Nehemiah 13

1 On that day, when someone read to the people parts of the laws [that God gave] to Moses, they read where it was written that no one from the Ammon people-group or the Moab people-group was ever to be allowed to be with God’s people while they were gathered together [to worship].

Yon jou, pandan yo t'ap li nan liv lalwa Moyiz la pou pèp la, yo rive yon kote ki di: Moun Amon yo ak moun Moab yo pa janm gen dwa mete pwent pye yo kote pèp Bondye a sanble.

2 The reason for that was that the people of Ammon and the people of Moab did not give/sell any food or water to the Israelis [while the Israelis were going through their areas after they left Egypt]. Instead, the people of Ammon and Moab paid money to Balaam in order that he would curse the Israelis. But God commanded Balaam to bless the people, not to curse them.

Paske moun Amon ak moun Moab yo te refize bay moun pèp Izrayèl yo pen ak dlo lè yo t'ap soti kite peyi Lejip la. Okontrè, yo bay Balaram lajan pou l' te ka madichonnen yo. Men, Bondye fè tou, li vire madichon an, li fè l' tounen benediksyon.

3 So when the people heard these laws [being read to them], they sent away all the people whose ancestors had come from other countries.

Lè moun pèp Izrayèl yo tande sa yo te li nan liv lalwa a, yo pran tout moun lòt nasyon ki t'ap viv nan mitan yo, yo mete yo deyò.

4 Previously, Eliashib the priest had been appointed to be in charge of the storerooms in the temple. He was a relative of [our enemy] Tobiah.

Anvan tout bagay sa yo, se Elyachib, yonn nan prèt yo, yo te mete reskonsab chanm depo magazen tanp lan. Li te fanmi prèt Tobija.

5 He allowed Tobiah to use a large room in which they had previously stored the grain offerings and the incense, the equipment that is used in the temple, the offerings [that the people had brought] for the priests, and the tithes of grain and wine and [olive] oil that [God] had commanded the people to bring to the [other] descendants of Levi, and to the temple musicians, and to the temple guards.

Se konsa li pran yonn nan gwo chanm depo kote yo te konn mete ofrann yo, lansan an, veso ki sèvi nan tanp lan, ofrann ladim sou ble a, sou diven nivo a ak sou lwil, ofrann yo te fè pou moun Levi yo, pou mizisyen yo ak pou gad pòtay yo, ansanm ak pòsyon yo mete apa pou prèt yo, li fè ranje chanm lan pou Tobija.

6 While [Tobias was using that room], I was not in Jerusalem, because in the 32nd year that Artaxerxes was the king of Babylonia, I went back there to report to him. After a while I requested the king to allow me to return to Jerusalem, [and he allowed me to go].

Pandan tout bagay sa yo t'ap pase, mwen pa t' lavil Jerizalèm paske, lè wa Atagzèsès te rive sou tranndezan depi l' t'ap gouvènen, nou te fè yon vwayaj al bò kote l'. Kèk tan apre sa, li ban m' otorizasyon ankò,

7 When I arrived in Jerusalem, I found out that Eliashib had done an evil thing by allowing Tobiah to use a room in God’s temple.

epi m' tounen lavil Jerizalèm. Se lè sa a mwen vin konnen move bagay Elyachib te fè a, lè li te pran yon chanm nan lakou tanp Bondye a pou l' te bay Tobija rete.

8 I became very angry, and I threw out of that room everything that belonged to Tobiah.

Mwen te fache anpil poutèt sa. Mwen pran tout mèb ki te lakay Tobija yo, mwen jete yo deyò nan lari.

9 Then I commanded [that they perform a ritual] to make the rooms (pure/acceptable to God) again. And I also ordered that all the equipment used in the temple and all the grain offerings and incense should be put in that room again.

Lèfini, mwen bay lòd pou yo fè sèvis pou mete chanm depo yo nan kondisyon pou fè sèvis Bondye, apre sa pou yo mete tout veso ki pou sèvis tanp lan, ansanm ak ofrann yo ak lansan an nan plas yo ankò.

10 I also found out that the temple musicians and [other] descendants of Levi had left Jerusalem and returned to their fields/farms, because the Israeli people had not been bringing to them the food [that they needed].

Mwen vin konnen tou pèp la pa t' bay sa pou yo te bay pou moun Levi yo, kifè moun Levi yo ak mizisyen yo te leve kite travay yo lavil Jerizalèm, yo tounen nan jaden yo.

11 So I rebuked the officials, saying to them, “(Why have you not taken care of the work in the temple?/It is disgraceful that you have not taken care of the work in the temple.)” [RHQ] So I brought the descendants of Levi and the musicians back to the temple, and told them to do their work there again.

