Nehemiae 2

VULGATA	NEW JERUSALEM
1 Factum est autem in mense Nisan, anno vigesimo Artaxerxis regis : et vinum erat ante eum, et levavi vinum, et dedi regi : et eram quasi languidus ante faciem ejus.	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 Dixitque mihi rex : Quare vultus tuus tristis est, cum te ægrotum non videam ? non est hoc frustra, sed malum nescio quod in corde tuo est. Et timui valde, ac nimis :	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 et dixi regi : Rex, in æternum vive : quare non mœreat vultus meus, quia civitas domus sepulchrorum patris mei deserta est, et portæ ejus combustæ sunt igni ?	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 Et ait mihi rex : Pro qua re postulas ? Et oravi Deum cæli,	4 The king then said to me, 'What would you like me to do?' Praying to the God of heaven,
5 et dixi ad regem : Si videtur regi bonum, et si placet servus tuus ante faciem tuam, ut mittas me in Judæam ad civitatem sepulchri patris mei, et ædificabo eam.	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 Dixitque mihi rex, et regina quæ sedebat juxta eum : Usque ad quod tempus erit iter tuum, et quando reverteris ? Et placuit ante vultum regis, et misit me : et constitui ei tempus.	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 Et dixi regi : Si regi videtur bonum, epistolas det mihi ad duces regionis trans flumen, ut traducant me, donec veniam in Judæam :	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 et epistolam ad Asaph custodem saltus regis, ut det mihi ligna, ut tegere possim portas turris domus, et muros civitatis, et domum quam ingressus fuero. Et dedit mihi rex juxta manum Dei mei bonam mecum.	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 Et veni ad duces regionis trans flumen, dedique eis epistolas regis. Miserat autem rex mecum principes militum, et equites.	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 Et audierunt Sanaballat Horonites, et Tobias servus Ammanites : et contristati sunt afflictione magna, quod venisset homo qui quæreret prosperitatem filiorum Israël.	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 Et veni Jerusalem, et eram ibi tribus diebus.	11 And so I reached Jerusalem. After I had been there three days,
12 Et surrexi nocte ego, et viri pauci mecum, et non indicavi cuiquam quid Deus dedisset in corde meo ut facerem in Jerusalem : et jumentum non erat mecum, nisi animal cui sedebam.	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 Et egressus sum per portam vallis nocte, et ante fontem draconis, et ad portam stercoris, et considerabam murum Jerusalem dissipatum, et portas ejus consumptas igni.	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 Et transivi ad portam fontis, et ad aquæductum regis, et non erat locus jumento cui sedebam ut transiret.	14 I then crossed to the Fountain Gate and the King's Pool, but it was impassable to my mount.
15 Et ascendi per torrentem nocte, et considerabam murum, et reversus veni ad portam vallis, et redii.	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 Magistratus autem nesciebant quo abiissem, aut quid ego facerem : sed et Judæis, et sacerdotibus, et optimatibus, et magistratibus, et reliquis qui faciebant opus, usque ad id loci nihil indicaveram.	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 Et dixi eis : Vos nostis afflictionem in qua sumus : quia Jerusalem deserta est, et portæ ejus consumptæ sunt igni : venite, et ædificemus muros Jerusalem, et non simus ultra opprobrium.	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 Et indicavi eis manum Dei mei, quod esset bona mecum, et verba regis quæ locutus esset mihi, et aio : Surgamus, et ædificemus. Et confortatæ sunt manus eorum in bono.	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 Audierunt autem Sanaballat Horonites, et Tobias servus Ammanites, et Gosem Arabs, et subsannaverunt nos, et despexerunt, dixeruntque : Quæ est hæc res quam facitis ? numquid contra regem vos rebellatis ?	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 Et reddidi eis sermonem, dixique ad eos : Deus cæli ipse nos juvat, et nos servi ejus sumus : surgamus et ædificemus : vobis autem non est pars, et justitia, et memoria in Jerusalem.	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.'