Nehemiah 2
1 Ní oṣù Nisani, ní ogún ọdún ìjọba ọba Artasasta, nígbà tí a gbé wáìnì wá fún un, mo gbé wáìnì náà, mo fi fún ọba, ìbànújẹ́ kò hàn ní ojú mi rí ní iwájú rẹ̀.
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 Nítorí náà ni ọba béèrè lọ́wọ́ mi pé, “Èéṣe tí ojú rẹ fi fàro nígbà tí kò rẹ̀ ọ́? Èyí kì í ṣe ohun mìíràn bí kò ṣe ìbànújẹ́ ọkàn.” Ẹ̀rù bà mí gidigidi,
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 ṣùgbọ́n mo wí fún ọba pé, “Kí ọba kí ó pẹ́! Èéṣe tí ojú mi ko ṣe ní fàro, nígbà tí ìlú tí a sin àwọn baba mi sí wà ní ahoro, tí a sì ti fi iná run àwọn ibodè rẹ̀?”
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 Ọba wí fún mi pé, “Kí ni ìwọ ń fẹ́?” Nígbà náà, ni mo gbàdúrà sí Ọlọ́run ọ̀run,
The king replied, “What do you want me to do [for you]?” I prayed [silently] to our God [who is/rules] in heaven.
5 mo sì dá ọba lóhùn pé, “Ti ó bá wu ọba, tí ìránṣẹ́ rẹ bá sì rí ojúrere ní ojú rẹ, jẹ́ kí ó rán mi lọ sí ìlú náà ní Juda níbi tí a sin àwọn baba mi nítorí kí èmi lè tún un kọ́.”
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 Nígbà náà ni ọba, pẹ̀lú ìyàwó rẹ̀ tí ó jókòó lẹ́gbẹ̀ẹ́ rẹ̀, bi mí pé, “Báwo ni ìrìnàjò náà yóò ṣe pẹ́ ọ tó, nígbà wo sì ni ìwọ yóò padà?” Ó dùn mọ́ ọba láti rán mi lọ, bẹ́ẹ̀ ni mo dá àkókò kan.
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 Mo sì tún wí fún ọba pé, “Bí ó bá wu ọba, kí ó fún mi ní lẹ́tà sí àwọn baálẹ̀ òkè odò Eufurate kí wọ́n le mú mi kọjá títí èmi yóò fi dé Juda láìléwu.
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 Kí èmi sì gba lẹ́tà kan lọ́wọ́ fún Asafu, olùṣọ́ igbó ọba, nítorí kí ó lè fún mi ní igi láti fi ṣe àtẹ́rígbà fún ibodè ilé ìṣọ́ tẹmpili àti fún odi ìlú náà àti fún ilé tí èmi yóò gbé?” Nítorí ọwọ́ àánú Ọlọ́run mi wà lórí mi, ọba fi ìbéèrè mi fún mi.
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 Bẹ́ẹ̀ ni mo lọ sí ọ̀dọ̀ àwọn baálẹ̀ agbègbè Eufurate, mo sì fún wọn ní àwọn lẹ́tà ọba. Ọba sì ti rán àwọn ológun àti àwọn ẹlẹ́ṣin ogun pẹ̀lú mi.
[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 Nígbà tí Sanballati ará Horoni àti Tobiah ará a Ammoni tí wọ́n jẹ́ ìjòyè gbọ́ nípa èyí pé, ẹnìkan wá láti mú ìtẹ̀síwájú bá àlàáfíà àwọn ará Israẹli inú bí wọn gidigidi.
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 Mo sì lọ sí Jerusalẹmu, lẹ́yìn ìgbà tí mo dúró níbẹ̀ fún ọjọ́ mẹ́ta.
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 Mo jáde ní òru pẹ̀lú àwọn ọkùnrin díẹ̀. Èmi kò sì sọ fún ẹnìkankan ohun tí Ọlọ́run mi ti fi sí ọkàn mi láti ṣe fún Jerusalẹmu. Kò sí ẹranko kankan pẹ̀lú mi, bí kò ṣe ọ̀kan ṣoṣo tí mo gùn.
13 Ní òru, mo jáde lọ sí àfonífojì ibodè sí ìhà kànga Jakali àti sí ẹnu ibodè Ààtàn àti ẹnu ibodè rẹ̀ èyí tí ó ti wó odi Jerusalẹmu tí ó lulẹ̀, tí a ti fi iná sun.
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 Nígbà náà ni mo lọ sí ẹnu ibodè orísun àti sí adágún omi ọba, ṣùgbọ́n kò sí ààyè tó fún ẹranko mi láti kọjá;
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 bẹ́ẹ̀ ni mo gòkè àfonífojì ní òru, mo ń wo odi. Ní ìparí, mo padà sẹ́yìn, mo sì tún wọlé láti ibodè àfonífojì.
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 Àwọn olórí kò mọ ibi tí mo lọ tàbí mọ ohun tí mo ń ṣe, nítorí èmi kò tí ì sọ fún àwọn ará Júù tàbí àwọn àlùfáà tàbí àwọn ọlọ́lá tàbí àwọn ìjòyè tàbí ẹnikẹ́ni mìíràn tí yóò máa ṣe iṣẹ́ náà.
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 Nígbà náà ni mo sọ fún wọn pé, “Ṣé ẹ rí wàhálà tí a ni: Jerusalẹmu wà nínú ìparun, ibodè rẹ̀ ni a sì ti fi iná jó. Ẹ wá, ẹ jẹ́ kí a tún odi Jerusalẹmu mọ, àwa kò sì ní jẹ́ ẹni ẹ̀gàn mọ́”.
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 Èmi sì tún sọ fún wọn nípa bí ọwọ́ àánú Ọlọ́run mi ṣe wà lára mi àti ohun tí ọba ti sọ fún mi. Wọ́n dáhùn wí pé, “Ẹ jẹ́ kí a bẹ̀rẹ̀ àtúnmọ rẹ̀.” Bẹ́ẹ̀ ni wọ́n sì bẹ̀rẹ̀ iṣẹ́ rere yìí.
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 Ṣùgbọ́n nígbà tí Sanballati ará a Horoni, Tobiah ara olóyè Ammoni àti Geṣemu ará a Arabia gbọ́ nípa rẹ̀, wọ́n fi wá ṣe ẹlẹ́yà, wọ́n sì fi wá ṣe ẹ̀sín. Wọ́n béèrè pé, “Kí ni èyí tí ẹ ń ṣe yìí? Ṣé ẹ ń ṣọ̀tẹ̀ sí ọba ni?”
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 Mo dá wọn lóhùn, mo wí fún wọn pé, “Ọlọ́run ọ̀run yóò fún wa ní àṣeyọrí. Àwa ìránṣẹ́ rẹ̀ yóò bẹ̀rẹ̀ láti tún un mọ, ṣùgbọ́n fún un yin, ẹ̀yin kò ní ìpín tàbí ipa tàbí ẹ̀tọ́ ohunkóhun tí ó jẹ mọ́ ìtàn ní Jerusalẹmu.”
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.”
