Nehemiab ge Jerusalems ǁga ra ǃgû
1 Haka ǁkhâgu khaoǃgâ ta ge ǀguitsē, gao-aob Artaxerxesa ǂûb ra hîa ǂauxûi-e ge sī-ūba. ǁÎb ge tita noxopa nēti ǃoasase ge mû tama hâ i, 2 ǁnā-amagab ge ǁîba ge dî te: “Tarexats nēti ǃkhobo hâse ra mûsen? ǀAesen tamats kom hâo. Tsûaǂgaob xas kom nēsao.”
O ta ge kaise ǃao 3 tsî ge ǃeream: “Ab gao-aoba ǀamose ûi re. Mâtis kha ti aisa ǃkhobosase ī tide, ti aboxagu ǁîs tawa ǁkhōhe hâ ǃās khôaǂkhūhe hâ tsî di dao-amdi âsa khauǃkhūhe hâ hîa?”
4 Ob ge gao-aoba ge dî: “Tare-ets ra ǂgao?”
O ta ge ǀhommi di Elob ǃoa ǀgore 5 tsî ǁnās khaoǃgâ gao-aob ǃoa ge mî: “Gao-aots ga tita ǀkha ǂkhîǂâixa tsî ti ǂgansa ūǃoao, mā-am te re, î ta Judab ǃhūb ǁga, ti aboxan ǁîs tawa ǁkhōhe hâ ǃās ǃoa ǃgû tsî ǁîsa ǁkhawa ǂnubikhâi ǁkhā.”
6 Ob ge gao-aoba, gao-aos tsîn ǁîb xōǀkhā ǂnôa hîa, ti ǂgansa ge mā-am te. ǁÎb ge mâtikō ǁaeba ta nî ǃgûs tsî mâ ǁaeb ai ta nî oaǀkhīs tsîna ge dî te, o ta ge ge mîba bi.
7 Tsî ta ge gao-aoba ge ǂgan, îb ǁîb ga ǃgâibaheo, Eufrati huriǂoasǀkhāb di gowoniaga ǃoa hâ sîǂkhanide mā te, î gu ǁîga Judab kōse ta nî ǃkharu ǁkhāsa mā-am te. 8 Tita ge ǁkhāti Asafi, gao-aob di haixa ǃhūb mûǂamaob ǃoa hâ sîǂkhanisa ge ǂgan, îb ǁîba Tempeli dao-ams tawa mâ ommi tsî hâǃnâ ta nî oms tsîra di dao-amdi ǃaroma ǃnaoga mā te. Ob ge gao-aoba ǂgan ta ge xūn hoana ge mā-am te, Elob ge hâǀkhā te i xui-ao.
9 Gao-aob ge ǀnî ǂamkhoegu tsî hāǃgapi ra toroǃkhamaogu tsîga tita ǀkha ge sîsao. Tsî ta ge Eufrati huriǂoasǀkhāb tawa ta ge sī, o gao-aob di sîǂkhanide gowoniaga ge mā. 10 Xawe kha ge Sanbalati, Bet-Horons dib tsî Amonǁî ǂamkhoeb Tobiab tsîkha, khoe-i go Israelǁîn ǃgâib ǃoa i nî sîsense hāsa ǁnâuo, kaise ge tsūbahe.
11 Tsî ta ge Jerusalems tawa ge sī tsî ǃnona tsēdi kōse 12 khoe-i xare-e, tare-e ta Jerusalemsa nî dībasab ge Eloba ǂanǂan te ǃkhaisa ge mîba tama hâ i. ǁNās khaoǃgâ ta ge tsuxuba khâimâ tsî ǀnî aogu ǀkha ge ǃgûǂoa. Tita ge ǃgapi hâ i dâukib ǀguiba ta ge ûitsama xūse ge ūhâ i. 13 ǁNā tsuxub ǃnâ ta ge ǃGoaǃnāb Dao-ams huriǂoasǀkhāb ai ǂnôas ǃnâ-u ǃāsa xu ǂoa tsî ǀGiriguǀausa-u ǃkharu tsî ǀapob ǀgūse ǂnôa dao-ams tawa ge sī. Tsî ta ge ǁnāti ta ǃgûgaruse khôa hâ ǂnubiǂgoagu ǃās digu tsî dao-amdi khauǃkhūhe hâdi tsîna gere kōma. 14 ǁNāpa xu ta ge ǀAus Dao-ams tsî Gao-aob ǁGams kōse ge sī. Xaweb ge ǃgapi ta ge hâ i dâukiba ǃkharuǃkhai-e hō tama ge i, 15 ǁnā-amaga ta ge Kidronǃgoaǃnāba-u ǂoa tsî ǃgapigaruse ǂnubiǂgoaba gere kōma. ǁNās khaoǃgâ ta ge hāxū ta ge ǀkhāb ǁga dabasen tsî ǃGoaǃnāb Dao-amsa-u oms ǁga ge oa.
