Nehemiah 13
1 One day when the Book of Moses was being read to the people, the section was found where it was written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be allowed into the assembly of God,
Ngalelolanga iNcwadi kaMosi yabalelwa abantu besizwa kwafunyanwa kuyo kubhaliwe ukuthi akungabi lamʼAmoni loba umʼMowabi ovunyelwa emhlanganweni kaNkulunkulu, loba sekutheni,
2 because they hadn't brought food and water when they met the Israelites, but instead they had hired Balaam to put a curse on them—though our God turned that curse into a blessing!
ngoba babengahlangabezanga ama-Israyeli ngokudla lamanzi kodwa bathenga uBhalamu ukuba abaqalekise. (UNkulunkulu wethu kodwa waguqula isiqalekiso leso saba yisibusiso.)
3 When the people heard about this law, they separated out from Israel everyone who had foreign ancestry.
Kwathi abantu sebewuzwile umthetho, babasusa ko-Israyeli bonke labo ababedabuka ezizweni.
4 Before all this, Eliashib the priest, who was related to Tobiah, had been put in charge of the storerooms of the Temple of our God.
Mandulo kwalokhu, u-Eliyashibi umphristi nguye owayephethe iziphala zendlu kaNkulunkulu wethu. Wasuka wezwana kakhulu loThobhiya,
5 He had provided Tobiah with a large room which had previously been used to store the grain offerings, incense, and Temple items, as well as the tithes of grain, new wine, and olive oil allocated to the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, in addition to the offerings for the priests.
wasemlungisela indlu enkulu eyayikade isetshenziswa ukulondoloza amabele omnikelo lempepha kanye lempahla zethempeli, kanye njalo lamabele awokwetshumi, lewayini elitsha lamafutha, konke okwakumiswe ukuthi kube ngokwabaLevi, labahlabeleli labalindimasango, kanye lezipho eziya kubaphristi.
6 When all this happened I was not in Jerusalem because I had returned to King Artaxerxes of Babylon in the thirty-second year of his reign. Some time later I requested permission from the king to go back.
Kodwa kwathi kusenzakala konke lokhu, mina ngangingekho eJerusalema, ngoba ngomnyaka wamatshumi amathathu lambili wokubusa kuka-Athazekisisi inkosi yaseBhabhiloni ngabuyela enkosini. Muva kwalokho ngacela imvumo kuye
7 When I arrived back in Jerusalem I discovered the dreadful thing Eliashib had done in providing Tobiah a room in the courtyard of God's Temple.
ngabuyela eJerusalema. Kulapho engafika ngabona khona ngaleyonto embi eyenziwa ngu-Eliyashibi ngokupha uThobhiya indlu emagumeni asendlini kaNkulunkulu.
8 I was extremely upset, and I went and threw out everything that was in Tobiah's room.
Ngacaphuka kakhulu ngaphosela phandle zonke impahla zikaThobhiya.
9 I ordered the rooms purified, and put back the Temple items, the grain offerings, and the incense.
Ngakhupha ilizwi ukuthi kazihlanjululwe izindlu, ngasengibuyisela kuzo impahla zendlini kaNkulunkulu, ndawonye lamabele omnikelo lempepha.
10 I also found out that the food allowances for the Levites were not being provided, so the Levites had gone back to take care of their fields, along with the singers who led the worship services.
Ngezwa njalo ukuthi abaLevi babengaphiwanga lokho okwakuyisabelo sabo, lokuthi bonke abaLevi labahlabeleli ababeqhuba inkonzo basebebuyele emasimini abo.
11 I went and confronted the leaders, asking, “Why is God's Temple being neglected?” I called the Levites back and made sure they were carrying out their responsibilities.
Ngazikhwazela izinduna ngazibuza ngathi, “Kungani indlu kaNkulunkulu ingasakhathalelwa na?” Ngasengibabizela ndawonye ngababeka ezindaweni zemisebenzi yabo.
12 Everyone in Judah then brought the tithes of grain, new wine, and olive oil into the storerooms.
Bonke abakoJuda baletha okwetshumi kwamabele, iwayini elitsha lamafutha eziphaleni.
13 I put Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah, one of the Levites, in charge of the storerooms with Hanan, son of Zakkur, son of Mattaniah, to assist them, because they were considered honest people. Their responsibility was to distribute the allowances to their fellow Levites.
Ngasengibeka uShelemiya umphristi, loZadokhi umbhali, lomLevi owayethiwa nguPhedaya ukuba baphathe iziphala, ngenza uHanani indodana kaZakhuri, indodana kaMathaniya, ukuba ngumsekeli wabo, ngoba amadoda la kwakuthiwa athembekile. Baphiwa umlandu wokwabela abafowabo isabelo sabo.
14 My God, please remember me over this. Please don't forget my good deeds I have done for the Temple of my God and its services.
Ungikhumbule ngalokhu, Oh Nkulunkulu wami, ungakucitshi lokho engikwenzele indlu kaNkulunkulu wami ngokuthembeka kanye lezinkonzo ezikuyo.
15 Around that time I noticed people treading the winepress on Sabbath. I saw others collecting grain and loading it up on donkeys, along with wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens, and bringing it all into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day.
Ngalezonsuku ngabona abantu bakoJuda bevoxa izikhamelo zewayini ngeSabatha njalo beletha amabele bewethesa kubobabhemi, kunye lewayini, lamagrebisi, lomkhiwa leminye imithwalo. Konke lokhu babekuletha eJerusalema ngeSabatha. Ngakho-ke ngasengibaxwayisa ukuthi bangathengisi ukudla ngosuku lolo.
16 I told them off for selling their produce on that day.
Abantu beThire ababehlala eJerusalema babeletha inhlanzi lemihlobo yonke yezimpahla bezithengisa eJerusalema ebantwini bakoJuda ngeSabatha.
