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

¹On that day they read in the book of Moses in the audience of the people; and therein was found written, that an Ammonite and a Moabite should not enter into the assembly of God forever,

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

²because they didn’t meet the children of Israel with bread and with water, but hired Balaam against them, to curse them: however our God turned the curse into a blessing.

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

³It came to pass, when they had heard the law, that they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude.

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

⁴Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the rooms of the house of our God, being allied to 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.

⁵had prepared for him a great room, where before they laid the meal offerings, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithes of the grain, the new wine, and the oil, which were given by commandment to the Levites, and the singers, and the porters; and the wave offerings for 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,

⁶But in all this, I was not at Jerusalem; for in the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went to the king: and after certain days asked I leave of the king,

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

⁷and I came to Jerusalem, and understood the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, in preparing him a room in the courts of God’s house.

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

⁸It grieved me severely: therefore I cast forth all the household stuff of Tobiah out of the room.

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

⁹Then I commanded, and they cleansed the rooms: and there brought I again the vessels of God’s house, with the meal offerings and the frankincense.

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

¹⁰I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given them; so that the Levites and the singers, who did the work, had fled everyone to his field.

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

¹¹Then I contended with the rulers, and said, “Why is God’s house forsaken?” I gathered them together, and set them in their place.

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

¹²Then brought all Judah the tithe of the grain and the new wine and 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.

¹³I made treasurers over the treasuries, Shelemiah the priest, and Zadok the scribe, and of the Levites, Pedaiah: and next to them was Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for they were counted faithful, and their business was to distribute to their brothers.

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

¹⁴Remember me, my God, concerning this, and don’t wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for its observances.

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 saw I in Judah some men treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and loading donkeys; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all kinds of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day in which they sold food.

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

¹⁶There lived men of Tyre also therein, who brought in fish, and all kinds of wares, and sold on the Sabbath to the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem.

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

¹⁷Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said to them, “What evil thing is this that you do, and profane 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.

¹⁸Didn’t your fathers do thus, and didn’t our God bring all this evil on us, and on this city? Yet you bring more wrath on Israel by profaning 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.

¹⁹It came to pass that, when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the Sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut, and commanded that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath. I set some of my servants over the gates, that no burden should be brought in on the Sabbath day.

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

²⁰So the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside of Jerusalem once or twice.

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

²¹Then I testified against them, and said to them, “Why do you stay around the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you.” From that time on, they didn’t come 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.

²²I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day. Remember to me, my God, this also, and spare me according to the greatness of your loving kindness.

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

²³In those days also saw I the Jews who had married women of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab:

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

²⁴and their children spoke half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews’ language, but according to the language of each 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.

²⁵I contended with them, and cursed them, and struck certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons, or for 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.

²⁶Didn’t Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? Yet among many nations was there no king like him, and he was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless foreign women caused even him to sin.

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

²⁷Shall we then listen to you to do all this great evil, to trespass against our God in marrying foreign women?”

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

²⁸One of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite: therefore I chased him from me.

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

²⁹Remember them, my God, because they have defiled 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;

³⁰Thus I cleansed them from all foreigners, and appointed duties for the priests and for the Levites, everyone in his work;

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

³¹and for the wood offering, at times appointed, and for the first fruits. Remember me, my God, for good.