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.
Àwọn ọ̀tá kò dáwọ́ àtakò dúró
1Nígbà tí Sanballati, Tobiah Geṣemu ará Arabia àti àwọn ọ̀tá wa tókù gbọ́ pé, mo ti tún odi náà mọ, kò sì sí àlàfo kankan tí ó ṣẹ́kù nínú rẹ̀—bí ó tilẹ̀ jẹ́ pé èmi kò ì tí ì ri àwọn ìlẹ̀kùn ibodè ní àkókò náà. 2Sanballati àti Geṣemu rán iṣẹ́ yìí sí mi pé: “Wá jẹ́ kí a jọ pàdé pọ̀ nínú ọ̀kan lára àwọn ìletò ní pẹ̀tẹ́lẹ̀ Ono.”
Ṣùgbọ́n wọ́n ń gbèrò láti ṣe mí ní ibi; 3Bẹ́ẹ̀ ni mo rán oníṣẹ́ padà pẹ̀lú èsì yìí pé; “Èmi ń ṣe iṣẹ́ ńlá kan, èmi kò le è sọ̀kalẹ̀ wá. Èéṣe tí iṣẹ́ náà yóò fi dúró, nígbà tí mo bá fi í sílẹ̀ tí mo sì sọ̀kalẹ̀ tọ̀ yín wá?” 4Wọ́n rán iṣẹ́ náà sí mi nígbà mẹ́rin ọ̀tọ̀ọ̀tọ̀, mo sì fún wọn ní èsì bákan náà fún ìgbà kọ̀ọ̀kan.
5Ní ìgbà karùn-ún, Sanballati rán ọmọ ọ̀dọ̀ rẹ̀ sí mi pẹ̀lú irú iṣẹ́ kan náà, lẹ́tà kan tí a kò fi sínú àpò ìwé wà ní ọwọ́ rẹ̀ 6tí a kọ sínú un rẹ̀ pé:
“A ròyìn rẹ láàrín àwọn orílẹ̀-èdè—Geṣemu sì sọ pé, òtítọ́ ni, pé—ìwọ àti àwọn Júù ń gbèrò láti ṣọ̀tẹ̀, nítorí náà ni ẹ ṣe ń mọ odi. Síwájú sí i, gẹ́gẹ́ bí ìròyìn yìí, ìwọ sì ń gbèrò láti di ọba wọn 7àti pé ó ti yan àwọn wòlíì kí wọn lè kéde nípa rẹ̀ ní Jerusalẹmu: ‘ọba kan wà ní Juda!’ Nísinsin yìí, ìròyìn yìí yóò padà sí ọ̀dọ̀ ọba; nítorí náà wá, jẹ́ kí a bá ara wa sọ̀rọ̀.”
8Mo dá èsì yìí padà sí i pé: “Kò sí ohun kan nínú irú ohun tí ìwọ sọ tí ó ṣẹlẹ̀; ìwọ kàn rò wọ́n ní orí ara rẹ ni.”
9Gbogbo wọn múra láti dẹ́rùbà wá, wọ́n ń rò ó wí pé, “Ọwọ́ wọn kò ní ran iṣẹ́ náà, àti wí pé wọn kò ní parí rẹ̀.”
Ṣùgbọ́n mo gbàdúrà pé, “Nísinsin yìí Ọlọ́run fi agbára fún ọwọ́ mi.”
10Ní ọjọ́ kan mo lọ sí ilé Ṣemaiah ọmọ Delaiah, ọmọ Mehetabeeli, ẹni tí a há mọ́ sínú ilé rẹ̀. Ó wí pé, “Jẹ́ kí a pàdé ní ilé Ọlọ́run nínú tẹmpili, kí o sì jẹ́ kí a pa àwọn ìlẹ̀kùn tẹmpili dé, nítorí àwọn ènìyàn ń bọ̀ láti pa ọ́, ní òru ni wọn yóò wá láti pa ọ́.”
11Ṣùgbọ́n mo wí pé, “Ǹjẹ́ ó yẹ kí irú ènìyàn bí èmi sálọ? Tàbí kí ènìyàn bí èmi sálọ sínú tẹmpili láti gba ẹ̀mí ara rẹ̀ là? Èmi kò ní lọ!” 12Èmi wòye pé Ọlọ́run kò rán an, ṣùgbọ́n ó sọ àsọtẹ́lẹ̀ sí mi nítorí Tobiah àti Sanballati ti bẹ̀ ẹ́ ní ọ̀wẹ̀. 13Wọ́n bẹ̀ ẹ́ ní ọ̀wẹ̀ láti dẹ́rùbà mí nítorí kí èmi lè dẹ́ṣẹ̀ nípa ṣíṣe èyí, kí wọn lè bà mí lórúkọ jẹ́, kí n sì di ẹni ẹ̀gàn.
14A! Ọlọ́run mi, rántí Tobiah àti Sanballati, nítorí ohun tí wọ́n ti ṣe; kí o sì tún rántí Noadiah wòlíì obìnrin àti àwọn wòlíì tókù tí wọ́n ń gbèrò láti dẹ́rùbà mí. 15Bẹ́ẹ̀ ni a parí odi náà ní ọjọ́ kẹẹdọ́gbọ̀n oṣù Eluli (oṣù kẹsànán), láàrín ọjọ́ méjìléláàdọ́ta.
Píparí odi
16Nígbà tí àwọn ọ̀tá wa gbọ́ èyí, gbogbo àwọn orílẹ̀-èdè tí ó yí wa ká bẹ̀rù jìnnìjìnnì sì mú wọn, nítorí wọ́n wòye pé iṣẹ́ yìí di ṣíṣe pẹ̀lú ìrànlọ́wọ́ Ọlọ́run wa.
17Bákan náà, ní ọjọ́ wọ̀n-ọn-nì àwọn ọlọ́lá Juda ń kọ ọ̀pọ̀lọpọ̀ lẹ́tà ránṣẹ́ sí Tobiah, èsì láti ọ̀dọ̀ Tobiah sì ń wá sí ọ̀dọ̀ wọn. 18Nítorí ọ̀pọ̀lọpọ̀ àwọn Juda ti mulẹ̀ pẹ̀lú rẹ̀, nítorí tí ó jẹ́ àna Ṣekaniah ọmọ Arah (Sanballati fẹ́ ọmọ Ṣekaniah), ọmọ rẹ̀ Jehohanani sì tún fẹ́ ọmọbìnrin Meṣullamu ọmọ Berekiah 19Síwájú sí í, wọ́n túbọ̀ ń ròyìn iṣẹ́ rere rẹ̀ fún mi, wọ́n sì ń sọ ohun tí mo sọ fún un. Tobiah sì ń kọ àwọn lẹ́tà ránṣẹ́ sí mi láti dẹ́rùbà mí.
