Nehemiah 4

1 When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the city wall, he was very angry. He was enraged/furious. He made fun of us Jews.

Nígbà tí Sanballati gbọ́ pé àwa ń tún odi náà mọ, ó bínú, ó sì bínú púpọ̀. Ó fi àwọn ará Júù ṣe ẹlẹ́yà,

2 While his colleagues and officials of the army troops who had come from Samaria were listening, he said, “What do these feeble/pathetic Jews [think they] are doing? Do they think that if they offer enough/many sacrifices, [their gods will hear them and enable] them to finish building the wall in one day? The stones [that were in the wall previously have been weakened by] being burned in a fire. Those stones that they are pulling out of the rubbish/garbage heaps—do they think that they can make them strong again?” [RHQ]

ó sọ níwájú àwọn ẹlẹgbẹ́ rẹ̀ àti níwájú àwọn ọmọ-ogun Samaria pé, “Kí ni àwọn aláìlera Júù wọ̀nyí ń ṣe yìí? Ṣé wọn yóò mú odi wọn padà ni? Ṣé wọn yóò rú ẹbọ ni? Ṣé wọn yóò parí i rẹ̀ lóòjọ́ ni bí? Ṣé wọ́n lè mú òkúta tí a ti sun láti inú òkìtì padà bọ̀ sípò tí ó jóná bí wọ́n ṣe wà?”

3 Tobiah was [standing] beside Sanballat. He said, “That stone wall [that they are building] is very weak; so if even a fox climbed up on it, the wall would fall down!”

Tobiah ará Ammoni, ẹni tí ó wà lẹ́gbẹ̀ẹ́ rẹ̀, wí pé, “Ohun tí wọ́n ń mọ—bí kọ̀lọ̀kọ̀lọ̀ lásán bá gùn ún sókè, yóò fọ́ odi òkúta wọn lulẹ̀!”

4 Then I prayed. I said, “Our God, hear us, because they are ridiculing us! Cause the words of their insults to fall back on them! Allow their enemies to come and capture them and force them to go to a foreign land!

Gbọ́ ti wa, Ọlọ́run wa, nítorí àwa di ẹni ẹ̀gàn. Dá ẹ̀gàn wọn padà sórí ara wọn. Kí o sì fi wọ́n fún ìkógun ní ilẹ̀ ìgbèkùn.

5 They are guilty; they have [said things that] caused you to be angry while the people here who are building the wall are listening; so punish them!”

Má ṣe bo ẹ̀bi wọn tàbí wẹ àwọn ẹ̀ṣẹ̀ wọn nù kúrò níwájú rẹ, nítorí wọ́n mú ọ bínú níwájú àwọn ọ̀mọ̀lé.

6 But after some time, we finished building the wall around the whole city, up to half as high as the first wall had been. We were able to do that because we worked very hard.

Bẹ́ẹ̀ ni àwa mọ odi náà títí gbogbo rẹ̀ fi dé ìdajì gíga rẹ̀, nítorí àwọn ènìyàn ṣiṣẹ́ pẹ̀lú gbogbo ọkàn an wọn.

7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the men from Arabia, the people from the Ammon [people-group] and from Ashdod [city] heard that the work on the wall was continuing and that we were filling in the gaps in the wall, they became very angry.

Ṣùgbọ́n nígbà tí Sanballati, Tobiah, àwọn ará Arabia, ará Ammoni, àti àwọn ènìyàn Aṣdodu gbọ́ pé àtúnṣe odi Jerusalẹmu ti ga dé òkè àti pé a ti mọ àwọn ibi tí ó yá dí, inú bí wọn gidigidi.

8 They all planned to come and fight against the people of Jerusalem [MTY] and to cause trouble.

Gbogbo wọn jọ gbìmọ̀ pọ̀ láti wá bá Jerusalẹmu jà àti láti dìde wàhálà sí í.

9 But we prayed to our God [to protect us], and we put men [around the walls] to guard [the city] day and night.

Ṣùgbọ́n àwa gbàdúrà sí Ọlọ́run wa, a sì yan olùṣọ́ ọ̀sán àti ti òru láti kojú ìhàlẹ̀ yìí.

10 Then the people of [MTY] Judah started to say, “The men who are working [on the wall] are becoming very tired. There is a lot of [heavy] rubble that we must remove; we ourselves cannot finish the work.

Lákòókò yìí, àwọn ènìyàn Juda wí pé, “Agbára àwọn òṣìṣẹ́ ti dínkù, àlàpà púpọ̀ ni ó wà tó bẹ́ẹ̀ tí àwa kò fi le è mọ odi náà.”

11 “Besides, our enemies are saying, ‘Before the Jews see us, we will swoop down on them and kill them and stop their work [on the wall]!’”

Bẹ́ẹ̀ sì ni àwọn ọ̀tá wa wí pé, “Kí wọn tó mọ̀ tàbí kí wọn tó rí wa, àwa yóò ti dé àárín wọn, a ó sì pa wọ́n, a ó sì dá iṣẹ́ náà dúró.”

12 The Jews who were living near our enemies came and told us many times, “You should leave the city and go to other places, in order that your enemies will not attack you!”

Nígbà náà ni àwọn Júù tí ó ń gbé ní ẹ̀gbẹ́ wọn wá sọ fún wa ní ìgbà mẹ́wàá pé, “Ibikíbi tí ẹ̀yin bá padà sí, wọn yóò kọlù wá.”

