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Àwọn ọ̀tá kò dáwọ́ àtakò dúró

Nígbà 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. Sanballati 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; Bẹ́ẹ̀ 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?” Wọ́n rán iṣẹ́ náà sí mi nígbà mẹ́rin ọ̀tọ̀ọ̀tọ̀, mo sì fún wọn ní èsì bákan náà fún ìgbà kọ̀ọ̀kan.

Ní 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 tí 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 àti 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.”

Mo 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.”

Gbogbo 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.”

10 Ní 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.”

11 Ṣùgbọ́n 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!” 12 Èmi wòye pé Ọlọ́run kò rán an, ṣùgbọ́n ó sọ àsọtẹ́lẹ̀ sí mi nítorí Tobiah àti Sanballati ti bẹ̀ ẹ́ ní ọ̀wẹ̀. 13 Wọ́n 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.

14 A! 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. 15 Bẹ́ẹ̀ ni a parí odi náà ní ọjọ́ kẹẹdọ́gbọ̀n oṣù Eluli (oṣù kẹsànán), láàrín ọjọ́ méjìléláàdọ́ta.

Píparí odi

16 Nígbà 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.

17 Bákan 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. 18 Nítorí 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 19 Síwájú 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.

Further Opposition to the Rebuilding

When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah,(A) Geshem(B) 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— Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages[a] on the plain of Ono.(C)

But they were scheming to harm me; so 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?” Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.

Then, the fifth time, Sanballat(D) sent his aide to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter in which was written:

“It is reported among the nations—and Geshem[b](E) 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 and 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.”

I sent him this reply: “Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.”

They 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.”

10 One 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(F), and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you—by night they are coming to kill you.”

11 But 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!” 12 I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me(G) because Tobiah and Sanballat(H) had hired him. 13 He 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.(I)

14 Remember(J) Tobiah and Sanballat,(K) my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophet(L) Noadiah and how she and the rest of the prophets(M) have been trying to intimidate me. 15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.

Opposition to the Completed Wall

16 When 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.

17 Also, in those days the nobles of Judah were sending many letters to Tobiah, and replies from Tobiah kept coming to them. 18 For 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. 19 Moreover, they kept reporting to me his good deeds and then telling him what I said. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.

Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 6:2 Or in Kephirim
  2. Nehemiah 6:6 Hebrew Gashmu, a variant of Geshem