Nehemiah 4

1 Now it happened that, when Sanballat had heard that we were building the wall, he was very angry. And having been moved exceedingly, he ridiculed 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 said, before his brothers and a crowd of the Samaritans: “What are the foolish Jews doing? Can it be that the Gentiles will allow them? Will they sacrifice and finish in one day? Do they have the ability to make stones out of piles of dust that have been burned up?”

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 Then too, Tobiah, an Ammonite, his assistant, said: “Let them build. When the fox climbs, he will leap over 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 Listen, O our God, for we have become an object of contempt. Turn their reproach upon their own head, and grant that they may be despised in a 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 May you not conceal their iniquity, and may their sin not be wiped away, before your face, for they have ridiculed those who are building.

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 And so we built the wall, and we joined it together, even to the unfinished portion. And the heart of the people was stirred up for the 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 Now it happened that, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabs, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites had heard that the walls of Jerusalem had been closed, and that the breaches had begun to be repaired, they were exceedingly 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 they all gathered together, so that they might go forth and fight against Jerusalem, and so that they might prepare ambushes.

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

9 And we prayed to our God, and we stationed guards upon the wall, day and night, against 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 Then Judah said: “The strength of those who carry has diminished, and the amount of material is very great, and so we will not be 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 enemies said: “Let them neither know, nor realize, until we arrive in their midst, and kill 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 Now it happened that, on ten occasions, some Jews arrived who were living near them, from all the places from which they came to us, and they told us this.

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 So I stationed the people in order, in places behind the wall, all around it, with their swords, and lances, and 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 gazed around, and I rose up. And I said to the nobles, and to the magistrates, and to the rest of the common people: “Do not be afraid before their face. Remember the great and terrible Lord, and fight on behalf of your brothers, your sons and your daughters, and your wives and your households.”

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 Then it happened that, when our enemies had heard that it had been reported to us, God defeated their counsel. And we all returned to the walls, each one to his own 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 happened that, from that day, half of their young men were doing the work, and half were prepared for war with lances, and shields, and bows, and armor. And the leaders were behind them in 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 As for those building the wall, and carrying the burdens, and setting things in place: one of his hands was doing the work, and the other was holding a sword.

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 each one of the builders was girded with a sword at the waist. And they were building, and they were sounding a trumpet beside 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 magistrates, and to the rest of the common people: “The work is great and wide, and we are separated on the wall far from one 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 At whatever place you hear the sound of the trumpet, rush to that place for us. Our God will fight on our behalf.

‌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 And so let us accomplish the work. And let one half part of us hold spears, from the ascent of dawn until the stars come out.”

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 Also at that time, I said to the people: “Let each one with his servant remain in the midst of Jerusalem. And let us take turns, throughout the night and day, in doing the work.”

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 But I and my brothers, and my servants, and the guards who were behind me, we did not take off our clothes; each one only removed his clothes to wash.

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.