Nehemiah 2
Berean Standard BibleTranslation
Berean Standard Bible
Tongan Bible, Revised West Version
1Now in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was set before him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had never been sad in his presence,
1Pea naʻe hoko ʻo pehē ʻi he māhina ko Nisani, ʻi hono uofulu taʻu ʻo ʻAtakisekisi ko e tuʻi, naʻe ʻi hoku ʻao ʻae uaine: pea naʻaku toʻo hake ʻae uaine ʻo ʻatu ia ki he tuʻi. Pea ko eni naʻe teʻeki ai te u matapeko ʻi hono ʻao.
2so the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, though you are not ill? This could only be sadness of the heart.” I was overwhelmed with fear
2Ko ia naʻe pehē ai ʻe he tuʻi kiate au, “Ko e hā ʻoku matapeko ai ho mata, ka ʻoku ʻikai te ke mahaki?” ʻOku ʻikai ko e meʻa kehe ia ka ko e mamahi ʻi loto. Pea ne u manavahē lahi ai.
3and replied to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should I not be sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
3Pea naʻaku pehē ki he tuʻi, “Tuku ke moʻui ʻae tuʻi ʻo taʻengata: ʻe ʻikai te u mata tangi nai ko e hā, lolotonga kuo tuku liʻaki pe ʻae kolo, ko e potu ʻoe ngaahi tanuʻanga ʻo ʻeku ngaahi tamai, pea ko hono ngaahi matapā kuo tutuʻaki ʻae afi?”
4“What is your request?” replied the king. So I prayed to the God of heaven
4Pea pehē ai ʻe he tuʻi kiate au, “Ko e hā ia ʻoku ke kole? Ko ia naʻaku lotu ai ki he ʻOtua ʻoe langi.”
5and answered the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city where my fathers are buried, so that I may rebuild it.”
5Pea ne u pehē ki he tuʻi, “Kapau ʻoku lelei ki he tuʻi, pea kapau kuo ʻilo ʻe hoʻo tamaioʻeiki ʻae ʻofa ʻi ho ʻao, ke ke fekau au ki Siuta, ki he kolo ʻoe ngaahi tanuʻanga ʻo ʻeku ngaahi tamai, koeʻuhi ke u langa hake ia.”
6Then the king, with the queen seated beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I set a time.
6Pea naʻe pehē ʻe he tuʻi kiate au, (pea naʻe nofo ofi kiate ia ʻae tuʻi fefine foki,) “Ko e hā hono fuoloa ʻo ho fononga? Pea te ke toe haʻu ʻafē? Pea naʻe lelei ki he tuʻi ke ne fekauʻi au; pea ne u kotofa kiate ia ʻae kuonga.”
7I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may letters be given to me for the governors west of the Euphrates, so that they will grant me safe passage until I reach Judah.
7Pea ne u pehē foki ki he tuʻi, “Kapau ʻoku lelei ki he tuʻi, tuku ke ʻomi kiate au ʻae ngaahi tohi ki he ngaahi pule ʻi he potu kauvai ʻe taha ʻoe vaitafe, koeʻuhi ke nau moimoiʻi au ʻo aʻu ki heʻeku hoko atu ki Siuta;
8And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so that he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house I will occupy.” And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.
8Mo e tohi ʻe taha kia ʻAsafi ko e tauhi ʻoe vao ʻakau ʻoe tuʻi koeʻuhi ke ne foaki kiate au ʻae ngaahi ʻakau ke ngaohi ʻaki ʻae ʻakau lalava ki he ngaahi matapā ʻoe fale ʻaia ʻoku kau ki he faletapu, pea maʻae ʻā maka ʻoe kolo, pea maʻae fale ʻaia te u hū ki ai.” Pea naʻe tuku mai ʻe he tuʻi kiate au, ʻo hangē ko e ʻiate au ʻae nima lelei ʻo hoku ʻOtua.
9Then I went to the governors west of the Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.
9¶ Pea ne u toki hoko atu ki he kau pule ʻi he tuʻa vaitafe, pea u tuku kiate kinautolu ʻae ngaahi tohi ʻoe tuʻi. Pea naʻe fekau ʻe he tuʻi ke ʻalu mo au ʻae ngaahi ʻeiki ʻoe tau mo e kau tangata heka hoosi.
10But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were deeply disturbed that someone had come to seek the well-being of the Israelites.
10Pea ʻi he fanongo ki ai ʻe Sanipalate ko e tangata Holoni, mo Topaia ko e tamaioʻeiki, ko e tangata ʻAmoni, naʻe mamahi lahi ʻakinaua, koeʻuhi ʻi he haʻu ʻae tangata ke kumi ke lelei ai ʻae fānau ʻa ʻIsileli.