17 Some people from Tyre who lived in Jerusalem were bringing in fish and all kinds of things and they were selling them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah in Jerusalem.
Ngazikhuza izikhulu zakoJuda ngathi kuzo, “Manyala bani la eliwenzayo lingcolisa usuku lweSabatha na?
18 I confronted the Jewish leaders, asking them, “Why are you are doing such an evil thing? You are violating the Sabbath day! Wasn't this what your forefathers did, bringing our God down on us, causing us and this city such disasters? Now you're bringing even more trouble on us by violating the Sabbath!”
Kakusikho yini okwenziwa ngoyihlomkhulu, okwabangela ukuthi uThixo wethu, ehlisele kithi laphezu kwalelidolobho lobubunzima na? Manje selibuye lisandisa ulaka ku-Israyeli ngokugcolisa iSabatha.”
19 So I ordered Jerusalem's gates to be shut at sunset on the day before the Sabbath, and that were not to be opened until after the Sabbath had ended. I assigned some of my men to guard the gates to make sure no goods would be brought in on the Sabbath day.
Kwathi nxa selimathunzi emasangweni aseJerusalema kungakabi yiSabatha, ngalaya ukuthi iminyango kayivalwe ingaze yavulwa iSabatha ize idlule. Ngamisa emasangweni abanye abantu bami ukuze kungangeni mthwalo ngosuku lweSabatha.
20 A couple of times merchants and sellers of all kinds of goods spent the night outside of Jerusalem.
Okwezikhathi ezimbalwa abathengi labathengisi bezinhlobo zonke zezimpahla balala ngaphandle kweJerusalema.
21 I warned them, saying, “Why are you spending the night by the wall? If you do that again I'll have you arrested!” After that they didn't come on the Sabbath.
Kodwa ngabaxwayisa ngathi, “Lenzelani ukulala phansi komduli na? Lingakuphinda lokhu kuzakuba lokuxabana.” Kusukela kulesosikhathi kabasaphindanga beza ngeSabatha.
22 Then I told the Levites to purify themselves and to come and guard the gates to keep the Sabbath day holy. My God, please also remember me for doing this, and be merciful to me because of your trustworthy love.
Ngasengilaya abaLevi ukuthi bazihlambulule besebesiyalinda amasango ukuze kugcinwe usuku lweSabatha lungcwele. Ungikhumbule langalokhu njalo, Oh Nkulunkulu wami, njalo utshengise umusa kimi mayelana lothando lwakho olukhulu.
23 Around the same time I realized some Jews had married women from Ashdod, Moab, and Ammon.
Phezu kwalokho, ngalezonsuku ngabona amadoda akoJuda ayethethe abafazi base-Ashidodi, le-Amoni laseMowabi.
24 Half their children could only speak the language of Ashdod or that of another people, and didn't know how to speak the language of Judah.
Ingxenye yabantwababo babekhuluma ulimi lwase-Ashidodi kumbe ulimi lwabanye abantu, bengakwazi ukukhuluma isiHebheru.
25 So I confronted them and told them they were cursed. I beat some of them and pulled out their hair. Then I made them take an oath before God, saying, “You must not allow your daughters to marry their sons, or allow your sons—or yourselves— to marry their daughters.
Ngabathethisa, ngakhuluma iziqalekiso phezu kwabo. Amanye amadoda ngawatshaya ngaze ngawasiphuna inwele zawo. Ngathi kabenze isifungo ngebizo likaNkulunkulu ngathi, “Lingendiseli amadodakazi enu emadodaneni abo, njalo lingathatheli amadodana enu amadodakazi abo futhi lani lingazithatheli wona.
26 Wasn't it marriages like these that made King Solomon of Israel sin? There wasn't a king in any nation like him. God loved him, and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was made to sin by foreign women.
Kwakungasimitshado enjengale yini eyenza uSolomoni inkosi yako-Israyeli yenze isono? Phakathi kwezizwe ezinengi kwakungelankosi efana laye. Wayethandwa nguNkulunkulu wakhe, njalo uNkulunkulu wamenza inkosi ka-Israyeli wonke, kodwa laye wahugelwa esonweni ngabafazi bezizweni.
27 So do we have to hear about you committing this dreadful sin, how you are being unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women?”
Manje-ke sesingezwa ukuthi lani selisenza wonke amanyala la esabekayo njalo kalisathembekanga kuNkulunkulu wethu ngokuthatha abafazi bezizwe na?”
28 Even one of the sons of Jehoiada, son of Eliashib the high priest, had become a son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite. So I expelled him.
Omunye wamadodana kaJoyada indodana ka-Eliyashibi umphristi omkhulu wayengumkhwenyana kaSanibhalathi umHoroni. Ngahle ngamxotshela khatshana kwami.
29 My God, remember them and what they did, violating the priesthood and the solemn agreement of the priests and Levites.
Ubakhumbule, Oh Nkulunkulu wami, ngoba babungcolisile ubuphristi lesivumelwano sobuphristi lesabaLevi.
30 I purified them from everything foreign, and I made sure the priests and Levites were carrying out their assigned responsibilities.
Ngakho ngabahlambulula abaphristi labaLevi kuzozonke izinto zezizweni, ngababela imisebenzi yabo, ngulowo waqondana lomsebenzi wakhe.
31 I also arranged for wood to be supplied for the altar at the specified times, and for the first part of the produce to be donated. My God, remember me favorably.
Ngaphinde ngenza amalungiselelo okulethwa kwenkuni ngezikhathi ezimisiweyo, njalo lawezithelo zokuqala. Ungikhumbule ngomusa, Oh Nkulunkulu wami.
