Nehemiah 6

1 Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem, and our other enemies heard [a report] that we had finished rebuilding the wall, and that now there were no more (gaps/places where the wall was not finished) (although we had not yet put the doors in the gates).

Nangyari nga nang maibalita kay Sanballat at kay Tobias, at kay Gesem na taga Arabia, at sa nalabi sa aming mga kaaway, na aking naitayo na ang kuta, at wala nang sirang naiiwan doon; (bagaman hanggang sa panahong yaon ay hindi ko pa nailalagay ang mga pinto sa mga pintuang-bayan; )

2 So Sanballat and Geshem sent [a message] to me, in which they said “Come and talk with us at a place in Ono Plain [north of Jerusalem].” But [I knew that] really they wanted to harm me [if I went there].

Na si Sanballat at si Gesem ay nagsugo sa akin, na nagpapasabi, Ikaw ay parito, magkikita tayo sa isa ng mga nayon sa mga kapatagan ng Ono. Nguni't pinagisipan nila akong gawan ng masama.

3 So I sent messengers to them, to tell them, “I am doing an important work, and I cannot go down [there]. (Why should I stop doing this work just to go down to [talk with] you?/I do not want to stop doing this work just to go down to [talk with] you.)” [RHQ]

At ako'y nagsugo ng mga sugo sa kanila, na nangagsasabi, Ako'y gumagawa ng dakilang gawain, na anopa't hindi ako makababa: bakit ititigil ang gawain, habang aking maiiwan, at binababa kayo?

4 They sent me the same message four times, and each time when I replied to them I said the same thing.

At sila'y nangagsugo sa aking makaapat sa dahilang ito; at sinagot ko sila ng ayon sa gayon ding paraan.

5 Then Sanballat sent one of his servants to me, bringing a fifth message. This one was written, but it was not sealed. [He did that in order that others would read the message that the servant was carrying] in his hand.

Nang magkagayo'y sinugo ni Sanballat ang kaniyang lingkod sa akin ng gaya ng paraan ng ikalima na may bukas na sulat sa kaniyang kamay.

6 This is what was written in the message: “Some people in the nearby countries have heard a report that you and the other Jews are rebuilding the wall [in order to be able to resist attacks], because you are planning to revolt [against the king of Babylon]. And the report also says that you are planning to become the king [of the Israelis]. Geshem says that what they have reported is true.

Na kinasusulatan: Naibalita sa mga bansa, at sinasabi ni Gasmu na ikaw at ang mga Judio ay nagaakalang manghimagsik; na siyang kadahilanan ng iyong pagtatayo ng kuta: at ikaw ay magiging kanilang hari ayon sa mga salitang ito.

7 [People are also saying that] you have appointed some prophets to proclaim in Jerusalem that you, [Nehemiah, ] are now the king in Judea. King [Artaxerxes] will certainly hear these reports, [and then you will be in big trouble]. So I suggest that we should meet together to talk about this matter.”

At ikaw naman ay naghalal ng mga propeta upang magsipangaral tungkol sa iyo sa Jerusalem, na nangagsasabi, May isang hari sa Juda; at ngayo'y ibabalita sa hari ang ayon sa mga salitang ito. Parito ka nga ngayon, at magsanggunian tayo.

8 [When I read that message, ] I sent [the messenger] back to Sanballat to say, “None of what you are saying is true. You have (made this up/concocted this) in your own head/mind.”

Nang magkagayo'y nagsugo ako sa kaniya, na aking sinasabi, Walang ganyang mga bagay na nagawa na gaya ng iyong sinasabi, kundi iyong mga pinagbubuhat sa iyong sariling puso.

9 [I said that because I knew that] they were trying to cause us to be afraid, with the result that we would stop working [on the wall]. So I actually became more determined (OR, I prayed to God to help me) [to continue the work].

Sapagka't ibig nilang lahat na sidlan ng takot kami, na sinasabi, Ang kanilang mga kamay ay manganghihina sa gawain na anopa't hindi mayayari. Nguni't ngayon, Oh Dios, palakasin mo ang aking mga kamay.

