< Nehemiah 4 >

1 But it came to pass, when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, it angered him, and he was greatly displeased, —and mocked the Jews;
Esime Sanbalat se be míegbugbɔ gli la nɔ ɖoɖom la, edo dɔmedzoe ŋutɔ. Edzu mí, ɖu fewu le Yudatɔwo ŋu
2 and spake before his brethren, and the army of Samaria, and said, What are, these feeble Jews, doing? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they bring to life the stones out of the heaps of dust, when, they, have been burned up?
le xɔlɔ̃awo kple Samariatɔwo ƒe asrafoha la ŋkume be, “Nu ka Yudatɔ gblɔe siawo bu be yewole wɔwɔm? Ɖe wobu be yewoate ŋu agbugbɔ gli la aɖo le ŋkeke ɖeka me ne yewosa vɔ geɖewoa? Mikpɔ kpe ƒodzo siwo wole ɖeɖem le gli gbagbãwo me hegale wo ŋu dɔ wɔm ɖa!”
3 Now, Tobiah the Ammonite, was beside him, —so he said, Even that which they are building, if a fox should go up, he would break down their stone wall!
Tobia, Amonitɔ la tsi tsitre ɖe egbɔ, eye eya hã gblɔ fewuɖutɔe be, “Ne abei aɖe gɔ̃ hã zɔ woƒe gli dzi la, gli la amu gbloo!”
4 Hear, O our God, for we have become a contempt, and turn thou back their reproach upon their own head, —and give them up as a prey, in the land of captivity;
Ale medo gbe ɖa na Mawu be, “Oo, Aƒetɔ mía Mawu, ɖo to mí, elabena wole fewu ɖum le mía ŋu. Na woƒe fewuɖuɖu natrɔ adze woawo ŋutɔ ƒe ta dzi, eye woaɖe aboyo wo ayi dzronyigba aɖe dzi.
5 and do not cover their iniquity, and, their sin before thee, let it not be blotted out, —for they have caused vexation before them who are building.
Mègaŋe aɖaba ƒu woƒe vodadawo dzi o, eye mègatutu woƒe nu vɔ̃wo ɖa le ŋkuwò me o, elabena wodo vlo wò, to vlododo mí, ame siwo le wò gli la ɖom la me.”
6 So we built the wall, and all the wall was finished unto the half thereof, —and the people had a mind to work.
Mlɔeba la, míewu gli la nu ƒo xlã du blibo la wòkɔ abe tsãtɔ ƒe kɔkɔme ƒe afã ene, elabena dɔa wɔlawo wɔ dɔ sesĩe kple moveviɖoɖo.
7 But it came to pass, when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabians and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repair of the walls of Jerusalem had gone up, that the breaches began to be stopped, that it angered them exceedingly;
Ke esi Sanbalat kple Tobia kple Arabiatɔwo kple Amonitɔwo kple Asdodtɔwo se be dɔa le edzi yim nyuie, eye wogbugbɔ gli la ƒe gbagbãƒewo le ɖoɖom la, wodo dɔmedzoe vevie.
8 and they conspired, all of them together, to come, to fight against Jerusalem, —and to cause it harm;
Woɖo be yewoatsɔ aʋakɔ aɖe aho aʋa ɖe Yerusalem ŋu, eye yewoahe ʋunyaʋunya kple tɔtɔ vɛ.
9 howbeit we prayed unto our God, —and set a watch against them, day and night, because of them.
Ke míedo gbe ɖa na míaƒe Mawu, eye míedzɔ dua ŋu zã kple keli be míanɔ dedie.
10 Then said Judah, The strength of the burden-bearer faileth, and, the rubbish, aboundeth, —and, we, are not able to build at the wall;
Ame siwo nɔ Yuda gblɔ be, “Ŋusẽ le vɔvɔm le dɔwɔlawo ŋu, eye gli gbagbã si woli kɔe la sɔ gbɔ ale gbegbe be míate ŋu agbugbɔ gli la aɖo o.”
11 and our adversaries have said, They shall not know, neither shall they see, until we come into their midst, and slay them, —so shall we cause the work to cease.
Gawu la, míaƒe futɔwo nɔ ta me ɖom be yewoadze mía dzi, awu mí ale be míaƒe dɔ la wɔwɔ natɔ.
12 But it came to pass, when the Jews dwelling near them came in, then said they unto us, ten times, From all places whither ye shall turn, [they will be] upon us!
Tete Yudatɔ siwo nɔ wo dome la va gblɔ na mí zi ewo be, “Woatso teƒe vovovowo ava dze mía dzi.”