13 So I put guards at the places where the wall was not very high yet and at places where there were gaps in the wall. I put guards to protect each of their family groups. I gave the guards daggers, spears, and bows [and arrows].

Nítorí náà mo dá ènìyàn díẹ̀ dúró níbi tí ó rẹlẹ̀ jù lẹ́yìn odi ní ibi gbangba, mo fi wọ́n síbẹ̀ nípa àwọn ìdílé wọn, pẹ̀lú àwọn idà wọn, àwọn ọ̀kọ̀ wọn àti àwọn ọrun wọn.

14 Then after I inspected everything, I summoned the leaders and [other] officials and [many of] the other people, and I said to them, “Do not be afraid of our enemies! Think about [what] Yahweh, who is great and glorious, [can do]! And fight to protect your friends, your families, and your homes!”

Lẹ́yìn ìgbà tí mo wo àwọn nǹkan yíká, mo dìde mo sì wí fún àwọn ọlọ́lá àwọn ìjòyè àti àwọn ènìyàn tókù pé, “Ẹ má ṣe bẹ̀rù u wọn. Ẹ rántí Olúwa, ẹni tí ó tóbi, tí ó sì ní ẹ̀rù, kí ẹ sì jà fún àwọn arákùnrin yín, àwọn ọmọkùnrin yín, àwọn ọmọbìnrin yín, àwọn ìyàwó yín àti àwọn ilé yín.”

15 Our enemies heard that we knew what they were planning to do and that God had (spoiled their plans/prevented them from doing what they planned). [But we were sure that God would defend us, ] so we all started to work on the wall again.

Nígbà tí àwọn ọ̀tá wa gbọ́ pé àwa ti mọ èrò wọn àti wí pé Ọlọ́run ti bà á jẹ́, gbogbo wa padà sí ibi odi, ẹnìkọ̀ọ̀kan sí ibi iṣẹ́ tirẹ̀.

16 But after that, only half of the men who were working for me worked on the wall. The others stood there on guard, holding their spears, shields, bows [and arrows], and [wearing their] coats made of metal plates. [To encourage the people] were building the wall, their leaders stood behind them.

Láti ọjọ́ náà lọ, ìdajì àwọn ènìyàn ń ṣe iṣẹ́ náà, nígbà tí àwọn ìdajì tókù múra pẹ̀lú ọ̀kọ̀, asà, ọrun àti ìhámọ́ra. Àwọn ìjòyè sì pín ara wọn sẹ́yìn gbogbo ènìyàn Juda.

17 Those who carried [baskets of supplies on their heads/shoulders] and those who built the wall did their work with one hand, and held a weapon with the other hand.

Àwọn ẹni tí ó ń mọ odi. Àwọn tí ń ru àwọn ohun èlò ṣe iṣẹ́ náà pẹ̀lú ọwọ́ kan, wọ́n sì fi ọwọ́ kejì di ohun ìjà mú,

18 All those who were building [the wall] had a dagger fastened to their side. The man who would blow the trumpet [if our enemies attacked] was standing at my side.

olúkúlùkù àwọn ọ̀mọ̀lé fi idà wọn sí ẹ̀gbẹ́ wọn bí wọ́n ṣe ń ṣiṣẹ́. Ṣùgbọ́n ọkùnrin tí ń fọn ìpè dúró pẹ̀lú mi.

19 Then I said to the officials, the other important men, and the other people, “This wall is very long, and we are far apart from each other along the wall.

Nígbà náà ni mo sọ fún àwọn ọlọ́lá, àwọn ìjòyè àti àwọn ènìyàn tókù pé, “Iṣẹ́ náà fẹ̀ ó sì pọ̀, a sì ti jìnnà sí ara wa púpọ̀ lórí odi.

20 If you hear the man blowing the trumpet, gather around us at that place. [Remember that] our God will fight for us!”

Níbikíbi tí ẹ bá ti gbọ́ ohùn ìpè, ẹ da ara pọ̀ mọ́ wa níbẹ̀. Ọlọ́run wa yóò jà fún wa!”

21 So we continued to work. Half of the men continued to hold their spears all day, from when the sun rose [in the morning] until the stars appeared [at night].

Bẹ́ẹ̀ ni àwa ṣe iṣẹ́ náà pẹ̀lú àwọn ìdajì ènìyàn tí ó di ọ̀kọ̀ mú, láti òwúrọ̀ kùtùkùtù títí di ìgbà tí ìràwọ̀ yóò fi yọ.

22 At that time, I also said to the people, “Tell every worker and his helper that they must stay inside Jerusalem at night. By doing that, they can guard us at night, and they can work [on the wall] during the daytime.”

Ní ìgbà náà mo tún sọ fún àwọn ènìyàn pé, “Jẹ́ kí olúkúlùkù ènìyàn àti olùrànlọ́wọ́ rẹ̀ dúró ní Jerusalẹmu ní òru, nítorí kí wọn le jẹ́ ẹ̀ṣọ́ fún wa ní òru, kí wọn sì le ṣe iṣẹ́ ní ọ̀sán.”

23 During that time, none of us ever took off our clothes (OR, we wore our clothes all the time)—I and my relatives and my workers and the guards who were with me. And we had our weapons with us, in our hands.

Bẹ́ẹ̀ ni èmi àti àwọn arákùnrin mi àti àwọn ènìyàn mi àti àwọn ẹ̀ṣọ́ tí ó wà pẹ̀lú mi kò bọ́ aṣọ wa, olúkúlùkù wa ní ohun ìjà tirẹ̀, kódà nígbà tí wọ́n bá ń lọ pọn omi.