16 Nau ǂamkhoegu ge mâǀî ta go ī hâ is, tamas ka io tare-e ta go dīs tsîna ge ǀū i. Nēs kōse ta ge Jodeǁîn, pristergu, ǂgaeǂgui-aogu, ǂamkhoegu tamas ka io nē sîsenna nî dī khoe-i tsîna xū-i xare-e ge ǂanǂan tama hâ i. 17 Xawe ta ge nēsi ǁîna go mîba: “Kō re mâti ī ǃgommi ǃnâ da hâsa, Jerusalems khôaǂkhūhe hâ tsî dao-amdi âs khauǃkhūhe hâ xui-ao. Hā, î da Jerusalems ǂnubiǂgoaba omkhâi tsî ǁnās ǀkha sada ǃharaxūba ǀamǀam.” 18 Tsî ta ge ǁîna mâtib ge Eloba hui tes tsî tare-eb ge gao-aoba mîba tes tsîna ge mîba. On ge “A da Jerusalemsa ǁkhawa omkhâi” ti mî tsî nē sîsenni ǃaroma ge ǂhomisen.
19 Xawe gu ge Sanbalati, Tobiab tsî Arabiaǁîb Gesemmi tsîga tare-e da ra dī ǂgaosa gu ge ǁnâuo, âiǂui da tsî ǃhō rase ge mî: “Tare xū-e koma nē du ra dī-e? Gao-aob ǃoagu du ra khâikhâisen ǂgao?”
20 O ta ge ǁîga ge ǃeream: “ǀHommi di Elob ge nî ǃgâiǃgâ kai da. Sida ǁîb di ǃgāda ge nî ǂnubikhâi, xawe sadu ge amǃnâ-i xare-e Jerusalems ǃnâ ūhâ tama tsî ǁîs ǂhanugu ǃnâ amǃnâxa tama hâ.”
Nehemiah Goes to Jerusalem
1 During the month of Nisan in the twentieth year that Artaxerxes was king, I served him his wine, as I had done before. But this was the first time I had ever looked depressed. 2 So the king said, “Why do you look so sad? You're not sick. Something must be bothering you.”
Even though I was frightened, 3 I answered, “Your Majesty, I hope you live forever! I feel sad because the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins, and its gates have been burned down.”
4 The king asked, “What do you want me to do?”
I prayed to the God who rules from heaven. 5 Then I told the king, “Sir, if it's all right with you, please send me back to Judah, so that I can rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried.”
6 The queen was sitting beside the king when he asked me, “How long will it take, and when will you be back?” The king agreed to let me go, and I told him when I would return.
7 Then I asked, “Your Majesty, would you be willing to give me letters to the governors of the provinces west of the Euphrates River, so that I can travel safely to Judah? 8 I will need timber to rebuild the gates of the fortress near the temple and more timber to construct the city wall and to build a place for me to live. And so, I would appreciate a letter to Asaph, who is in charge of the royal forest.” God was good to me, and the king did everything I asked.
9 The king sent some army officers and cavalry troops along with me, and as I traveled through the Western Provinces, I gave the letters to the governors. 10 But when Sanballat from Horon and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about what had happened, they became very angry, because they didn't want anyone to help the people of Israel.
Nehemiah Inspects the Wall of Jerusalem
11 Three days after arriving in Jerusalem, 12 I got up during the night and left my house. I took some men with me, without telling anyone what I thought God wanted me to do for the city. The only animal I took was the donkey I rode on. 13 I went through Valley Gate on the west, then south past Dragon Spring, before coming to Garbage Gate. As I rode along, I took a good look at the crumbled walls of the city and the gates that had been torn down and burned. 14 On the east side of the city, I headed north to Fountain Gate and King's Pool, but then the trail became too narrow for my donkey. 15 So I went down to Kidron Valley and looked at the wall from there. Then before daylight I returned to the city through Valley Gate.
16 None of the city officials knew what I had in mind. And I had not even told any of the Jews—not the priests, the leaders, the officials, or any other Jews who would be helping in the work. 17 But when I got back, I said to them, “Jerusalem is truly in a mess! The gates have been torn down and burned, and everything is in ruins. We must rebuild the city wall so that we can again take pride in our city.”
18 Then I told them how kind God had been and what the king had said.
Immediately, they replied, “Let's start building now!” So they got everything ready.
19 When Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab heard about our plans, they started insulting us and saying, “Just look at you! Do you plan to rebuild the walls of the city and rebel against the king?”
20 I answered, “We are servants of the God who rules from heaven, and he will make our work succeed. So we will start rebuilding Jerusalem, but you have no right to any of its property, because you have had no part in its history.”