10 [One day] I went to talk with Shemaiah, son of Delaiah and grandson of Mehetabel. I went to talk with him in his house, because he was not able (OR, allowed) to leave his house. He said to me, “You and I must enter the very sacred place in the temple and lock the doors, because people are going to come to kill you at night.”

At ako'y naparoon sa bahay ni Semaias na anak ni Delaias na anak ni Mehetabeel na nakulong; at kaniyang sinabi, Tayo'y magpupulong na magkakasama sa bahay ng Dios, sa loob ng templo, at ating isara ang mga pinto ng templo: sapagka't sila'y magsisiparito upang patayin ka; oo, sa kinagabiha'y magsisiparito sila upang patayin ka.

11 I replied, “I (am not that kind of person/do not do things like that) [RHQ]! I would not run and hide in the temple to save my life! No, I will not do that!”

At aking sinabi, Tatakas ba ang isang lalaking gaya ko? at sino kaya; na sa paraang gaya ko, ay paroroon sa templo upang iligtas ang kaniyang buhay? hindi ako papasok.

12 When I thought [about what he had said], I realized that God had not told Shemaiah to say that to me. I realized that Tobiah and Sanballat had bribed him [to say that to me].

At nahalata ko, at, narito, hindi siya sinugo ng Dios; kundi kaniyang sinaysay ang hulang ito laban sa akin: at inupahan siya ni Tobias, at ni Sanballat.

13 They had bribed him to cause me to be afraid. They wanted me to [disobey God’s commands and] sin [by hiding in the temple]. If I did that, they would be able to ruin my reputation [MTY] and discredit me.

Dahil sa bagay na ito inupahan siya, upang ako'y matakot, at gumawa ng gayon, at magkasala, at upang sila'y magkaroon ng dahilan sa isang masamang pinaka hiwatig, upang kanilang madusta ako.

14 [So I prayed, ] “My God, do not forget what Tobiah and Sanballat have done. Punish them. And do not forget that the female prophet Noadiah and some of the other prophets have also tried to cause me to be afraid.”

Alalahanin mo, Oh aking Dios, si Tobias at si Sanballat ayon sa ganitong mga gawa nila, at gayon din ang propetisa na Noadias, at ang nalabi sa mga propeta, na ibig nilang sidlan ako ng katakutan.

15 On October 2 we finished rebuilding the wall. We did it all in 52 days.

Sa gayo'y natapos ang kuta sa ikadalawang pu't limang araw ng buwan ng Elul, sa limang pu't dalawang araw.

16 When our enemies in the nearby countries heard about that, they realized that they had been humiliated, because everyone knew that it was because God helped us that we had been able to do this work [and that they had not been able to force us to quit].

At nangyari, nang mabalitaan ng lahat naming mga kaaway, na ang lahat ng mga bansa na nangasa palibot namin ay nangatakot, at nangalumatang mainam: sapagka't kanilang nahalata na ang gawang ito ay gawa ng aming Dios.

17 During this time, the Jewish leaders had been sending many messages/letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah had been sending messages back to them.

Bukod dito'y sa mga araw na yao'y ang mga mahal na tao sa Juda ay nangagpadala ng maraming sulat kay Tobias at ang mga sulat ni Tobias ay dumating sa kanila.

18 Many people in Judea were closely associated with Tobiah, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah. Furthermore, Tobiah’s son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berekiah.

Sapagka't marami sa Juda na nanganumpa sa kaniya, sapagka't siya'y manugang ni Sechanias na anak ni Arah; at ang kaniyang anak na si Johanan ay nagasawa sa anak na babae ni Mesullam na anak ni Berechias.

19 People often talked in my presence about all the good things that Tobiah had done, and then they would tell him everything that I said. So Tobiah sent many letters to me to try to cause me to become afraid.

Sila nama'y nangagsalita ng kaniyang mga mabuting gawa sa harap ko, at ibinalita ang aking mga salita sa kaniya. At si Tobias ay nagpadala ng mga sulat upang sidlan ako ng katakutan.