¹Zvino nezuva iro vakarava mubhuku yaMozisi, vanhu vose vachizvinzwa, vakawana makanyorwa, kuti vaMoabhu navaAmoni havafaniri kupinda paungano yaMwari nokusingaperi;

¹On that day there was read in the book of Moses, in the ears of the people, and it hath been found written in it that an Ammonite and Moabite doth not come into the assembly of God — unto the age,

²nekuti ivo havana kundosangana navana vaIsiraeri nezvokudya nemvura, asi vakaripira Bharamu kuti avatuke; asi Mwari wedu akashandura kutuka akakuita kuropafadza.

²because they have not come before the sons of Israel with bread and with water, and hire against them Balaam to revile them, and our God turneth the reviling into a blessing.

³Zvino vakati vanzwa murau, vakaraura vanhu vazhinji vose vakanga vakavhengana navaIsiraeri.

³And it cometh to pass, at their hearing the law, that they separate all the mixed people from Israel.

⁴Zvino izvi zvisati zvaitwa, Eriashibhi mupristi, akanga aitwa mutariri wamakamuri eimba yaMwari wedu, wakashamwaridzana naTobhia,

⁴And before this Eliashib the priest, appointed over chambers of the house of our God, [is] a relation of Tobiah,

⁵akamugadzirira kamuri huru pavaichengeta kare zvipiriso zvoupfu, nezvinonhuhwira, nemidziyo, nezvegumi nezviyo, nezvewaini, nezvamafuta, zvakanga zvarairwa kuti zvipiwe vaRevhi, navaimbi, navarindi vemikova, nezvipiriso zvaitsaurirwa vapristi.

⁵and he maketh for him a great chamber, and there they were formerly putting the present, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithe of the corn, the new wine, and the oil — the commanded thing of the Levites, and the singers, and the gatekeepers — and the heave-offering of the priests.

⁶Asi nenguva iyo yose ini ndakanga ndisipo paJerusaremu; nekuti negore ramakumi matatu namaviri raAritashasita mambo weBhabhironi, ini ndakaenda kuna mambo; zvino mamwe mazuva akati apfuura ndikakumbira kuna mambo,

⁶And during all this I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty and second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon did I come unto the king, and at the end of days I have asked of the king,

⁷ndikasvika Jerusaremu, ndikanzwa zvakaipa zvakanga zvaitwa naEriashibhi, kuti wakange agadzirira Tobhia kamuri paruvazhe rweimba yaMwari.

⁷and I come in to Jerusalem, and understand concerning the evil that Eliashib hath done for Tobiah, to make to him a chamber in the courts of the house of God,

⁸Ndikava neshungu kwazvo; saka ndakarashira kunze kwekamuri nhumbi dzose dzaTobhia.

⁸and it is very displeasing to me, and I cast all the vessels of the house of Tobiah without, out of the chamber,

⁹Ipapo ndakaraira vakanatsa makamuri; ndikadzoseramozve midziyo yeimba yaMwari, pamwechete nezvipiriso zvoupfu nezvinonhuhwira.

⁹and I speak, and they cleanse the chambers, and I bring back thither the vessels of the house of God with the present and the frankincense.

¹⁰Ndikaona kuti vaRevhi vakanga vasina kupiwa migove yavo; naizvozvo vaRevhi navaimbi, vaibata basa, vakanga vatizira mumwe nomumwe kumunda wake.

¹⁰And I know that the portions of the Levites have not been given, and they flee each to his field — the Levites and the singers, doing the work.

¹¹Ipapo ndakaita nharo navatariri, ndikati, Imba yaMwari yasiirweiko? Ndikavakokera, ndikavadzoserazve panzvimbo yavo.

¹¹And I strive with the prefects, and say, `Wherefore hath the house of God been forsaken?` and I gather them, and set them on their station;

¹²Ipapo vaJudha vose vakauya nezvegumi zvezviyo, nezvewaini, nezvamafuta, vakazviisa muzvivigiro.

