Neemias 4

1 But when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry, and was very indignant, and mocked the Jews. 2 He spoke before his brothers and the army of Samaria, and said, "What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, since they are burned?"

3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, "What they are building, if a fox climbed up it, he would break down their stone wall."

4 "Hear, our God, for we are despised. Turn back their reproach on their own head. Give them up for a plunder in a land of captivity. 5 Don’t cover their iniquity. Don’t let their sin be blotted out from before you; for they have insulted the builders."

6 So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.

7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabians, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, and that the breaches began to be filled, they were very angry; 8 and they all conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion among us. 9 But we made our prayer to our God, and set a watch against them day and night because of them.

10 Judah said, "The strength of the bearers of burdens is fading and there is much rubble, so that we are not able to build the wall." 11 Our adversaries said, "They will not know or see, until we come in among them and kill them, and cause the work to cease."

12 When the Jews who lived by them came, they said to us ten times from all places, "Wherever you turn, they will attack us."

13 Therefore I set guards in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in the open places. I set the people by family groups with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 14 I looked, and rose up, and said to the nobles, to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, "Don’t be afraid of them! Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses."

15 When our enemies heard that it was known to us, and God had brought their counsel to nothing, all of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work. 16 From that time forth, half of my servants did the work, and half of them held the spears, the shields, the bows, and the coats of mail; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah. 17 Those who built the wall, and those who bore burdens loaded themselves; everyone with one of his hands did the work, and with the other held his weapon. 18 Among the builders, everyone wore his sword at his side, and so built. He who sounded the trumpet was by me. 19 I said to the nobles, and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, "The work is great and widely spread out, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. 20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally there to us. Our God will fight for us."

21 So we did the work. Half of the people held the spears from the rising of the morning until the stars appeared. 22 Likewise at the same time I said to the people, "Let everyone with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and may labor in the day." 23 So neither I, nor my brothers, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me took off our clothes. Everyone took his weapon to the water.

Ka Tautohetia e ngā Hoariri te Hanga anō

1 Nō te rongonga ia o Hanaparata kei te hanga mātou i te taiepa, ka riri, nui atu te riri, ka whakahī ki ngā Hūrai. 2 Nā, ka kōrero ia i te aroaro o ōna tēina, o te ope anō o Hamaria, ka mea; "E aha ana ēnei Hūrai ngoikore? E hanga pā rānei rātou? E mea patunga tapu rānei rātou? E oti rānei i a rātou i te rā kotahi? E whakaorangia ake rānei e rātou ngā kōhatu i roto i ngā pūranga paru kua oti nā te tahu?"

3 Nā, i tōna taha a Tōpia Āmoni, ā, ka mea ia, "Ko taua mea e hangā nā e rātou, ki te piki atu he pokiha, ka pakaru tā rātou taiepa kōhatu."

4 Whakarongo, e tō mātou Atua, e whakahāweatia ana hoki mātou; whakahokia iho anō tā rātou taunu ki runga ki tō rātou upoko; hoatu hoki rātou hei taonga parakete ki te whenua e whakaraua ai. 5 Ā, kei hīpokina tō rātou hē, kaua anō tō rātou hara e murua i tōu aroaro; mō rātou i whakapātaritari i a koe i te aroaro o ngā kaihanga.

6 Nā, hangā ana e mātou te taiepa; ā, ka honoa te taiepa katoa, kia tae ki te hāwhe anō o tōna tiketike; he ngākau hoki tō te iwi ki te mahi.

7 I te rongonga ia o Hanaparata, o Tōpia, o ngā Ārapi, o ngā Āmoni, o ngā Aharori, kua neke haere te hanga o ngā taiepa o Hiruhārama, ā, kua tīmata ngā wāhi pakaru te kapi, nā, nui atu tō rātou riri. 8 Nā, ka whakatupu ngātahi rātou i te hē, kia haere mai ki te whawhai ki Hiruhārama, whakaware ai. 9 Heoi, īnoi ana mātou ki tō mātou Atua, whakatūria ana e mātou he atiati mō rātou, i te ao, i te pō, i te wehi hoki i a rātou.

