Nehemiah 6
1 Nígbà tí Sanballati, Tobiah Geṣemu ará Arabia àti àwọn ọ̀tá wa tókù gbọ́ pé, mo ti tún odi náà mọ, kò sì sí àlàfo kankan tí ó ṣẹ́kù nínú rẹ̀—bí ó tilẹ̀ jẹ́ pé èmi kò ì tí ì ri àwọn ìlẹ̀kùn ibodè ní àkókò náà.
Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem, and our other enemies heard [a report] that we had finished rebuilding the wall, and that now there were no more (gaps/places where the wall was not finished) (although we had not yet put the doors in the gates).
2 Sanballati àti Geṣemu rán iṣẹ́ yìí sí mi pé, “Wá jẹ́ kí a jọ pàdé pọ̀ nínú ọ̀kan lára àwọn ìletò ní pẹ̀tẹ́lẹ̀ Ono.” Ṣùgbọ́n wọ́n ń gbèrò láti ṣe mí ní ibi;
So Sanballat and Geshem sent [a message] to me, in which they said “Come and talk with us at a place in Ono Plain [north of Jerusalem].” But [I knew that] really they wanted to harm me [if I went there].
3 bẹ́ẹ̀ ni mo rán oníṣẹ́ padà pẹ̀lú èsì yìí pé, “Èmi ń ṣe iṣẹ́ ńlá kan, èmi kò le è sọ̀kalẹ̀ wá. Èéṣe tí iṣẹ́ náà yóò fi dúró, nígbà tí mo bá fi í sílẹ̀ tí mo sì sọ̀kalẹ̀ tọ̀ yín wá?”
So I sent messengers to them, to tell them, “I am doing an important work, and I cannot go down [there]. (Why should I stop doing this work just to go down to [talk with] you?/I do not want to stop doing this work just to go down to [talk with] you.)” [RHQ]
4 Wọ́n rán iṣẹ́ náà sí mi nígbà mẹ́rin ọ̀tọ̀ọ̀tọ̀, mo sì fún wọn ní èsì bákan náà fún ìgbà kọ̀ọ̀kan.
They sent me the same message four times, and each time when I replied to them I said the same thing.
5 Ní ìgbà karùn-ún, Sanballati rán ọmọ ọ̀dọ̀ rẹ̀ sí mi pẹ̀lú irú iṣẹ́ kan náà, lẹ́tà kan tí a kò fi sínú àpò ìwé wà ní ọwọ́ rẹ̀
Then Sanballat sent one of his servants to me, bringing a fifth message. This one was written, but it was not sealed. [He did that in order that others would read the message that the servant was carrying] in his hand.
6 tí a kọ sínú un rẹ̀ pé, “A ròyìn rẹ láàrín àwọn orílẹ̀-èdè, Geṣemu sì sọ pé, òtítọ́ ni, pé ìwọ àti àwọn Júù ń gbèrò láti ṣọ̀tẹ̀, nítorí náà ni ẹ ṣe ń mọ odi. Síwájú sí i, gẹ́gẹ́ bí ìròyìn yìí, ìwọ sì ń gbèrò láti di ọba wọn
This is what was written in the message: “Some people in the nearby countries have heard a report that you and the other Jews are rebuilding the wall [in order to be able to resist attacks], because you are planning to revolt [against the king of Babylon]. And the report also says that you are planning to become the king [of the Israelis]. Geshem says that what they have reported is true.
7 àti pé ó ti yan àwọn wòlíì kí wọn lè kéde nípa rẹ̀ ní Jerusalẹmu: ‘Ọba kan wà ní Juda!’ Nísinsin yìí, ìròyìn yìí yóò padà sí ọ̀dọ̀ ọba; nítorí náà wá, jẹ́ kí a bá ara wa sọ̀rọ̀.”
[People are also saying that] you have appointed some prophets to proclaim in Jerusalem that you, [Nehemiah, ] are now the king in Judea. King [Artaxerxes] will certainly hear these reports, [and then you will be in big trouble]. So I suggest that we should meet together to talk about this matter.”
8 Mo dá èsì yìí padà sí i pé, “Kò sí ohun kan nínú irú ohun tí ìwọ sọ tí ó ṣẹlẹ̀; ìwọ kàn rò wọ́n ní orí ara rẹ ni.”
[When I read that message, ] I sent [the messenger] back to Sanballat to say, “None of what you are saying is true. You have (made this up/concocted this) in your own head/mind.”
9 Gbogbo wọn múra láti dẹ́rùbà wá, wọ́n ń rò ó wí pé, “Ọwọ́ wọn kò ní ran iṣẹ́ náà, àti wí pé wọn kò ní parí rẹ̀.” Ṣùgbọ́n mo gbàdúrà pé, “Nísinsin yìí Ọlọ́run fi agbára fún ọwọ́ mi.”
[I said that because I knew that] they were trying to cause us to be afraid, with the result that we would stop working [on the wall]. So I actually became more determined (OR, I prayed to God to help me) [to continue the work].