13 So I set—on the lower slopes of the place behind the wall in the waste grounds, —yea I set the people, by their families, with their swords, their spears and their bows.
Ale meda dzɔla siwo si yi, akplɔ kple dati nɔ la tso ƒome ɖe sia ɖe me ɖe gli la megbe le teƒe siwo gli gbagbãwo meli kɔ ɖo o.
14 Then I looked and rose up, and said—unto the nobles and unto the deputies and unto the rest of the people, Do not ye fear because of them, —the great and fearful Lord, remember ye, so shall ye fight for your brethren, your sons and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.
Mebu nu si le edzi yim la ŋuti nyuie, eye metsi tsitre gblɔ na bubumewo, dɔnunɔlawo kple ame haho la be, “Migavɔ̃ na wo o. Miɖo ŋku Aƒetɔ si sẽ ŋu, eye ŋɔdzi le eŋuti la dzi ne miawɔ aʋa ɖe mia nɔviŋutsuwo, mia viŋutsuwo, mia vinyɔnuwo, mia srɔ̃wo kple miaƒe aƒewo ta.”
15 And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had overturned their counsel, then returned we, all of us, unto the wall, every man unto his work.
Esi míaƒe futɔwo se be míenya nu tso yewoƒe ɖoɖowo ŋu, eye be Mawu ɖe yewoƒe ɖoɖowo fia mí, eye wògblẽ wo me la, mí katã míetrɔ va yi gli la ɖoɖo dzi.
16 And it came to pass, from that day, the half of my young men, were working in the work, and, the half of them, were grasping the spears, the bucklers, and the bows, and the coats of mail, —but, the rulers, were behind all the house of Judah.
Tso gbe ma gbe dzi la, dɔwɔlawo ƒe afã koe wɔa dɔ la, eye afã mamlɛa léa akplɔwo, akpoxɔnuwo, aŋutrɔwo kple lãnu bubuwo ɖe asi henɔa Yudatɔ,
17 They who were building at the wall and they who were carrying burdens, they who were lifting, [each man], with his one hand, was working at the work, and, with the other, was grasping the weapon.
siwo le gli la ɖom la megbe. Ame siwo nɔ kɔ lɔm la hã wɔa dɔ kple asi ɖeka, eye woléa aʋawɔnu ɖe asi evelia.
18 Even they who were building, every man, had his sword girded upon his loins, and so was building, —and, he that sounded the horn, was by my side.
Ke ame siwo nɔ gli la ɖom ya ta yi ɖe ali hafi nɔ dɔ la wɔm. Ke kpẽkula ya nɔ nye axadzi.
19 So I said unto the nobles and unto the deputies, and unto the rest of the people, The work, is great and large, —and, we, are separated upon the wall, far away, each man from his brother:
Meɖe eme na bubumeawo, dɔnunɔlawo kple ame haho la be, “Dɔ la keke ta, míema ɖe eŋuti ale mía dome didi tso mía nɔewo gbɔ le gli la ŋuti,
20 In what place soever ye shall hear the sound of the horn, thither, gather yourselves unto us, —our God, will fight for us.
eya ta ne mienya se kpẽa ƒe ɖiɖi ko la, miƒu du va mía gbɔ afii. Míaƒe Mawu la awɔ aʋa na mí!”
21 So, we, were working at the work, —one half of them, grasping the spears, from the uprisings of the dawn, until the coming out of the stars.
Ale míeyi dɔ la wɔwɔ dzi; ŋutsu afã lé akplɔwo ɖe asi tso agudzeɣi va se ɖe esime ɣletiviwo nato.
22 Moreover, at that time, I said to the people, Let, every one with his young man, lodge for the night in the midst of Jerusalem, —so shall they serve us, in the night, as a watch, and, the day, for work.
Megblɔ na ame siwo katã le gli la godo be woava Yerusalem du la me ale be woƒe subɔlawo nate ŋu adzɔ du la ŋu le zã me, eye woawɔ dɔ le ŋkeke me.
23 So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my young men, nor the men of the watch that followed me, none of us, put off our clothes, —every one [went] with his weapon to the water.
Le ɣeyiɣi sia me la, mía dometɔ aɖeke, nye ŋutɔ kple nɔvinyewo kple subɔlawo kple duŋudzɔla siwo nɔ gbɔnye la, míeɖea awu ɖi o, eye aʋawɔnuwo nɔa mía ŋu ɣe sia ɣi ne míeyi tsinoƒe gɔ̃ hã.

< Nehemiah 4 >