1 ولما سمع سنبلّط وطوبيا وجشم العربي وبقية اعدائنا اني قد بنيت السور ولم تبق فيه ثغرة. على اني لم اكن الى ذلك الوقت قد اقمت مصاريع للابواب. | 1 When Sanbal at, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and our other enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wal andthat not a single gap was left -- though at that time I had not fixed the doors to the gates- |
2 ارسل سنبلط وجشم اليّ قائلين هلم نجتمع معا في القرى في بقعة اونو. وكانا يفكران ان يعملا بي شرا. | 2 Sanbal at and Geshem sent me this message, 'Come and meet us at Ha-Chephirim in the Vale of Ono.'But they had evil designs on me. |
3 فارسلت اليهما رسلا قائلا اني انا عامل عملا عظيما فلا اقدر ان انزل. لماذا يبطل العمل بينما اتركه وانزل اليكما. | 3 So I sent messengers to them to say, 'I am engaged in a great undertaking, so I cannot come down.Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?' |
4 وارسلا اليّ بمثل هذا الكلام اربع مرات وجاوبتهما بمثل هذا الجواب. | 4 Four times they sent me the same invitation and I made them the same reply. |
5 فارسل اليّ سنبلط بمثل هذا الكلام مرة خامسة مع غلامه برسالة منشورة بيده مكتوب فيها | 5 The fifth time, with the same purpose in mind, Sanballat sent me his servant bearing an open letter. |
6 قد سمع بين الامم وجشم يقول انك انت واليهود تفكرون ان تتمردوا لذلك انت تبني السور لتكون لهم ملكا حسب هذه الامور. | 6 It ran, 'There is a rumour among the nations -- and Gashmu confirms it -- that you and the Jews arethinking of rebel ing, which is why you are rebuilding the wal , and you intend to become their king; |
7 وقد اقمت ايضا انبياء لينادوا بك في اورشليم قائلين في يهوذا ملك. والآن يخبر الملك بهذا الكلام. فهلم الآن نتشاور معا. | 7 and that you have even briefed prophets to acclaim you in Jerusalem with the cry, "There is a king inJudah!" Now, these rumours are going to reach the king; so you had better come and discuss them with us.' |
8 فارسلت اليه قائلا لا يكون مثل هذا الكلام الذي تقوله بل انما انت مختلقه من قلبك. | 8 To this I sent him the fol owing reply, 'As regards what you say, nothing of the sort has occurred; it is afigment of your own imagination.' |
9 لانهم كانوا جميعا يخيفوننا قائلين قد ارتخت ايديهم عن العمل فلا يعمل. فالآن يا الهي شدّد يديّ | 9 For they were all trying to terrorise us, thinking, 'They wil become demoralised over the work and it wilnot get finished.' But my morale rose even higher. |
10 ودخلت بيت شمعيا بن دلايا بن مهيطبئيل وهو مغلق فقال لنجتمع الى بيت الله الى وسط الهيكل ونقفل ابواب الهيكل لانهم يأتون ليقتلوك. في الليل يأتون ليقتلوك. | 10 Then, when I went to visit Shemaiah son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, since he was prevented fromcoming to me, he said: We must gather at the Temple of God, inside the sanctuary itself; we must shut thesanctuary doors, for they are coming to kil you, they are coming to kil you tonight! |
11 فقلت أرجل مثلي يهرب ومن مثلي يدخل الهيكل فيحيا. لا ادخل. | 11 But I retorted, 'Should a man like me run away? Would a man like me go into the Temple to save hislife? I shal not go in!' |
12 فتحققت وهوذا لم يرسله الله لانه تكلم بالنبوة عليّ وطوبيا وسنبلّط قد استأجراه. | 12 I realised that God had not sent him to say this, but that he had produced this prophecy for mebecause Tobiah was paying him |
13 لاجل هذا قد استؤجر لكي اخاف وافعل هكذا واخطئ فيكون لهما خبر رديء لكي يعيراني. | 13 to terrorise me into doing as he said and committing a sin, so that they would have grounds forblackening my reputation and blaming me. |
14 اذكر يا الهي طوبيا وسنبلّط حسب اعمالهما هذه ونوعدية النبية وباقي الانبياء الذين يخيفونني | 14 Remember Tobiah, my God, for what he did; and Noadiah the prophetess, and the other prophetswho tried to terrorise me. |
15 وكمل السور في الخامس والعشرين من ايلول في اثنين وخمسين يوما. | 15 The wall was finished within fifty-two days, on the twenty-fifth of Elul. |
16 ولما سمع كل اعدائنا ورأى جميع الامم الذين حوالينا سقطوا كثيرا في اعين انفسهم وعلموا انه من قبل الهنا عمل هذا العمل. | 16 When al our enemies heard about it and al the surrounding nations saw it, they thought it a wonderful thing, because they realised that this work had been accomplished by the power of our God. |
17 وايضا في تلك الايام اكثر عظماء يهوذا توارد رسائلهم على طوبيا ومن عند طوبيا اتت الرسائل اليهم. | 17 During this same period, the nobles of Judah kept sending letter after letter to Tobiah, and letters fromTobiah kept arriving for them; |
18 لان كثيرين في يهوذا كانوا اصحاب حلف له لانه صهر شكنيا بن آرح ويهوحانان ابنه اخذ بنت مشلام بن برخيا. | 18 for he had many sworn to his interest in Judah, since he was son-in-law to Shecaniah son of Arah,and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshul am son of Berechiah. |
19 وكانوا ايضا يخبرون امامي بحسناته وكانوا يبلغون كلامي اليه. وارسل طوبيا رسائل ليخوّفني | 19 They even cried up his good deeds in my presence, and they reported what I said back to him. AndTobiah kept sending letters to terrorise me. |