10 Ní ọjọ́ kan mo lọ sí ilé Ṣemaiah ọmọ Delaiah, ọmọ Mehetabeeli, ẹni tí a há mọ́ sínú ilé rẹ̀. Ó wí pé, “Jẹ́ kí a pàdé ní ilé Ọlọ́run nínú tẹmpili, kí o sì jẹ́ kí a pa àwọn ìlẹ̀kùn tẹmpili dé, nítorí àwọn ènìyàn ń bọ̀ láti pa ọ́, ní òru ni wọn yóò wá láti pa ọ́.”
[One day] I went to talk with Shemaiah, son of Delaiah and grandson of Mehetabel. I went to talk with him in his house, because he was not able (OR, allowed) to leave his house. He said to me, “You and I must enter the very sacred place in the temple and lock the doors, because people are going to come to kill you at night.”
11 Ṣùgbọ́n mo wí pé, “Ǹjẹ́ ó yẹ kí irú ènìyàn bí èmi sálọ? Tàbí kí ènìyàn bí èmi sálọ sínú tẹmpili láti gba ẹ̀mí ara rẹ̀ là? Èmi kò ní lọ!”
I replied, “I (am not that kind of person/do not do things like that) [RHQ]! I would not run and hide in the temple to save my life! No, I will not do that!”
12 Èmi wòye pé Ọlọ́run kò rán an, ṣùgbọ́n ó sọ àsọtẹ́lẹ̀ sí mi nítorí Tobiah àti Sanballati ti bẹ̀ ẹ́ ní ọ̀wẹ̀.
When I thought [about what he had said], I realized that God had not told Shemaiah to say that to me. I realized that Tobiah and Sanballat had bribed him [to say that to me].
13 Wọ́n bẹ̀ ẹ́ ní ọ̀wẹ̀ láti dẹ́rùbà mí nítorí kí èmi lè dẹ́ṣẹ̀ nípa ṣíṣe èyí, kí wọn lè bà mí lórúkọ jẹ́, kí n sì di ẹni ẹ̀gàn.
They had bribed him to cause me to be afraid. They wanted me to [disobey God’s commands and] sin [by hiding in the temple]. If I did that, they would be able to ruin my reputation [MTY] and discredit me.
14 A! Ọlọ́run mi, rántí Tobiah àti Sanballati, nítorí ohun tí wọ́n ti ṣe; kí o sì tún rántí Noadiah wòlíì obìnrin àti àwọn wòlíì tókù tí wọ́n ń gbèrò láti dẹ́rùbà mí.
[So I prayed, ] “My God, do not forget what Tobiah and Sanballat have done. Punish them. And do not forget that the female prophet Noadiah and some of the other prophets have also tried to cause me to be afraid.”
15 Bẹ́ẹ̀ ni a parí odi náà ní ọjọ́ kẹẹdọ́gbọ̀n oṣù Eluli, láàrín ọjọ́ méjìléláàádọ́ta.
On October 2 we finished rebuilding the wall. We did it all in 52 days.
16 Nígbà tí àwọn ọ̀tá wa gbọ́ èyí, gbogbo àwọn orílẹ̀-èdè tí ó yí wa ká bẹ̀rù jìnnìjìnnì sì mú wọn, nítorí wọ́n wòye pé iṣẹ́ yìí di ṣíṣe pẹ̀lú ìrànlọ́wọ́ Ọlọ́run wa.
When our enemies in the nearby countries heard about that, they realized that they had been humiliated, because everyone knew that it was because God helped us that we had been able to do this work [and that they had not been able to force us to quit].
17 Bákan náà, ní ọjọ́ wọ̀n-ọn-nì àwọn ọlọ́lá Juda ń kọ ọ̀pọ̀lọpọ̀ lẹ́tà ránṣẹ́ sí Tobiah, èsì láti ọ̀dọ̀ Tobiah sì ń wá sí ọ̀dọ̀ wọn.
During this time, the Jewish leaders had been sending many messages/letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah had been sending messages back to them.
18 Nítorí ọ̀pọ̀lọpọ̀ àwọn Juda ti mulẹ̀ pẹ̀lú rẹ̀, nítorí tí ó jẹ́ àna Ṣekaniah ọmọ Arah (Sanballati fẹ́ ọmọ Ṣekaniah), ọmọ rẹ̀ Jehohanani sì tún fẹ́ ọmọbìnrin Meṣullamu ọmọ Berekiah.
Many people in Judea were closely associated with Tobiah, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah. Furthermore, Tobiah’s son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berekiah.
19 Síwájú sí í, wọ́n túbọ̀ ń ròyìn iṣẹ́ rere rẹ̀ fún mi, wọ́n sì ń sọ ohun tí mo sọ fún un. Tobiah sì ń kọ àwọn lẹ́tà ránṣẹ́ sí mi láti dẹ́rùbà mí.
People often talked in my presence about all the good things that Tobiah had done, and then they would tell him everything that I said. So Tobiah sent many letters to me to try to cause me to become afraid.