10 Nā, ka mea a Hūrā, "Kua hemo te kaha o ngā kaipīkau, e nui ana hoki te paru; nā, e kore mātou e kaha ki te hanga i te taiepa."

11 I mea anō ō mātou hoariri, "E kore rātou e mōhio, e kore e kite, kia tae atu rā anō tātou ki waenganui i a rātou, ko reira tātou tukituki ai i a rātou, whakamutu ai hoki i te mahi."

12 Ā, nō te taenga mai o ngā Hūrai e noho ana i tō rātou taha, tekau ā rātou meatanga mai ki a mātou, "I ngā wāhi katoa, me hoki mai koutou ki a mātou."

13 Nā reira, i whakatūria ai e ahau ki ngā wāhi o raro, ki tua mai o te taiepa, ki ngā wāhi tuwhera anō hoki, whakatūria ana e ahau te iwi, tēnei hapū, tēnei hapū, o rātou, i a rātou anō ā rātou hoari, ā rātou tao, ā rātou kōpere. 14 Nā, ka titiro ahau, ka whakatika ki runga, ka mea ki ngā rangatira, ki ngā tāngata nunui, ki ērā atu anō o te iwi, "Kaua e wehi ki a rātou. Kia mahara ki te Ariki, ki te mea nui e wehingia ana, ka whawhai kia ora ai ō koutou tuākana, tēina, ā koutou tama, ā koutou tamāhine, ā koutou wāhine, me ō koutou whare."

15 Ā, ka rongo ō mātou hoariri ka mōhiotia tērā e mātou, ā, kua whakatakā nei e te Atua ō rātou whakaaro, nā, hoki ana mātou katoa ki te taiepa ki tāna mahi, ki tāna mahi.

16 Nō taua rā anō ko tētahi tānga o āku tāngata hei mahi i te mahi, ā, ko tētahi tānga o rātou hei pupuri i ngā tao, i ngā whakangungu rākau, i ngā kōpere, i ngā pukupuku; ko ngā rangatira, i muri rātou i te whare katoa o Hūrā. 17 Ko ngā kaihanga i te taiepa, me ngā kaiwaha i ngā pīkaunga, whakawaha ana rātou, ā, kotahi te ringa o tēnei, o tēnei, ki te mahi i te mahi, kotahi hei pupuri i te patu. 18 Nā, ko ngā kaihanga, whītiki rawa tāna hoari ki tōna taha, ki tōna taha; nā, hanga ana rātou. I tōku taha anō hoki ko te kaiwhakatangi tētere.

19 I mea anō ahau ki ngā rangatira, ki ngā tāngata nunui, ki ērā atu anō o te iwi, "He nui te mahi, he tātahi, kua tohatoha noa atu anō tātou ki te taiepa, matara noa tētahi i tētahi. 20 Ko te wāhi e rongo ai koutou i te tangi o te tētere, me huihui ki a mātou ki reira. Mā tō tātou Atua tā tātou pakanga."

21 Heoi, mahia ana e mātou te mahi; nā, ko tētahi tānga ki te pupuri tao, nō te huakanga ake anō o te ata ā puta noa ngā whetū. 22 I mea anō ahau ki te iwi i taua wā, "Kia moe tēnei tangata, tēnei tangata, me tāna pononga anō, ki roto ki Hiruhārama, ā, ka ai rātou hei kaitiaki mō tātou i te pō, hei mahi anō i te awatea." 23 Heoi, ko ahau, ko ōku tēina, ko āku pononga, me ngā kaitiaki i whai mai nei i ahau, kīhai i whakarērea atu ō mātou kākahu. Mau tonu te patu a tēnei, a tēnei, i te haerenga ki te wai.