Nehemiah 4

1 But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry, and felt great indignation, and mocked the Jews.

Ka naʻe hoko ʻo pehē, ʻi he ongoʻi ʻe Sanipalate ʻoku mau langaʻi ʻae ʻā maka, naʻe ʻita lahi ia, pea ne fai lili lahi, ʻo ne manukiʻi ʻae kakai Siu.

2 And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they finish in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?

Pea naʻe lea ia ʻi he ʻao ʻo hono kāinga mo e tau ʻo Samēlia, ʻo ne pehē, “Ko e hā ia ʻoku fai ʻe he kakai Siu vaivai ni? He te nau fakamālohiʻi ʻakinautolu ke tau? Te nau fai ha feilaulau? He te nau fakaʻosi [ia ]ʻi he ʻaho pe taha? Te nau fakaakeake ʻae ngaahi maka mei he ngaahi fokotuʻunga veve ʻaia kuo tutu?”

3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox should go up, he would even break down their stone wall.

Pea naʻe ofi kiate ia ʻa Topaia ko e tangata ʻAmoni, ʻo ne lea ʻo pehē, “ʻIo, ko ia ʻoku nau langa, ka ne ʻalu hake ai ha fokisi, te ne holoki hifo ʻenau ʻā maka.”

4 Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a spoil in the land of captivity:

“ʻE homau ʻOtua ke ke fanongo: he kuo lumaʻi ʻakimautolu: pea ke fakatafoki honau manuki ki he ʻulu ʻonautolu, pea ke tuku ʻakinautolu ko e meʻa vete ʻi he fonua ʻoe fakapōpula:

5 And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders.

Pea ʻoua naʻa ke ʻufiʻufi ʻenau ngaahi hia, pea ʻoua naʻa fakamolemole ʻenau ngaahi angahala mei ho ʻao: he kuo nau fakatupu ʻa hoʻo houhau ʻi he ʻao ʻoe kau langa fale.”

6 So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together to the half of it: for the people had a mind to work.

Naʻe pehē ʻemau langa ʻae ʻā maka pea naʻe fakahokohoko ke fakataha ʻae ʻā maka ʻo aʻu ki hono vaeuaʻanga: he naʻe ʻi he kakai ʻae loto fie ngāue.

7 But it came to pass, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were set up, and that the breaches began to be closed, then they were very angry,

Ka naʻe hoko ʻo pehē, ʻi he fanongo ʻe Topaia, mo e kau ʻAlepea, mo e kau ʻAmoni, mo e kau ʻAsitoti, ʻoku fakamaʻopoʻopo ʻae ngaahi ʻā maka ʻo Selūsalema, pea kuo kamata tāpuni hono ngaahi ava, naʻa nau ʻita lahi,

8 And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.

‌ʻO nau alea fakataha kotoa pē ke nau haʻu ke tauʻi ʻa Selūsalema, koeʻuhi ke taʻofi hono fai.

9 Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.

Ka naʻa mau fai ʻemau lotu ki homau ʻOtua, pea naʻe fakanofo ʻae kau leʻo ke vakai ʻakinautolu ʻi he ʻaho mo e pō, ko e meʻa ʻiate kinautolu.

10 And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is failing, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.

Pea naʻe pehē ʻe Siuta, “ʻOku fakaʻaʻau ke siʻi ʻae mālohi ʻoe kau haʻamo, pea ʻoku lahi ʻae veve: ko ia ʻoku ʻikai te mau faʻa langa ʻae ʻā maka.”

11 And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.

Pea naʻe pehē ʻe homau ngaahi fili, “ʻOua naʻa nau ʻilo pe mamata, kaeʻoua ke mau hoko atu ki honau lotolotonga, pea tāmateʻi ʻakinautolu, pea taʻofi ʻae ngāue.”

12 And it came to pass, that when the Jews who dwelt by them came, they said to us ten times, From all places where ye shall return to us they will be upon you.

Pea naʻe hoko ʻo pehē, ʻi he haʻu ʻae kau Siu naʻe nofo ofi kiate kinautolu, naʻa nau fakahā mai ʻo liunga hongofulu ʻenau [te u tau ]mei he ngaahi potu kehekehe.

