¹And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, [that] wine was before him, and I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now, I had never been sad in his presence.

¹Artaksarsi kumpipa kum sawmnih, Nisan khain, a maa uain a om laiin hichi ahia, uain ka laa, kumpipa kiangah ka piaa. A maah nidangin ka dah nai kei hi.

²And the king said to me, Why is thy face sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sadness of heart. And I was very sore afraid.

²Huan kumpipan ka kiangah, Na chi lah a na ngal keia, bangdinga dah mel pu na hia? Hiai bangmah dang ahi keia lungtang dahna ahi, a chi a. Huaitakin ka lau mahmah a.

³And I said to the king, Let the king live for ever! Why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lies waste, and its gates are consumed with fire?

³Kumpipa kiang ah, Kumpipa khantawnin dam hen: bangchin ka mel a dah lou dia, ka pipute hante omna, khopi, se gawpa oma, huai a kongpite meiin kangbei hi ven? Ka chi a.

⁴And the king said to me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of the heavens.

⁴Huan kumpipan ka kiang ah, Ahihleh bang ahia na nget? A chia. Huchiin van Pathian kiangah ka thumta hi.

⁵And I said to the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.

⁵Huan kumpipa kiangah, Kumpipa kipah lam a hiha, na mitmuha na sikhain deihsakna a muh leh, Juda gamah, ka pipute hante omna khopiah ka bawl theihna dingin kei hon sawl lechin, ka chi a.

⁶And the king said to me -- the queen also sitting by him, -- For how long shall thy journey be, and when wilt thou return? And it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.

⁶Huan kumpipan ka kiangah, (kumpinu leng a kiangah a tua, ) Na khualzinna bangtana sawt ahi dia? Huan chikchiangin na hongkik nawn dia? A chi a. Huchiin honsawl kumpipa kipahlam ahia; amah hun ka pia hi.

⁷And I said to the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may set me forward till I come into Judah;

⁷Huailouin kumpipa kiangah, Kumpipa kipah lam ahih aleh, Juda gam tan ka tun matenga kei a honpaisak jel theihna ding un, luipi khena ukpipate kianga piak ding laikhakte honpe lechin;

⁸and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which [appertains] to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.

⁸In toh kizom kulh kongpite ading leh, khopi kulhbangte ading leh, ka lutna ding in adinga bawl ding inkamte bawlna dia sing a honpiakna dingin, kumpipa gammang kempa Asaph kinagah laikhak khat leng, ka chi a. Huchiin kumpipan a honphalsaka, ka tunga ka Pathian khut hoih a om bangin.

⁹And I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent captains of a force and horsemen with me.

⁹Huchin luipi khena ukpipate kiang ka hongtunga, a kiang uah kumpipa laikhakte ka pia hi. Huchiin kumpipan honjui dingin sepaihpawl heutute leh sakol tungtuangmite a sawl hi.

¹⁰And when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobijah the servant, the Ammonite, heard [of it], it grieved them exceedingly that there had come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.

¹⁰Huan Horon mi, Sanballat leh, sikha Tobia, Amon min ajak un, a lungkham sak mahmaha, Israel tate hoihna zong mi khat lah hongpai a om ngala.

¹¹And I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.

¹¹Huchiin Jerusalem ah ka honga, huaiah ni thum ka omta hi.

¹²And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me -- but I told no man what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem -- and there was no beast with me, except the beast that I rode upon.

¹²Huan janin ka thou a, kei leh ka kianga om mi tawm chikte; Jerusalem adia hih ding ka lungtang sunga ka Pathianin bang ahia a koih mi kuamah ka hilh kei a: ka kiangah ganta, a tunga ka tuanna ganta chihlouh, leng a om kei hi.

¹³And I went out by night by the valley-gate, even toward the jackal-fountain, and to the dung-gate; and I viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were in ruins, and its gates were consumed with fire.

¹³Huan janin gulpi tuileh lam, ekvum kongpi lamah, guam kongpia paiin ka pawt khiaa, a chimsa, Jerusalem kulhbangte leh, meia kangsa kongpite ka velta hi.

¹⁴And I went on to the fountain-gate, and to the king's pool; and there was no place for the beast under me to pass.

¹⁴Huan tuikhuk kongpi leh kumpipa dil ah ka hoha: himahleh ka nuaia om ganta paina ding mun a om kei hi.

¹⁵And I went up in the night through the valley, and viewed the wall, and turned back, and entered by the valley-gate and returned.

¹⁵Huan luita juiin janin ka pai toua, kulhbang ka vela; huan ka kik nawna, guam kongpi ah ka luta, huchiin ka kiknawnta hi.

¹⁶And the rulers did not know whither I went or what I did, for I had not as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work.

¹⁶Huchiin ka paina lam hiam, ka hih hiam vaihawmmiten a theikei uh; Judate kiangah leng, siampute hiam, miliante hiam, vaihawmte hiam leh nasep sem midangte kiangah leng ka gen nai kei hi.

¹⁷And I said to them, Ye see the distress that we are in, that Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.

¹⁷Huan a kiang uah. I dinmiun uh hoihlouh dan na mu ua, Jerusalem a siat khit dan, huaia kongpite meia a kat khit dan: simmoha I om nawn louhna dingin, kisa un Jerusalem bang I lam nawn ding uh, ka chi a.

¹⁸And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me; as also of the king's words which he had said unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. And they strengthened their hands for the good [work].

¹⁸Huan ka tunga hoih ka Pathian khut tanchin amau ka hilha; ka kianga a gen kumpipa thute leng, Huan amau, Thou niin lam ni, a chi ua. Huchiin nasep hoih sem dingin a khutte uh a hatsakta uhi.

¹⁹And Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobijah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it; and they mocked us and despised us, and said, What is this thing which ye do? will ye rebel against the king?

¹⁹Himahleh Horon mi Sanballat leh, Amon mi, sikha Tobia Arabia mi Gesemin a jak un, a honnuihsan ua, a hon simmoh ua, Bang thil ahia na hih uh? Kumpipa tunga hel ding na hi uhia? a chi ua.Huan amau ka dawnga a kianga uah, Van Pathian, aman kou a honlohching sak ding, huaijiakin kou a sikhate ka thou ding ua ka lam ding uh: himahleh nou Jerusalem ah tan na neikei ua, thuneihna leng, theihgigena leng, ka chi hi.

²⁰And I answered them, and said to them, The God of the heavens, he will prosper us, and we his servants will arise and build; but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial in Jerusalem.

²⁰Huan amau ka dawnga a kianga uah, Van Pathian, aman kou a honlohching sak ding, huaijiakin kou a sikhate ka thou ding ua ka lam ding uh: himahleh nou Jerusalem ah tan na neikei ua, thuneihna leng, theihgigena leng, ka chi hi.