Mwen rale zòrèy chèf yo, mwen mande yo poukisa yo pa okipe tanp la ankò. Mwen voye chache moun Levi yo ak mizisyen yo, m' fè yo tounen nan tanp lan vin fè travay yo.

12 Then all the people of Judah again started to bring to the temple storerooms their tithes of grain, wine, and [olive] oil.

Lè sa a, tout moun pèp Izrayèl yo pote ofrann ladim ble, ladim diven ak ladim lwil vin mete nan depo a.

13 I appointed these men to be in charge of the storerooms: Shelemiah, who was a priest; Zadok, who knew the Jewish laws very well; and Pedaiah, a descendant of Levi. I appointed Hanan, who is the son of Zaccur and grandson of Mattaniah, to assist them. I knew that I could trust these men while they distributed those offerings to their fellow workers.

Mwen chwazi twa moun: Chelemya, yon prèt, Zadòk, yon direktè lalwa, ak Pedaja, yon moun Levi, mwen mete yo reskonsab chanm depo yo. Mwen chwazi yon lòt moun, Anan, pitit gason Zakou, pitit pitit Matanya, pou ede yo nan travay la. Mwen konnen mesye sa yo te nèg serye. Se yo ki te reskonsab separe pwovizyon yo bay prèt ak moun Levi parèy yo.

14 My God, do not forget all these good things that I have faithfully done for your temple and for the work that is done there!

Se poutèt sa, O Bondye mwen, pa bliye m', tanpri! Pa bliye tout bagay sa yo mwen te fè pou tanp ou a ak pou regleman ou bay yo, paske mwen bay lavi m' nèt pou sèvi ou!

15 During that time, I saw some people in Judea [who were working] on the Sabbath day. [Some were] pressing grapes [to make wine]. Others were putting grain, [bags of] wine, [baskets of] grapes, figs, and many [HYP] other things, on their donkeys and taking them into Jerusalem. I warned them that they should not sell things to the people of Judea on Sabbath days.

Lè sa a tou, mwen wè kèk moun nan peyi Jida a ki t'ap fè ji rezen gwo jou repo a. Gen lòt menm ki t'ap chaje pakèt ble, diven, rezen, fig frans ak anpil lòt chay toujou sou bourik pou yo ale lavil Jerizalèm jou repo a. Mwen avèti yo pou yo pa vann jou sa a.

16 I also saw some people from Tyre [city] who were living there in Jerusalem who were bringing fish and other things [into Jerusalem] to sell to the people of Judea on the Sabbath day.

Te gen kèk moun lavil Tir ki te rete lavil Jerizalèm pou fè kòmès. Yo te konn pote pwason ak tout lòt kalite machandiz pou yo te vann moun Jida yo jou repo a.

17 So I rebuked the Jewish leaders and told them, “This is [RHQ] a very evil thing that you are doing! You are causing the Sabbath days to be unholy.

Mwen rale zòrèy chèf peyi Jida yo, mwen di yo: -Ki kalite bagay lèd n'ap fè la a konsa! Gade jan n'ap derespekte jou repo Bondye a non!

18 Your ancestors did [RHQ] things like that, so God punished them, and as a result, this city was destroyed! And now by causing the Sabbath day to be unholy, you are going to cause God to be angry with us Israeli people [and punish us] more!”

Se sa menm zansèt nou yo te konn fè, kifè Bondye nou an te pini nou, li te kite tout malè sa yo tonbe sou nou ak sou lavil la. Koulye a n'ap fè Bondye pi fache toujou lè nou pa respekte jou repo li a!

19 So I ordered that at (the beginning of every Sabbath day/every Friday evening) they should shut the gates of the city before it became dark. I also ordered that they should not open the gates until (the Sabbath day was ended [the next day]/Saturday evening). Then [each Sabbath day] I put some of my men at the gates, so they would make sure that nothing to sell was brought into the city on that day.

Se konsa mwen bay lòd pou yo toujou fèmen tout batan pòtay lavil la pou tout jou repo a, depi lavèy lè solèy fin kouche, epi pou yo kite yo fèmen pou jouk nan denmen lè solèy la va kouche ankò. Mwen mete kèk moun pa m' menm ap veye bò pòtay yo pou ankenn chay pa antre nan lavil la jou repo a.

20 One or two times merchants [DOU] stayed outside of the city on (Friday night/[the night before the Sabbath day]).

Yonn ou de fwa, kèk machann k'ap fè trafik vann tout kalite machandiz te blije pase nwit lavèy jou repo a, deyò lòt bò pòtay lavil Jerizalèm.

21 I warned them, “It is useless [RHQ] for you to stay here outside the walls [on Friday night]! If you do this again, I will tell my men to arrest you!” So after that, they did not come on Sabbath days.

Mwen avèti yo, mwen di yo: -Sa nou bezwen rete pase nwit lan deyò bò miray la fè? Si nou fè sa ankò, m'ap fè mete men sou nou. Depi lè sa a yo pa janm vini jou repo a ankò.

