Nehemiah 2
1 In the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, when wine was before him, I picked up the wine, and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad before in his presence.
亞達薛西王二十年尼散月，在王面前擺酒，我拿起酒來奉給王。我素來在王面前沒有愁容。
2 The king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing else but sorrow of heart.” Then I was very much afraid.
王對我說：「你既沒有病，為甚麼面帶愁容呢？這不是別的，必是你心中愁煩。」於是我甚懼怕。
3 I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates have been consumed with fire?”
我對王說：「願王萬歲！我列祖墳墓所在的那城荒涼，城門被火焚燒，我豈能面無愁容嗎？」
4 Then the king said to me, “What is your request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.
王問我說：「你要求甚麼？」於是我默禱天上的上帝。
5 I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you would send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may build it.”
我對王說：「僕人若在王眼前蒙恩，王若喜歡，求王差遣我往猶大，到我列祖墳墓所在的那城去，我好重新建造。」
6 The king said to me (the queen was also sitting by him), “How long will your journey be? When will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I set a time for him.
那時王后坐在王的旁邊。王問我說：「你去要多少日子？幾時回來？」我就定了日期。於是王喜歡差遣我去。
7 Moreover I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah;
我又對王說：「王若喜歡，求王賜我詔書，通知大河西的省長准我經過，直到猶大；
8 and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple, for the wall of the city, and for the house that I will occupy.” The king granted my requests, because of the good hand of my God on me.
又賜詔書，通知管理王園林的亞薩，使他給我木料，做屬殿營樓之門的橫樑和城牆，與我自己房屋使用的。」王就允准我，因我上帝施恩的手幫助我。
9 Then I came to the governors beyond the River, and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.
王派了軍長和馬兵護送我。我到了河西的省長那裏，將王的詔書交給他們。
10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly, because a man had come to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.
和倫人參巴拉，並為奴的亞捫人多比雅，聽見有人來為以色列人求好處，就甚惱怒。
11 So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.
我到了耶路撒冷，在那裏住了三日。
12 I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. I did not tell anyone what my God put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was not any animal with me except the animal that I rode on.
我夜間起來，有幾個人也一同起來；但上帝使我心裏要為耶路撒冷做甚麼事，我並沒有告訴人。除了我騎的牲口以外，也沒有別的牲口在我那裏。
13 I went out by night by the valley gate toward the jackal’s well, then to the dung gate; and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and its gates were consumed with fire.
當夜我出了谷門，往野狗井去，到了糞廠門，察看耶路撒冷的城牆，見城牆拆毀，城門被火焚燒。
14 Then I went on to the spring gate and to the king’s pool, but there was no place for the animal that was under me to pass.
我又往前，到了泉門和王池，但所騎的牲口沒有地方過去。
15 Then I went up in the night by the brook and inspected the wall; and I turned back, and entered by the valley gate, and so returned.
於是夜間沿溪而上，察看城牆，又轉身進入谷門，就回來了。
16 The rulers did not know where I went, or what I did. I had not as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest who did the work.
我往哪裏去，我做甚麼事，官長都不知道。我還沒有告訴猶大平民、祭司、貴冑、官長，和其餘做工的人。
17 Then I said to them, “You see the bad situation that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come, let’s build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we will not be disgraced.”
以後，我對他們說：「我們所遭的難，耶路撒冷怎樣荒涼，城門被火焚燒，你們都看見了。來吧，我們重建耶路撒冷的城牆，免得再受凌辱！」
18 I told them about the hand of my God which was good on me, and also about the king’s words that he had spoken to me. They said, “Let’s rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
我告訴他們我上帝施恩的手怎樣幫助我，並王對我所說的話。他們就說：「我們起來建造吧！」於是他們奮勇做這善工。
19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite servant, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they ridiculed us and despised us, and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?”
但和倫人參巴拉，並為奴的亞捫人多比雅和阿拉伯人基善聽見就嗤笑我們，藐視我們，說：「你們做甚麼呢？要背叛王嗎？」
20 Then I answered them, and said to them, “The God of heaven will prosper us. Therefore we, his servants, will arise and build; but you have no portion, nor right, nor memorial in Jerusalem.”
我回答他們說：「天上的上帝必使我們亨通。我們作他僕人的，要起來建造；你們卻在耶路撒冷無分、無權、無紀念。」
