Nehemiah’s Enemies Continue to Oppose the Rebuilding
1Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem, the Arab, heard about what I had done. So did the rest of our enemies. All of them heard I had rebuilt the wall. In fact, they heard there weren’t any gaps left in it. But up to that time I hadn’t put up the gates at the main entrances to the city. 2Sanballat and Geshem sent me a message. They said, “Come. Let’s talk with one another. Let’s meet in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.”
But they were planning to harm me. 3So I sent messengers to them with my answer. I replied, “I’m working on a huge project. So I can’t get away. Why should the work stop while I leave it? Why should I go down and talk with you?” 4They sent me the same message four times. And I gave them the same answer each time.
5Sanballat sent his helper to me a fifth time. He brought the same message. He was carrying a letter that wasn’t sealed. 6It said,
“A report is going around among the nations. Geshem says it’s true. We hear that you and the other Jews are planning to turn against the Persian rulers. And that’s why you are building the wall. It’s also reported that you are about to become their king. 7People say that you have even appointed prophets to make an announcement about you. In Jerusalem they are going to say, ‘Judah has a king!’ That report will get back to the king of Persia. So come. Let’s meet together.”
8I sent a reply to Sanballat. I said, “What you are saying isn’t really happening. You are just making it up.”
9All of them were trying to frighten us. They thought, “Their hands will get too weak to do the work. So it won’t be completed.”
But I prayed to God. I said, “Make my hands stronger.”
10One day I went to Shemaiah’s house. He was the son of Delaiah. Delaiah was the son of Mehetabel. Shemaiah had shut himself up in his home. He said, “Let’s go to God’s house. Let’s meet inside the temple and close the doors. Some men are coming at night to kill you.”
11But I said, “Should a man like me run away? Should someone like me go into the temple just to save his life? No! I won’t go!” 12I realized that God hadn’t sent Shemaiah. Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. That’s why he had prophesied lies about me. 13They had hired him to scare me. They wanted me to commit a sin by doing what he said. That would give me a bad name in the community. People would find fault with me and my work.
14You are my God. Remember what Tobiah and Sanballat have done. Also remember the prophet Noadiah. She and the rest of the prophets have been trying to scare me. 15So the city wall was completed on the 25th day of the month of Elul. It was finished in 52 days.
Nehemiah’s Enemies Oppose the Completed Wall
16All our enemies heard about it. All the nations around us became afraid. They weren’t sure of themselves anymore. They realized that our God had helped us finish the work.
17In those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah. And replies from Tobiah came back to them. 18Many people in Judah had promised that they would be faithful to him. That’s because he was Shekaniah’s son-in-law. Shekaniah was the son of Arah. Tobiah’s son Jehohanan had married Meshullam’s daughter. Meshullam was the son of Berekiah. 19Tobiah’s friends kept reporting to me the good things he did. They also kept telling him what I said. And Tobiah himself sent letters to scare me.
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.