22 I also commanded the descendants of Levi to [perform the ritual to] purify themselves and to guard the city gates, to make sure that the Sabbath was kept holy [by not allowing merchants to enter it on Sabbath days]. My God, do not forget this also that I [have done for you]! And because of your faithfully loving me, allow me to continue to live [many more years]!

Mwen bay moun Levi yo lòd pou yo fè sèvis pou mete tèt pa yo nan kondisyon pou fè sèvis Bondye, apre sa pou yo vin veye pòtay yo pou nou te ka fete jou repo a jan Bondye vle l' la. Poutèt sa tou, o Bondye mwen, pa bliye mwen! Pou jan ou gen bon kè, tanpri, pitye pou mwen!

23 During that time, I also found out that many of the Jewish men had married women from Ashdod [city], and from [the] Ammon and Moab [people-groups].

Se lè sa a tou, mwen vin wè te gen anpil jwif ki te marye ak fanm ki te moun peyi Asdòd, moun peyi Amon osinon moun peyi Moab.

24 The result was that half of their children spoke the language that people in Ashdod speak or some other language, and they didn’t know how to speak our language.

Mwatye nan timoun yo te pale lang peyi Asdòd la ase ou ankò yon lòt kalite lang. Yo pa t' konn pale lang nou an.

25 So I rebuked those men, and I [asked God to] curse them, and I beat them and pulled out [some of] their hair. Then I forced them to solemnly promise, knowing that God [MTY] was [listening], that they would never again marry foreigners, and never allow their children to marry foreigners.

Mwen rale zòrèy mesye yo, mwen mande pou madichon tonbe sou yo. Mwen fè bat anpil ladan yo, mwen fè rache cheve nan tèt yo. Mwen fè yo fè sèman devan Bondye pou yo pa janm pran pitit fi yo pou yo marye yo ak mesye lòt nasyon yo, ni tou pou yo pa janm pran fi nan mitan fi lòt nasyon yo pou madanm pa yo osinon pou madanm pitit gason yo.

26 [I said to them], “Solomon, the king of Israel, sinned [RHQ] as a result of [marrying] foreign women. He was greater than any of the kings of other nations. God loved him, and caused him to become the king of all the Israeli people, but his foreign wives caused even him to sin.

Mwen di yo: -Se peche sa a menm wa Salomon te fè! Atout pa t' gen tankou l' nan tout wa lòt nasyon yo, atout Bondye l' la te renmen l', atout se Bondye menm ki te mete l' wa sou tout pèp Izrayèl la, se madanm lòt nasyon yo ki te pran tèt li pou fè l' fè sa ki mal.

27 [Do you think that] we should do what you have done, and disobey our God by marrying foreign women [who worship idols]? [RHQ]”

Koulye a nou ta renmen tout moun vin konnen n'ap fè menm gwo peche sa a, n'ap trayi Bondye nou an, n'ap marye ak medam ki moun lòt nasyon?

28 One of the sons of Jehoiada, the son of Eliashib the Supreme Priest, had married the daughter of [our enemy] Sanballat, from Beth-Horon [town]. So I forced Jehoiada’s son to leave Jerusalem.

Jojada te pitit Elyachib, granprèt la. Yonn nan pitit gason l' yo te marye ak pitit fi Sanbalat, nèg lavil Bèt-Owon an. Mwen mete l' deyò pou m' pa janm wè l' devan je m' ankò.

29 My God, do not forget that those people [who have married foreign women] have caused it to be a shame/disgrace to be a priest, and have caused people to despise the agreement that you made with the priests and with the [other] descendants of Levi [who help the priests])!

O Bondye mwen, pa janm bliye moun sa yo pou jan yo avili travay prèt yo ak kontra ou te siyen ak prèt yo ansanm ak moun Levi yo!

30 I did all that to make sure that there were no more foreign people among the [Israeli] people [who would encourage them to worship idols]. I also established regulations for the priests and [other] descendants of Levi, in order that they would know what work they should do.

Mwen te wete tout bagay ki pou moun lòt nasyon yo nan mitan pèp la pou yo te ka nan kondisyon pou sèvi Bondye. Mwen fè regleman pou prèt yo ak moun Levi yo. Konsa, chak moun te gen travay pa yo.

31 I also arranged for people to bring the firewood [that was needed to burn on the altar, as Moses had declared] that we should [do]. I also arranged for the people to bring the first part of what they harvested [each year]. My God, do not forget [that] I [have done all these things], and bless me [for doing them]!

Mwen bay lè pou yo fè ofrann bwa yo ak ofrann premye grenn ak premye fwi ki mi nan jaden lè rekòt. O Bondye mwen, pa bliye m' tande! Pa bliye se mwen menm ki fè tou sa!