho so no, na yɛato ahyɛ wɔn so, akunkum wɔn, ama adwuma no aba awieeɛ.”
Our adversaries said, "They shall not know, neither see, until we come into their midst, and kill them, and cause the work to cease."
12 Yudafoɔ a na wɔtete bɛn atamfoɔ no bɛbɔɔ yɛn amaneɛ mpɛn bebree sɛ, “Wɔbɛfiri afanan nyinaa abɛto ahyɛ yɛn so.”
It happened that when the Jews who lived by them came, they said to us ten times from all places, "Wherever you turn, they will attack us."
13 Enti, mede awɛmfoɔ a wɔkura akodeɛ kɔtenaa baabi a ɔfasuo no yɛ tia, wɔ mmeammea a ɛhɔ deda hɔ. Memaa mmusuakuo no gyinagyinaa sɛ awɛmfoɔ a wɔkurakura akofena, mpea ne nnyan.
Therefore set I in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in the open places, I set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.
14 Afei, mehwɛɛ sɛdeɛ nneɛma teɛ no, mefrɛɛ ntuanofoɔ no ne ɔmanfoɔ no ka kyerɛɛ wɔn sɛ, “Monnsuro atamfoɔ no! Monkae Awurade a ɔyɛ ɔkɛseɛ ne onimuonyamfoɔ no na monko mma mo nnamfonom, mo mmusua ne mo afie.”
I looked, and rose up, and said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, "Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses."
15 Ɛberɛ a yɛn atamfoɔ tee sɛ yɛahunu wɔn atirimpɔ ne sɛdeɛ Onyankopɔn asɛe saa atirimpɔ no, yɛn nyinaa sane kɔɔ ɔfasuo no ho, kɔtoaa yɛn adwuma so.
It happened, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and God had brought their counsel to nothing, that we returned all of us to the wall, everyone to his work.
16 Na ɛfiri saa ɛberɛ no, me mmarima no mu fa pɛ na wɔyɛɛ adwuma, na nkaeɛ no wɛnee wɔ hɔ a wɔkurakura mpea, akokyɛm, nnyan, hyehyɛɛ akotaadeɛ wɛnee hɔ. Mpanimfoɔ no gyinagyinaa Yudafoɔ no a
It happened from that time forth that half of my servants would do the work and half of them held the spears, and the shields, and the bows, and the body armor; and the rulers stood behind the whole house of Judah
17 na wɔreto ɔfasuo no akyi. Apaafoɔ no biara de nsa baako yɛɛ adwuma wɔ ɛberɛ a nsa baako nso kura akodeɛ mu.
who were building the wall. And those who carried loads held their load with one hand and with the other held a weapon;
18 Adansifoɔ no mu biara wɔ akofena a ɛbɔ nʼataaso. Totorobɛntohyɛnni no gyinaa me nkyɛn, na biribi si a, wahyɛn nʼabɛn.
and the builders, everyone wore his sword at his side, and so built. He who sounded the trumpet was by me.
19 Afei, mekyerɛɛ mu kyerɛɛ atitire ne adwumayɛfoɔ ne ɔmanfoɔ no nyinaa sɛ, “Adwuma no atrɛ, na yɛn ntam nso woware wɔ ɔfasuo no so.
I said to the nobles, and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, "The work is great and large, and we are separated on the wall, one far from another.
20 Na sɛ mote totorobɛnto no nnyegyeeɛ a, monyɛ ntɛm nkɔ baabi a nnyegyeeɛ no wɔ. Na yɛn Onyankopɔn bɛko ama yɛn.”
Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally there to us. Our God will fight for us."
21 Yɛkɔɔ adwuma ntɛm tenaa so kyɛree firi ɛberɛ a owia pue kɔsi ɛberɛ a owia kɔtɔ. Na ɛberɛ biara na nnipa no mu fa rewɛn.
So we worked in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning until the stars appeared.
22 Afei, mesane ka kyerɛɛ wɔn a wɔtete ɔfasuo no akyi no sɛ, wɔntu nkɔ Yerusalem. Sɛ wɔyɛ saa a, wɔne wɔn asomfoɔ bɛtumi awɛn anadwo, na wayɛ adwuma awiaberɛ mu.
Likewise at the same time said I to the people, "Let everyone with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and may labor in the day."
23 Saa ɛberɛ no, yɛn mu biara, sɛ ɛyɛ me anaa me fiefoɔ anaa mʼasomfoɔ anaa awɛmfoɔ a na wɔne me wɔ hɔ no anworɔ yɛn ntadeɛ da. Sɛ yɛrekɔpɛ nsuo mpo a na yɛkurakura yɛn akodeɛ.
So neither I, nor my brothers, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes. Everyone took his weapon to the water.