13 Therefore I set in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, I even set the people according to their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

Ko ia naʻaku fakanofo ai ʻae kakai ʻo tatau mo honau ngaahi fale, ʻi he ngaahi potu ʻi lalo ʻituʻa ʻoe ʻā maka, pea ʻi he ngaahi potu māʻolunga, mo ʻenau ngaahi heletā, mo honau ngaahi tao, mo honau ngaahi kaufana.

14 And I looked, and arose, and said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be ye not afraid of them: remember the Lord, who is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.

Pea u vakai, mo tuʻu hake, pea u pehē ki he houʻeiki, pea ki he kau pule, pea ki hono toe ʻoe kakai, “ʻOua naʻa mou manavahē kiate kinautolu: manatu kia Sihova, ʻaia ʻoku lahi, mo fakamanavahē, pea mou tau koeʻuhi ko homou ngaahi kāinga, ko homou ngaahi foha, mo homou ngaahi ʻofefine, mo homou ngaahi uaifi, mo homou ngaahi fale.”

15 And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one to his work.

Pea naʻe hoko ʻo pehē, ʻi he fanongo ʻe homau ngaahi fili kuo mau ongoʻi ia ʻo ʻilo, pea kuo fakataʻeaongaʻi ʻe he ʻOtua ʻenau fakakaukau, naʻa mau toe liu mai kotoa pē ki he ʻā maka, ʻo taki taha ki heʻene ngāue.

16 And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the coats of mail; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah.

Pea naʻe hoko ʻo pehē talu mei he kuonga ko ia ʻo fai ai pe, naʻe fai ʻe hono vaeuaʻanga ʻo ʻeku kau tamaioʻeiki ʻae ngāue, pea puke ʻe he vaeuaʻanga ʻe taha ʻae ngaahi tao, mo e ngaahi pā, mo e kaufana, mo e kofutau: pea naʻe ʻi he tuʻa fale kotoa pē ʻo Siuta ʻae kau pule.

17 They who built on the wall, and they that bore burdens, burdened themselves, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.

Ko kinautolu naʻe langa ʻi he ʻā maka, mo kinautolu naʻe haʻamo kavenga, mo kinautolu naʻe fakaheka, naʻa nau fai ʻo ngāueʻaki ʻae nima ʻe taha ʻi he ngāue, pea puke mahafutau ʻaki ʻae nima ʻe taha.

18 For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so built. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.

He ko e kau langa, naʻa nau langa pe ʻo taki taha maʻu hono heletā kuo nonoʻo ʻi hono vakavaka. Pea ko ia naʻe ifi ʻae meʻalea naʻe ofi ia kiate au.

19 And I said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another.

Pea ne u pehē ki he ngaahi houʻeiki, pea ki he kau pule, pea ki hono toe ʻoe kakai, “ʻOku lahi ʻae ngāue pea lau lahi, pea kuo tau mavahevahe ʻi he ʻā maka, pea vāmamaʻo ʻae taha mei he taha.

20 In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye there to us: our God shall fight for us.

‌ʻIlonga ʻae potu ko ia te mou ongoʻi ai ʻae ifi ʻoe meʻalea, mou kātoa ki ai leva kiate kimautolu: ʻe tau ʻe hotau ʻOtua maʻatautolu.”

21 So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.

Ko ia naʻa mau ngāue pe ʻi he ngāue pea puke tao ʻe honau vaeuaʻanga ʻanautolu mei he maʻa hake ʻoe pongipongi ʻo aʻu ki heʻene hāmai ʻae ngaahi fetuʻu.

22 Likewise at the same time said I to the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labour in the day.

Pea ne u lea foki ʻi he kuonga ko ia ki he kakai, [ʻo pehē], Tuku ke taki taha mohe mo ʻene tamaioʻeiki ʻi Selūsalema, koeʻuhi ke nau ʻiate kitautolu ko e kau leʻo ʻi he pō, pea ngāue ʻi he ʻaho.

23 So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us put off our clothes, except that every one put them off for washing.

Ko ia naʻe ʻikai [vete ʻe ]au, pe ko hoku kāinga, pe ko ʻeku kau tamaioʻeiki, pe ko e kau tangata leʻo ʻaia naʻe muimui ʻiate au, naʻe ʻikai ha tokotaha naʻe vete hono kofu, ka koeʻuhi pe ke fō.