Nehemia 2
1 Nisan bosome (bɛyɛ Oforisuo) wɔ Ɔhene Artasasta adedie afe a ɛtɔ so aduonu mu no, na merehyɛ ɔhene nsa. Ɛbɛsi saa ɛberɛ no, na menyɛɛ mʼanim bosaa wɔ ɔhene anim da.
In the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, when wine was before him, I picked up the wine, and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad before in his presence.
2 Enti, ɔhene no bisaa me sɛ, “Adɛn enti na wo werɛ aho saa? Woyare anaa? Wosɛ obi a ɔhaw kɛseɛ bi da ne so.” Ehu kɛseɛ tɔɔ me so,
The king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing else but sorrow of heart.” Then I was very much afraid.
3 nanso, mebuaa sɛ, “Ɔhene nkwa so! Adɛn enti na ɛnsɛ sɛ me werɛ hoɔ? Kuropɔn a wɔsiee me mpanimfoɔ wɔ mu no abubu, na wɔahye nʼapono no nyinaa.”
I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why shouldn’t my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates have been consumed with fire?”
4 Ɔhene no bisaa sɛ, “Ɛyɛ, ɛkwan bɛn so na mɛtumi aboa wo?” Na mebɔɔ ɔsoro Onyankopɔn mpaeɛ,
Then the king said to me, “What is your request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.
5 buaa sɛ, “Sɛ ɛsɔ Ɔhene Kɛseɛ ani, na sɛ me, wo ɔsomfoɔ, mesɔ wʼani a, ɛnneɛ ma menkɔ Yuda nkɔsiesie kuropɔn a wɔasie mʼagyanom wɔ mu no.”
I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you would send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may build it.”
6 Ɛberɛ a ɔhemmaa te Ɔhene nkyɛn no, Ɔhene no bisaa sɛ, “Wokɔ a, wobɛdi nna ahe? Da bɛn na wobɛsane aba?” Ɔhene penee so, na mekyerɛɛ da a mɛsim.
The king said to me (the queen was also sitting by him), “How long will your journey be? When will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I set a time for him.
7 Afei, meka kyerɛɛ ɔhene sɛ, “Ɔhene Kɛseɛ sɛ ɛsɔ wʼani a, ma me nkrataa nkɔma amradofoɔ a wɔwɔ mantam a ɛda Asubɔnten Eufrate atɔeɛ fam no, na wɔmma me kwan mfa wɔn mantam mu nkɔ Yuda.
Moreover I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah;
8 Na mesrɛ sɛ, ma me krataa nkɔma Asaf a ɔhwɛ ɔhene kwaeɛ so na ɔmma me nnua. Mede bɛyɛ mpunan ama Asɔredan no aban ano apono, kuropɔn no afasuo ne mʼankasa me fie.” Na ɔhene no penee saa abisadeɛ yi nyinaa so, ɛfiri sɛ, na Onyankopɔn ahummɔborɔ nsa no wɔ me so.
and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple, for the wall of the city, and for the house that I will occupy.” The king granted my requests, because of the good hand of my God on me.
9 Meduruu amradofoɔ a wɔwɔ Asubɔnten Eufrate atɔeɛ fam nkyɛn no, mede ɔhene nkrataa no maa wɔn. Deɛ ɛka ho ne sɛ, ɔhene maa asraafoɔ ne apɔnkɔsotefoɔ kaa me ho bɔɔ me ho ban.
Then I came to the governors beyond the River, and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.
10 Nanso, Haronini Sanbalat ne Amonni Tobia a wɔyɛ mpanimfoɔ tee sɛ mabɛduru no, wɔn bo fuu yie sɛ obi aba hɔ a ɔpɛ sɛ ɔboa Israel.
When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly, because a man had come to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.
11 Meduruu Yerusalem nnansa akyi no,
So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.
12 mefaa nnipa kakra bi kaa me ho, firii hɔ anadwo no. Manka nhyehyɛeɛ a Onyankopɔn de ahyɛ mʼakoma mu wɔ Yerusalem ho no ankyerɛ obiara. Yɛamfa mmoa biara anka yɛn ho sɛ afunumu a mete ne soɔ no nko.
I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. I didn’t tell anyone what my God put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There wasn’t any animal with me except the animal that I rode on.
13 Mefaa Bɔnhwa Ɛpono no ano, twaa Ɔtweaseɛ Abura no ho kɔsii Sumina Ɛpono no ano, kɔhwɛɛ afasuo ne apono a ahyeɛ no.
I went out by night by the valley gate toward the jackal’s well, then to the dung gate; and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and its gates were consumed with fire.
14 Afei, mefaa Asutire Ɛpono no ho kɔsii Ɔhene Abura no ho, nanso na mʼafunumu no ntumi mfa mmubuiɛ no mu.
Then I went on to the spring gate and to the king’s pool, but there was no place for the animal that was under me to pass.
15 Enti, mefaa Kidron Bɔnhwa no ho mmom, kɔhwɛɛ ɔfasuo no ansa na meresane mʼakyi abɛfa Bɔnhwa Ɛpono no mu bio.
Then I went up in the night by the brook and inspected the wall; and I turned back, and entered by the valley gate, and so returned.
16 Na kuropɔn no mu mpanimfoɔ nnim sɛ makɔ hɔ, na wɔnnim deɛ mereyɛ nso, ɛfiri sɛ, na menkaa asɛm biara a ɛfa mʼadwene a mayɛ ho nkyerɛɛ obiara. Na me ne asɔre mpanimfoɔ, amanyɛ ntuanofoɔ, adwumayɛfoɔ anaa mmapɔmma no mu biara nkasaeɛ.
The rulers didn’t know where I went, or what I did. I had not as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest who did the work.
17 Na afei, meka kyerɛɛ wɔn sɛ, “Monim amaneɛ a ato yɛn kuropɔn yi yie. Abubu na nʼapono nso ahye. Momma yɛnto Yerusalem ɔfasuo no bio mfa mpepa animguaseɛ a ato yɛn yi!”
Then I said to them, “You see the bad situation that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come, let’s build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we won’t be disgraced.”
18 Afei, mekaa sɛdeɛ Onyankopɔn ahummɔborɔ nsa aba me so no ne me nkɔmmɔ a me ne ɔhene diiɛ no kyerɛɛ wɔn. Wɔbuaa prɛko pɛ sɛ, “Ɛyɛ asɛm pa: Momma yɛnto ɔfasuo no bio!” Enti wɔhyɛɛ adwuma pa yi ase.
I told them about the hand of my God which was good on me, and also about the king’s words that he had spoken to me. They said, “Let’s rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
19 Ɛberɛ a Sanbalat, Tobia ne Arabni Gesem tee yɛn nhyehyɛeɛ no, wɔdii yɛn ho fɛ, na wɔbuu animtia kaa sɛ, “Ɛdeɛn na moreyɛ yi, na morete ɔhene anim atua sei?”
But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite servant, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they ridiculed us and despised us, and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?”
20 Na mebuaa sɛ, “Ɔsoro Onyankopɔn bɛboa yɛn, ama yɛadi nkonim. Yɛn a yɛyɛ nʼasomfoɔ bɛhyɛ aseɛ ato ɔfasuo yi bio. Nanso, mo deɛ monni kyɛfa biara wɔ Yerusalem.”
Then I answered them, and said to them, “The God of heaven will prosper us. Therefore we, his servants, will arise and build; but you have no portion, nor right, nor memorial in Jerusalem.”
