Adani Apitiriza Kutsutsa ndi Kuopseza Nehemiya
1Pamenepo Sanibalati, Tobiya, Gesemu Mwarabu ndi adani athu anamva kuti ndatsiriza ntchito yomanganso khoma ndi kuti palibe mpata umene watsala ngakhale kuti pa nthawi imeneyi ndinali ndisanayike zitseko pa zipata. 2Sanibalati ndi Gesemu, ananditumizira uthenga uwu: “Bwerani tidzakumane pa mudzi wina ku chigwa cha Ono.”
Koma iwo anakonzekera kuti akandichite chiwembu kumeneko. 3Choncho ine ndinatuma amithenga ndi yankho ili: “Ine ndikugwira ntchito yayikulu kuno ndipo sindingathe kubwera kumeneko. Kodi ntchito iyime pofuna kuti ndibwere kumeneko?” 4Ananditumizira uthenga umodzimodzi omwewu kanayi ndipo ndinawayankha chimodzimodzi.
5Tsono kachisanu, Sanibalati anatumiza wantchito wake ndi kalata yosamata. 6Mu kalatamo munali mawu akuti,
“Pali mphekesera pakati pa mitundu ya anthu, ndiponso Gesemu akunena zomwezo kuti inu ndi Ayuda onse mufuna kuwukira boma. Nʼchifukwa chake mukumanga khoma. Mphekeserazo zikutinso inu mukufuna kudzakhala mfumu yawo. 7Mwayikanso kale aneneri amene adzalengeza za iwe mu Yerusalemu kuti ‘Mu Yuda muli mfumu!’ Tsono nkhani iyi imveka ndithu kwa mfumu. Choncho bwerani kuti tidzakambirane.”
8Ine ndinatumiza yankho ili: “Pa zimene mukunenazo, palibe chimene chinachitikapo. Inu mukungozipeka mʼmutu mwanu.”
9Apa adani athu onsewa ankangofuna kutiopseza. Iwo ankaganiza kuti “Tichita mantha ndi kuleka kugwira ntchito.”
Tsono ndinapemphera kuti, “Inu Mulungu ndilimbitseni mtima.”
10Tsiku lina ndinapita ku nyumba ya Semaya mwana wa Delaya mwana wa Mehatabeli. Tsono anandiwuza kuti, “Tiyeni tikakumanire ku Nyumba ya Mulungu. Tikabisale mʼmenemo ndi kutseka zitseko chifukwa akubwera kudzakuphani. Ndithu usiku uno akubwera kudzakuphani.”
11Koma ndinayankha kuti, “Kodi munthu ngati ine nʼkuthawa? Kapena munthu wofanana ndi ine nʼkupita ku Nyumba ya Mulungu kuti apulumutse moyo wake? Ayi, ine sindipita!” 12Ndinazindikira kuti Mulungu sanamutume koma kuti anayankhula mawu oloserawa motsutsana nane chifukwa Tobiya ndi Sanibalati anamulemba ntchitoyi. 13Iye analembedwa ntchitoyi ndi cholinga choti ine ndichite mantha, ndithawe. Ndikanatero ndiye kuti ndikanachimwira Yehova ndiponso iwowo akanandiyipitsira mbiri yanga ndi kumandinyoza.
14Tsono ndinapemphera kuti, “Inu Mulungu wanga, kumbukirani Tobiya ndi Sanibalati chifukwa cha zimene achita. Kumbukiraninso mneneri wamkazi Nowadiya ndi aneneri amene akhala akufuna kundiopseza.”
Kutsiriza kwa Khoma
15Ndipo khoma linatsirizidwa kumanga pa tsiku la 25 la mwezi wa Eluli. Linamangidwa pa masiku okwana 52. 16Adani athu onse atamva izi, mitundu yonse ya anthu yozungulira inachita mantha ndi kuchita manyazi. Iwo anazindikira kuti ntchitoyo inachitika ndi thandizo la Mulungu wathu.
17Komanso masiku amenewo anthu olemekezeka a ku Yuda ankalemberana naye makalata ambiri ndi Tobiyayo, 18pakuti anthu ambiri a ku Yuda anali atalumbira kale kuti adzagwira naye ntchito popeza anali mkamwini wa Sekaniya mwana wa Ara, ndipo mwana wake Yehohanani anakwatira mwana wamkazi wa Mesulamu mwana wa Berekiya. 19Kuwonjezera apo, anthu ankasimba za ntchito zake zabwino ine ndili pomwepo ndipo anakamuwululira mawu anga. Choncho Tobiyayo ankatumiza makalata ondiopseza.
Further Opposition to the Rebuilding
1When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it—though up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates— 2Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages6:2 Or in Kephirim on the plain of Ono.”
But they were scheming to harm me; 3so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” 4Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.
5Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent his aide to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter 6in which was written:
“It is reported among the nations—and Geshem6:6 Hebrew Gashmu, a variant of Geshem says it is true—that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you are building the wall. Moreover, according to these reports you are about to become their king 7and have even appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem: ‘There is a king in Judah!’ Now this report will get back to the king; so come, let us meet together.”
8I sent him this reply: “Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.”
9They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.”
But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”
10One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, “Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you—by night they are coming to kill you.”
11But I said, “Should a man like me run away? Or should someone like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!” 12I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me.
14Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophet Noadiah and how she and the rest of the prophets have been trying to intimidate me. 15So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.
Opposition to the Completed Wall
16When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.
17Also, in those days the nobles of Judah were sending many letters to Tobiah, and replies from Tobiah kept coming to them. 18For many in Judah were under oath to him, since he was son-in-law to Shekaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah. 19Moreover, they kept reporting to me his good deeds and then telling him what I said. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.
