Nehemia 6
1 Sanballat aber, Tobia, dem Araber Gesem und unseren anderen Feinden kam es zu Ohren, daß ich die Mauer aufgebaut und daß keine Bresche darin zurückgeblieben sei. Nur Tore hatte ich bis dahin noch nicht eingesetzt.
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).
2 Da schickten Sanballat und Gesem zu mir und ließen sagen: "Auf! Wir wollen im Tal Ono in Kephirim zusammenkommen." Sie aber planten, mir Böses zu tun.
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].
3 Ich sandte zu ihnen Boten und ließ melden: "Ich arbeite an einem großen Werk. Darum kann ich nicht hinunterkommen. Warum soll das Werk feiern, wenn ich es ließe und zu euch käme?"
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]
4 So schickten sie zu mir in dieser Weise viermal. Und ich gab ihnen stets die gleiche Antwort.
They sent me the same message four times, and each time when I replied to them I said the same thing.
5 Da schickte Sanballat, auf diese Weise zum fünftenmal, seinen Diener zu mir mit einem offenen Brief in der Hand.
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.
6 Darin stand geschrieben: "Man hört bei den Heiden reden - auch Gasmu sagt es -, du und die Judäer planten Aufruhr. Deshalb bautest du die Mauer auf. Du selbst wolltest, nach diesen Gerüchten, bei ihnen König werden.
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.
7 Sogar Propheten habest du angestellt, um zu Jerusalem von dir zu künden: 'In Juda König!' Nun wird dem König solches zu Ohren kommen. Darum auf! Wir wollen zusammen darüber beraten."
[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.”
8 Ich aber schickte zu ihm und ließ ihm sagen: "Nichts von all dem, was du sagst, ist geschehen. Aus deinem Herzen erdichtest du es."
[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.”
9 Denn sie alle wollten uns bange machen. Sie dachten: "Ihre Hände werden schlaff bei dem Werke, so daß es nicht ausgeführt wird." Nun hieß es Mut fassen.
[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].
10 Ich aber ging in das Haus Semajas, des Delajasohnes und Enkels des Mehetabel. Es war gut verschließbar. Da sprach er: "Treffen wir uns im Gotteshaus, im Innern des Tempels, und schließen wir die Tempeltore zu! Denn sie kommen, dich zu ermorden. Sie kommen bei Nacht, dich zu ermorden."
[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.”
11 Ich sprach: "Ein Mann wie ich sollte fliehen? Wer meinesgleichen dächte in den Tempel gehen und leben bleiben? Ich gehe nicht."
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!”
12 Und ich erkannte, daß nicht Gott ihn gesandt hatte, sondern er verkündete mir die Weissagung, weil Tobia und Sanballat ihn gedungen hatten.
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].
13 Er war gedungen worden, daß ich Angst bekäme und also täte und mich versündigte. Dieses hätte ihnen als üble Nachrede gedient, mich zu verlästern.
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.
14 Gedenke, mein Gott, dem Tobia und dem Sanballat nach diesen ihren Taten! Auch Noadja, der Prophetin, und den anderen Propheten, die mir Angst machen wollen!
[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.”
15 Die Mauer aber ward am fünfundzwanzigsten Elul im Laufe von zweiundfünfzig Tagen fertig.
On October 2 we finished rebuilding the wall. We did it all in 52 days.
16 Als unsere Feinde dies hörten, fürchteten sich alle Heiden unserer Nachbarschaft und wurden kleinlaut. Sie erkannten, daß von unserem Gott dies Werk geschehen war.
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].
17 Noch in jenen Tagen kamen Briefe vieler Adliger Judas an Tobia, und solche von Tobia kamen an sie.
During this time, the Jewish leaders had been sending many messages/letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah had been sending messages back to them.
18 Denn in Judäa waren viele seiner geschworenen Freunde, weil er der Schwiegersohn des Arachsohnes Sekanja war. Und Jonatan, sein Sohn, hatte die Tochter des Berekjahsohnes Mesullam heimgeführt.
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.
19 Selbst seine guten Absichten besprachen sie vor mir, und meine Worte hinterbrachten sie ihm. Tobia sandte dazu Briefe, mir Angst zu machen.
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.
