¹The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,

¹¶ Ko nga kupu a Nehemia tama a Hakaria. Na, i te marama Kihireu, i te rua tekau o nga tau, i ahau i Huhana, i te whare kingi,

²That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

²Ka tae mai a Hanani, tetahi o oku teina, ratou ko etahi tangata o Hura; a ka ui ahau ki a ratou ki nga Hurai i mawhiti, i mahue o nga whakarau, ki Hiruharama hoki.

³And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.

³A ka mea ratou ki ahau, Ko nga oranga i mahue o nga whakarau i reira i taua kawanatanga he nui te he, te whakahaweatia: kua pakaru hoki te taiepa o Hiruharama, a kua wera ona keti i te ahi.

⁴And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

⁴A, no toku rongonga i enei kupu, ka noho ahau, ka tangi, ka pouri hoki a taka noa etahi ra; na nohopuku ana ahau, inoi ana hoki ki te aroaro o te Atua o nga rangi,

⁵And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:

⁵¶ A ka mea ahau, Aue, e Ihowa, e te Atua o te rangi, ko te Atua nui ia e wehingia ana, e pupuri ana i te kawenata, i te atawhai mo te hunga e aroha ana ki a ia, e pupuri ana i ana whakahau:

⁶Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned.

⁶Tena, kia tahuri mai tou taringa, kia titiro mai ano ou kanohi, kia whakarongo mai ai koe ki te inoi a tau pononga, e inoi atu nei ki tou aroaro i te ao, i te po, mo au pononga, mo nga tama a Iharaira, i ahau e whaki nei i nga hara o nga tama a I haraira i hara ai matou ki a koe; ae ra, kua hara ahau me te whare o toku papa.

⁷We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.

⁷He rawa ta matou mahi ki a koe, kihai hoki i pupuri i nga whakahau, i nga tikanga, i nga whakaritenga i whakahaua e koe ki tau pononga ki a Mohi.

⁸Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations:

⁸Tena, maharatia te kupu i whakahaua e koe ki tau pononga, ki a Mohi, i mea ra koe, Ki te poka ke ta koutou, ka whakamararatia atu koutou e ahau ki roto ki nga iwi;

⁹But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.

⁹Otiia ki te tahuri mai ano koutou ki ahau, a ka pupuri, ka mahi i aku whakahau, ahakoa i peia etahi o koutou ki te pito whakamutunga o te rangi, ka kohikohia mai ratou e ahau i reira, ka kawea mai ano ki te wahi i whiriwhiria e ahau kia noho toku ingoa ki reira.

¹⁰Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand.

¹⁰Na ko au pononga enei, ko tau iwi i hokona e koe, ara e tou kaha nui, e tou ringa kaha.

¹¹O LORD, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer.

¹¹Tena, e te Ariki, tahuri mai tou taringa ki te inoi a tau pononga, ki te inoi hoki a au pononga e mea nei kia wehi i tou ingoa: kia tika ra ta tau pononga aianei, homai hoki ki a ia kia atawhaitia e tenei tangata. Ko ahau hoki te kaiwhakainu a t e kingi.