Neemia (نحميا) 2

SMITH VAN DYKE	NEW JERUSALEM
1 وفي شهر نيسان في السنة العشرين لأرتحشستا الملك كانت خمر امامه فحملت الخمر واعطيت الملك. ولم اكن قبل مكمدا امامه.	1 In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, since I was in charge of the wine, I tookthe wine and offered it to the king. Now, he had never seen me looking depressed before.
2 فقال لي الملك لماذا وجهك مكمّد وانت غير مريض. ما هذا الا كآبة قلب. فخفت كثيرا جدا	2 So the king said to me, 'Why are you looking depressed? You are not sick! This must be a sadness ofthe heart.' Thoroughly alarmed by this,
3 وقلت للملك. ليحيى الملك الى الابد. كيف لا يكمد وجهي والمدينة بيت مقابر آبائي خراب وابوابها قد اكلتها النار.	3 I said to the king, 'May the king live for ever! How can I not look depressed when the city where thetombs of my ancestors are lies in ruins and its gates have been burnt down?'
4 فقال لي الملك ماذا طالب انت. فصلّيت الى اله السماء.	4 The king then said to me, 'What would you like me to do?' Praying to the God of heaven,
5 وقلت للملك اذا سرّ الملك واذا احسن عبدك امامك ترسلني الى يهوذا الى مدينة قبور آبائي فابنيها.	5 I said to the king, 'If the king approves and your servant enjoys your favour, send me to Judah, to thecity of the tombs of my ancestors, so that I can rebuild it.'
6 فقال لي الملك والملكة جالسة بجانبه الى متى يكون سفرك ومتى ترجع. فحسن لدى الملك وارسلني فعينت له زمانا.	6 The king -- with the queen sitting beside him-said, 'How long wil your journey take, and when wil youcome back?' Once I had given him a definite time, the king approved my mission.
7 وقلت للملك ان حسن عند الملك فلتعط لي رسائل الى ولاة عبر النهر لكي يجيزوني حتى اصل الى يهوذا	7 I then said to the king, 'If the king approves, may I be given orders for the governors of Transeuphratesto let me pass through on my way to Judah?
8 ورسالة الى آساف حارس فردوس الملك لكي يعطيني اخشابا لسقف ابواب القصر الذي للبيت ولسور المدينة وللبيت الذي ادخل اليه. فاعطاني الملك حسب يد الهي الصالحة عليّ	8 Also an order for Asaph, keeper of the king's forest, to supply me with timber for the beams of the gatesof the citadel of the Temple, for the city wal s and for the house which I am to occupy?' These the king grantedme because the kindly hand of my God was over me.
9 فأتيت الى ولاة عبر النهر واعطيتهم رسائل الملك وارسل معي الملك رؤساء جيش وفرسانا.	9 When I reached the governors of Transeuphrates, I gave them the king's orders. The king had sent anescort of army officers and cavalry along with me.
10 ولما سمع سنبلط الحوروني وطوبيا العبد العموني ساءهما مساءة عظيمة لانه جاء رجل يطلب خيرا لبني اسرائيل	10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the official of Ammon heard about this, they wereexceedingly displeased that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.
11 فجئت الى اورشليم وكنت هناك ثلاثة ايام.	11 And so I reached Jerusalem. After I had been there three days,
12 ثم قمت ليلا انا ورجال قليلون معي. ولم اخبر احدا بما جعله الهي في قلبي لاعمله في اورشليم. ولم يكن معي بهيمة الا البهيمة التي كنت راكبها.	12 I got up during the night with a few other men -- I had not told anyone what my God had inspired me todo for Jerusalem -- taking no animal with me other than my own mount.
13 وخرجت من باب الوادي ليلا امام عين التنين الى باب الدّمن وصرت اتفرس في اسوار اورشليم المنهدمة وابوابها التي أكلتها النار.	13 Under cover of dark I went out through the Val ey Gate towards the Dragon's Fountain as far as theDung Gate, and examined the wall of Jerusalem where it was broken down and its gates burnt out.
14 وعبرت الى باب العين والى بركة الملك ولم يكن مكان لعبور البهيمة التي تحتي.	14 I then crossed to the Fountain Gate and the King's Pool, but it was impassable to my mount.
15 فصعدت في الوادي ليلا وكنت اتفرس في السور ثم عدت فدخلت من باب الوادي راجعا.	15 So I went up the Val ey in the dark, examining the wal ; I then went in again through the Val ey Gate,coming back
16 ولم يعرف الولاة الى اين ذهبت ولا ما انا عامل ولم اخبر الى ذلك الوقت اليهود والكهنة والاشراف والولاة وباقي عاملي العمل.	16 without the officials knowing where I had gone or what I had been doing. So far I had said nothing tothe Jews: neither to the priests, the nobles, the officials nor any other persons involved in the undertaking.
17 ثم قلت لهم انتم ترون الشر الذي نحن فيه كيف ان اورشليم خربة وابوابها قد احرقت بالنار هلم فنبني سور اورشليم ولا نكون بعد عارا.	17 I then said to them, 'You see what a sorry state we are in: Jerusalem is in ruins and its gates havebeen burnt down. Come on, we must rebuild the wal s of Jerusalem and put an end to our humiliating position!'
18 واخبرتهم عن يد الهي الصالحة عليّ وايضا عن كلام الملك الذي قاله لي. فقالوا لنقم ولنبن. وشددوا اياديهم للخير	18 And I told them how the kindly hand of my God had been over me, and the words which the king hadsaid to me. At this they said, 'Let us start building at once!' and they set their hands to the good work.
19 ولما سمع سنبلّط الحوروني وطوبيا العبد العموني وجشم العربي هزأوا بنا واحتقرونا وقالوا ما هذا الأمر الذي انتم عاملون أعلى الملك تتمردون.	19 When Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the official of Ammon, and Geshem the Arab heard about this,they laughed at us and jeered. They said, 'What is this you are doing? Are you going to revolt against the king?'
20 فاجبتهم وقلت لهم ان اله السماء يعطينا النجاح ونحن عبيده نقوم ونبني. واما انتم فليس لكم نصيب ولا حق ولا ذكر في اورشليم	20 But I gave them this answer, 'The God of heaven will grant us success and we, his servants, mean tostart building; as for you, you have neither share nor right nor memorial in Jerusalem.'