Nehemiah 2
1 Nowe in the moneth Nisan in the twentieth yere of king Artahshashte, the wine stoode before him, and I tooke vp the wine, and gaue it vnto the King. nowe I was not before time sad in his presence.
在阿塔薛西斯王二十年「尼散」月，輪到我掌酒時，我拿起酒來，獻給國王。我不願在王面前現出憂愁，
2 And the king said vnto me, Why is thy coutenance sad, seeing thou art not sicke? this is nothing, but sorow of heart. Then was I sore afrayd,
王卻問我說：「你不像有病，為什麼面帶愁容﹖沒有別的，你心中一定有愁事! 」我很是驚慌，
3 And I said to the King, God saue the King for euer: why should not my countenance be sad, when the citie and house of the sepulchres of my fathers lieth waste, and the gates thereof are deuoured with fire?
便向君王說：「大王萬歲! 我祖先墳墓所在的城池，成了廢墟，城門為火焚毀，我怎能不面帶愁容呢﹖」
4 And the King said vnto me, For what thing doest thou require? Then I prayed to the God of heauen,
王問我說：「你要求什麼﹖」我向天上的天主祈禱之後，
5 And sayde vnto the King, If it please the King, and if thy seruant haue found fauour in thy sight, I desire that thou wouldest send me to Iudah vnto the city of the sepulchres of my fathers, that I may buyld it.
回答君王說：「大王若看著好，你僕人在你面前若獲得寵遇，就打發我回猶大去，到我祖先墳墓所在的城去，重修那城。」
6 And the King sayd vnto me, (the Queene also sitting by him) How long shall thy iourney be? and when wilt thou come againe? So it pleased the King, and he sent me, and I set him a time.
那時，皇后也在旁坐著；王便向我說：「你旅行需要多久﹖你幾時能回來﹖」我向君王說了一個時期；王以為好，就准許我去。
7 After I saide vnto the King, If it please the King, let them giue mee letters to the captaines beyond the Riuer, that they may conuay me ouer, till I come into Iudah,
我又向王說：「大王若看著好，請賜我一詔書，通知河西州長放我通行，直到猶大；
8 And letters vnto Asaph the keeper of the Kings parke, that hee may giue me timber to buylde the gates of the palace (which apperteined to the house) and for the walles of the citie, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the King gaue me according to the good hand of my God vpon me.
另一詔書，通知護守王家園林的阿撒夫，令他給我木料，為做聖殿堡壘的門戶、城牆和我要住的房舍之用。」賴我的天主慈善的手扶助我，君王都賜給了我。
9 Then came I to the captaines beyonde the Riuer, and gaue them the Kings letters. And the King had sent captaines of the armie and horsemen with me.
我一來到河西州長那裏，便向他們呈上君王的詔書。同時君王還派了隊長和馬兵協助我。
10 But Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah a seruant an Ammonite heard it, and it grieued them sore, that there was come a man which sought the wealth of the children of Israel.
曷龍人桑巴拉特和作臣僕的阿孟人托彼雅，聽說此事，很不高興有人來為以色列子民謀圖福利。
11 So I came to Ierusalem, and was there three dayes.
我到了耶路撒冷，在那裏停留了三天之後，
12 And I rose in the night, I, and a fewe men with me: for I told no man, what God had put in mine heart to do at Ierusalem, and there was not a beast with me, saue the beast whereon I rode.
夜間，我和跟隨我的幾個人起來；當時我並沒有告訴任何人，有關我的天主激發我的心，要為耶路撒冷所作的事；除了我騎的一頭牲口外，也沒有別的牲口。
13 And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, and came before the dragon well, and to the dung porte, and vewed the walles of Ierusalem, howe they were broken downe, and the portes thereof deuoured with the fire.
夜間我出來，經過谷門到了龍泉前，又到了糞門，觀察耶路撒冷城牆那裏有缺口，並見城門已被火焚毀。
14 Then I went foorth vnto the gate of the fountaine, and to the Kings fishpoole, and there was no rowme for the beast that was vnder me to passe.
以後，又到了泉門，到了王池，但那地方不能騎我的牲口過去，
15 Then went I vp in ye night by the brooke, and viewed the wall, and turned backe, and comming backe, I entred by the gate of the valley and returned.
遂在夜間，由山澗攀登而上，視察了城垣，然後轉身，由谷門進來，回了家。
16 And the rulers knewe not whither I was gone, nor what I did, neither did I as yet tell it vnto the Iewes, nor to the Priestes, nor to the noble men, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that laboured in the worke.
我到過那裏，或作什麼，官員都不知道；直到此時，我也沒有告訴過猶太人、司祭、權貴、官員和其他工作人員。
17 Afterward I said vnto them, Ye see the miserie that we are in, how Ierusalem lyeth waste, and the gates thereof are burnt with fire: come and let vs buylde the wall of Ierusalem, that we be no more a reproche.
於是我向他們說：「你們都清楚我們所處的苦境：耶路撒冷成了廢墟，城門為火焚毀。來，讓我們重修耶路撒冷的城垣，免得再受人恥笑! 」
18 Then I tolde them of the hande of my God, (which was good ouer me) and also of the Kings wordes that he had spoken vnto me. And they sayd, Let vs rise, and buyld. So they strengthened their hand to good.
隨後，我又向他們報告：我的天主慈善的手怎樣扶助了我，以及君王向我說過什麼話。他們遂說道：「起來，大家一同修建! 」眾人勇氣倍增，遂著手進行。
19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the seruant an Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian heard it, they mocked vs and despised vs, and said, What a thing is this that ye doe? Will ye rebell against the King?
當曷龍人桑巴拉特、作臣僕的阿孟人托彼雅，和阿剌伯人革笙聽說這事，就譏笑我們，侮辱我們說：「你們在那裏幹什麼﹖要背叛君王嗎﹖」
20 Then answered I them, and sayd to them, The God of heauen, he will prosper vs, and we his seruants will rise vp and buylde: but as for you, ye haue no portion nor right, nor memoriall in Ierusalem.
我答覆他們說：「天上的天主必要使我們成功；我們是他的僕役，要動工興建；至於你們，在耶路撒冷無分無權，也無可留念的事物。」
