1Zvino nomwedzi weNisani, negore ramakumi maviri ramambo Aritashasita, panguva yaakanga anewaini pamberi pake, ini ndikatora waini, ndikaipa mambo. Zvino ndakanga ndisina kumbopunyaira pamberi pake.
1It happened in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, when wine was before him, that I took up the wine, and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad before in his presence.
2Ipapo mambo akati kwandiri, Chiso chako chinopunyairireiko, zvausingarwari? Ichi chinhu ishungu dzomoyo chaidzo. Ndikatya kwazvo.
2The king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing else but sorrow of heart.” Then I was very much afraid.
3Ndikati kuna mambo, Mambo ngaararame nokusingaperi! Chiso changu chingaregereiko kupunyaira, kana guta iro rinamarinda amadzibaba angu, rava dongo, namasuwo aro atsva nomoto?
3I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why shouldn’t my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates have been consumed with fire?”
4Ipapo mambo akati kwandiri, Unokumbireiko? Zvino ndikanyengetera kuna Mwari wokudenga,
4Then the king said to me, “For what do you make request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.
5ndikati kuna mambo, Kana mambo achifara nazvo, kana muranda wenyu awana nyasha pamberipenyu, ndinokumbira kuti munditumire kwaJudha, kuguta ramarinda amadzibaba angu, ndinorivaka.
5I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you would send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may build it.”
6Mambo akati kwandiri (navahosiwo vakanga vagere naye), Rwendo rwako ruchaita nguva yakadiniko? Uchadzoka rinhi? Zvino mambo akatenda kundituma; ndikamutarira nguva.
6The king said to me (the queen was also sitting by him), “For how long shall your journey be? And when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.
7Uye ndakatiwo kuna mambo, Kana mambo achifara nazvo, ndinokumbira kuti ndipiwe tsamba dzakanyorerwa vabati vari mhiri korwizi, vanditendere kupfuura ndisvike kwaJudha;
7Moreover I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah;
8neimwe tsambawo kuna Asafi mutariri wedondo ramambo, andipe miti yokuita nayo matanda amasuwo enhare yapaimba yaMwari nookuisa parusvingo rweguta napaimba yandichapinda. Mambo akandipa izvozvo, nekuti ruoko rwakanaka rwaMwari wangu rwakanga ruri pamusoro pangu.
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 citadel by the temple, for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into.” The king granted my requests, because of the good hand of my God on me.
9Zvino ndikasvika kuvabati mhiri korwizi, ndikavapa tsamba dzamambo. Zvino mambo akanga atuma vakuru vehondo navatasvi vamabhiza neni.
9Then I came to the governors beyond the River, and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent with me captains of the army and horsemen.
10Asi Sanibharati muHoroni, naTobhia muranda, muAmoni, vakati vanzwa kuti kwakanga kwasvika munhu kuzotsvaka kuitira vana vaIsiraeri zvakanaka, zvikavaodza moyo kwazvo.
10When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly, because a man had come to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.
11Naizvozvo ndakasvika Jerusaremu ndikagarapo mazuva matatu.
11So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.
12Ndikamuka usiku, ini navamwe vanhu vashoma; asi handina kuudza munhu zvakanga zvaiswa mumoyo mangu naMwari wangu kuti ndiitire Jerusaremu; uye ndakanga ndisine chimwe chipfuwo neni, asi chipfuwo chandakanga ndichitasva.
12I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God put into my heart to do for Jerusalem; neither was there any animal with me, except the animal that I rode on.
13Ndikabuda usiku napasuwo roMupata, ndikaenda nokutsime reShato, nesuwo raMarara, ndikacherekedza masvingo eJerusaremu akanga akoromoka, namasuwo aro akanga atsva nomoto.
13I went out by night by the valley gate, even toward the jackal’s well, and to the dung gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and its gates were consumed with fire.
14Ipapo ndikapfuurira kusvika pasuwo reTsime, nokudziva ramambo; asi pakanga pasine nzvimbo pangapfuura napo chipfuwo chandakanga ndakatasva.
14Then I went on to the spring gate and to the king’s pool: but there was no place for the animal that was under me to pass.
15Ipapo ndakakwira usiku naparukova, ndikacherekedza rusvingo; ndikadzoka, ndikapinda napasuwo roMupata, ndikadzoka saizvozvo.
15Then went I up in the night by the brook, and viewed the wall; and I turned back, and entered by the valley gate, and so returned.
16Vabati havana kuziva kwandakanga ndaenda, kana zvandakanga ndandoita; nekuti ndakanga ndisina kuudza vaJudha, kana vapristi, kana vakuru, kana vabati, kana vamwe vabati vebasa.
16The rulers didn’t know where I went, or what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest who did the work.
17Zvino ndakati kwavari, Munoona nhamo yedu, kuti Jerusaremu rava dongo, namasuwo aro atsva nomoto; hendei tindovakazve rusvingo rweJerusaremu, tirege kugara tichishorwa.
17Then I said to them, “You see the evil case that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come, let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we won’t be disgraced.”
18Ndikavaudza zvokunaka koruoko rwaMwari rwakanga ruri pamusoro pangu; namashoko amambo aakandiudza. Ivo vakati, Ngatisimuke, tivake. Naizvozvo vakasimbisa maoko avo kubata basa rakanaka.
18I told them of the hand of my God which was good on me, as also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me. They said, “Let’s rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
19Asi Sanibharati muHoroni, naTobhia muranda, muAmoni, naGeshemu, muArabhia, vakati vachinzwa, vakatisweveredza, nokutininipisa, vakati, Chinyiko ichi chamunoita? Munoda kumukira mambo kanhi?
19But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they ridiculed us, and despised us, and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?”
20Ipapo ndakavapindura, ndikati kwavari, Mwari wokudenga achatifambisa zvakanaka; saka isu varanda vake tichasimuka, nokuvaka; asi imwi hamuno mugove kana simba kana chirangaridzo paJerusaremu.
20Then answered I them, and said to them, “The God of heaven will prosper us. Therefore we, his servants, will arise and build; but you have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.”