¹²and all Judah have brought in the tithe of the corn, and of the new wine, and of the oil, to the treasuries.

¹³Ndikaisa pazvivigiro vachengeti vefuma, Sheremia mupristi, naZadhoki munyori, navaRevhi, Pedhaya; vachibatsirwa naHanani, mwanakomana waZakuri, mwanakomana waMatania; nekuti vakanga vachinzi vakatendeka; basa ravo rakanga riri rokupa hama dzavo mugove wavo.

¹³And I appoint treasurers over the treasuries, Shelemiah the priest, and Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah of the Levites; and by their hand [is] Hanan son of Zaccur, son of Mattaniah, for stedfast they have been reckoned, and on them [it is] to give a portion to their brethren.

¹⁴Chindirangarirai henyu, Mwari wangu, pamusoro paizvozvo; regai henyu kupikisa mabasa angu akanaka andakaitira imba yaMwari wangu nezvaifanira kuitwa mairi.

¹⁴Be mindful of me, O my God, for this, and do not blot out my kind acts that I have done, for the house of my God, and for its charges.

¹⁵Zvino pamazuva iwayo ndakaona paJudha vamwe vakanga vachitsika mazambiringa pazvisviniro nesabata, navakanga vachitora zvisote vachizvitakudza mbongoro; uye waini, namazambiringa, namaonde, nemitoro yamarudzi ose, zvavakanga vachiuya nazvo paJerusaremu nezuva resabata; ndikavanyevera pazuva ravakatengesa zvokudya.

¹⁵In those days I have seen in Judah those treading wine-vats on sabbath, and bringing in the sheaves, and lading on the asses, and also, wine, grapes, and figs, and every burden, yea, they are bringing in to Jerusalem on the sabbath-day, and I testify in the day of their selling provision.

¹⁶Pakanga pagerewo varume veTire, vaiuya nehove, nezvimwe zvinotengeswa zvamarudzi ose; vakazvitengesa kuvanhu vaJudha napaJerusaremu pazuva resabata.

¹⁶And the Tyrians have dwelt in it, bringing in fish, and every ware, and selling on sabbath to the sons of Judah and in Jerusalem.

¹⁷Ipapo ndikaita nharo navakuru vavaJudha, ndikati kwavari, Chinhu ichi chakaipa chamunoita ndecheiko, zvamunozvidza zuva resabata?

¹⁷And I strive with the freemen of Judah, and say to them, `What [is] this evil thing that ye are doing, and polluting the sabbath-day?

¹⁸Ko madzibaba enyu haana kuita saizvozvo, Mwari wedu akauyisa zvakaipa izvi zvose pamusoro pedu napamusoro peguta rino here? Asi imwi munowedzera kutsamwa kwaMwari pamusoro paIsiraeri, zvamunozvidza sabata.

¹⁸Thus did not your fathers do? and our God bringeth in on us all this evil, and on this city, and ye are adding fierceness on Israel, to pollute the sabbath.`

¹⁹Zvino pamasuwo eJerusaremu pakati posviba, sabata risati rasvika, ndakaraira kuti mikova ipfigwe, ndikaraira kuti irege kuzarurwazve kusvikira sabata rapfuura, ndikaisa vamwe varanda vangu pamasuwo, kuti mitoro irege kupinzwa pazuva resabata.

¹⁹And it cometh to pass, when the gates of Jerusalem have been dark before the sabbath, that I speak, and the doors are shut, and I say, that they do not open them till after the sabbath; and of my servants I have stationed at the gates; there doth not come in a burden on the sabbath-day.

²⁰Naizvozvo vashambadziri navatengesi vezvinhu zvamarudzi ose vakavata kunze kweJerusaremu kamwe kana kaviri.

²⁰And they lodge — the merchants and sellers of all ware — at the outside of Jerusalem, once or twice,

²¹Ipapo ndakavanyevera ndikati kwavari, Munovatireiko pamberi porusvingo? Kana mukadarozve ndichakubatai. Zvino kubva panguva iyo havana kuzouyazve nesabata.