11After I had arrived in Jerusalem and had been there three days,
11Ko ia, ne u hoko ki Selūsalema, pea ne u ʻi ai ʻi he ʻaho ʻe tolu.
12I set out at night with a few men. I did not tell anyone what my God had laid on my heart to do for Jerusalem. The only animal with me was the one on which I was riding.
12¶ Pea ne u tuʻu hake ʻi he poʻuli, mo e kau tangata tokosiʻi naʻe ʻiate au; pea naʻe ʻikai te u tala ki ha tokotaha ʻaia naʻe tuku ʻe hoku ʻOtua ki hoku loto ke fai ʻi Selūsalema: pea naʻe ʻikai ha manu ʻiate au ka ko ia naʻaku heka ai.
13So I went out at night through the Valley Gate toward the Well of the Serpent and the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that had been broken down and the gates that had been destroyed by fire.
13Pea ne u ʻalu kituaʻā ʻi he poʻuli ʻi he matapā ʻoe teleʻa, ʻo hangatonu mo e vaikeli ko e talākoni, pea ki he matapā fokotuʻunga veve, pea u vakai ki he ngaahi ʻā maka ʻo Selūsalema, ʻaia naʻe holoki hifo, mo e ngaahi matapā ʻaia naʻe fakaʻauha ʻaki ʻae afi.
14Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal under me to get through;
14Pea naʻaku ʻalu ai pe ki he matapā ʻoe matavai, pea ki he anovai ʻoe tuʻi: pea naʻe ʻikai ha potu ke ʻalu ai ʻae manu naʻaku heka ai.
15so I went up the valley by night and inspected the wall. Then I headed back and reentered through the Valley Gate.
15Pea naʻaku ʻalu hake ai ʻi he poʻuli ʻo ofi ki he vaitafe, ʻo vakai ki he ʻā maka, pea u tafoki ki mui, pea hū ʻi he matapā ʻoe teleʻa, pea toe foki atu ai.
16The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, for I had not yet told the Jews or priests or nobles or officials or any other workers.
16Pea naʻe ʻikai ʻilo ʻe he kau pule pe naʻaku ʻalu ki fē, pe ko ia naʻaku fai; pea naʻe teʻeki te u tala ia ki he kakai Siu, pe ki he kau taulaʻeiki, pe ki he houʻeiki, pe ki he kau pule, pe ki he toenga kakai naʻe fai ʻae ngāue.
17Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned down. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we will no longer be a disgrace.”
17¶ Pea ne u pehē ai kiate kinautolu, “ʻOku mou mamata ki he mamahi ʻoku tau moʻua ai, koeʻuhi kuo tutu liʻaki pe ʻa Selūsalema, pea kuo tuku hono ngaahi matapā ʻaki ʻae afi: haʻu, ketau langa hake ʻae ʻā maka ʻo Selūsalema, koeʻuhi ke ʻoua naʻa tau kei hoko ko e lumaʻanga.”
18I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me, and what the king had said to me. “Let us start rebuilding,” they replied, and they set their hands to this good work.
18Pea ne u toki tala kiate kinautolu ʻae nima ʻo hoku ʻOtua ʻaia naʻe hili lelei kiate au; pea mo e ngaahi lea ʻae tuʻi foki ʻaia naʻa ne lea kiate au. Pea naʻa nau pehē, “Ke tau tuʻu hake pea langa.” Ko ia naʻa nau fakamālohiʻi honau nima ki he ngāue lelei ni.
19But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard about this, they mocked us and ridiculed us, saying, “What is this you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”
19Ka ʻi he fanongo ki ai ʻe Sanipalate ko e tangata Holoni, mo Topaia ko e tamaioʻeiki, ko e tangata ʻAmoni, mo Kesemi ko e tangata ʻAlepea, naʻa nau kata manukiʻi ʻakimautolu, pea lumaʻi ʻakimautolu, ʻo pehē, “Ko e hā ʻae meʻa ni ʻoku mou fai? ʻOku mou loto ke angatuʻu ki he tuʻi?”
20So I answered them and said, “The God of heaven is the One who will grant us success. We, His servants, will start rebuilding, but you have no portion, right, or claim in Jerusalem.”
20Pea naʻaku talia ʻakinautolu, pea u pehē kiate kinautolu, “Ko e ʻOtua ʻoe langi, te ne fakamonūʻia ʻakimautolu; ko ia ko kimautolu ko ʻene kau tamaioʻeiki te mau tuʻu hake ʻo langa: ka ʻoku ʻikai ha tofiʻa, pe ha potu, pe ha fakaʻilonga ʻi Selūsalema maʻamoutolu.”
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