²¹and I testify against them, and say unto them, `Wherefore are ye lodging over-against the wall? if ye repeat [it], a hand I put forth upon you;` from that time they have not come in on the sabbath.

²²Ndikaraira vaRevhi kuti vazvinatse, vauye kuzorinda masuwo, vatsaure zuva resabata. Ndirangarirei henyu nokuda kwechinhu ichiwo, Mwari wangu, mundinzwire tsitsi nenyasha dzenyu huru.

²²And I say to the Levites, that they be cleansed, and, coming in, keeping the gates, to sanctify the sabbath-day. Also, this, remember for me, O my God, and have pity on me, according to the abundance of Thy kindness.

²³Namazuva iwayo ndakaonawo vamwe vaJudha vakanga vawana vakadzi veAshidhodhi, naAmoni, naMoabhu;

²³Also, in those days, I have seen the Jews [who] have settled women of Ashdod, of Ammon, of Moab.

²⁴vana vavo vaitaura zvimwe nechiAshidhodhi, vasingagoni kutaura rurimi rwavaJudha, asi rurimi rwamarudzi iwayo.

²⁴And of their sons, half are speaking Ashdoditish — and are not knowing to speak Jewish — and according to the language of people and people.

²⁵Ndikaita nharo navo, ndikavatuka, ndikarova vamwe vavo, ndikataura vhudzi ravo, ndikavapikisa naMwari, ndichiti, Hamufaniri kupa vanakomana vavo vakunda venyu, kana kutorera vanakomana venyu vakunda vavo, kunyange nemiwo.

²⁵And I strive with them, and declare them vile, and smite certain of them, and pluck off their hair, and cause them to swear by God, `Ye do not give your daughters to their sons, nor do ye take of their daughters to your sons, and to yourselves.

²⁶Ko Soromoni mambo waIsiraeri haana kutadza pazvinhu izvi here? Kunyange zvakadaro pakati pendudzi zhinji pakanga pasina mambo akafanana naye, naye akanga akadikamwa naMwari wake, Mwari akamuita mambo wavaIsiraeri vose; kunyange zvakadaro naiye akatadziswa navakadzi vatorwa.

²⁶`By these did not Solomon king of Israel sin? and among the many nations there was no king like him, and beloved by his God he was, and God maketh him king over all Israel — even him did the strange women cause to sin.

²⁷Ko zvino tingakuteererai kuti muite chinhu ichi chakaipa chikuru, mutadzire Mwari wedu muchiwana vakadzi vatorwa here?

²⁷And to you do we hearken to do all this great evil, to trespass against our God, to settle strange women?`

²⁸Zvino mumwe wavanakomana vaJoyadha mwanakomana waEriashibhi mupristi mukuru, akanga ari mukwambo waSanibharati muHoroni; saka ndakamudzinga abve kwandiri.

²⁸And [one] of the sons of Joiada son of Eliashib the high priest, [is] son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite, and I cause him to flee from off me.

²⁹Muvarangarirei henyu, Mwari wangu, nekuti vakasvibisa upristi nesungano youpristi neyavaRevhi.

²⁹Be mindful of them, O my God, for the redeemed of the priesthood, and the covenant of the priesthood, and of the Levites.

³⁰Ndikavanatsa saizvozvo ndikabvisa zvose zvavatorwa, ndikaraira madzoro avapristi navaRevhi, mumwe nomumwe pabasa rake;

³⁰And I have cleansed them from every stranger, and appoint charges to priests and to Levites, each in his work,

³¹napabasa rezvipo zvehuni panguva dzakatarwa, nerezvitsva. Ndirangarirei henyu, Mwari wangu, mundiitire zvakanaka.

³¹and for the wood-offering at appointed times, and for first-fruits. Be mindful of me, O my God, for good.