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.
1王许尼希米重建城墙
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.
2王却问我：“你既然没有病，为什么面带愁容呢？这没有别的可能，必是心中愁烦。”我就非常惧怕，
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?”
3对王说：“愿王万岁，我列祖坟墓所在的城成了荒芜之地，城门被火焚毁，我怎能不面带愁容呢？”
4Then the king said to me, “For what do you make request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.
4王问我：“你想要什么呢？”我就向天上的 神祷告，
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.”
5然后对王说：“如果王认为好，仆人能在你面前蒙恩宠，就请你差派我往犹大，到我列祖坟墓所在的城去，让我重建那城。”
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.
6那时，王后坐在王的旁边。王问我：“你的行程需时多久？你什么时候回来？”王既然认为好，就差派我去，我也定了一个归期。
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;
7我又问王：“王若是认为好，请赐给我诏书，通知河西那边的省长准我经过，直至我到达犹大；
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.
8又赐诏书，给看守王的园林的亚萨，吩咐他给我木材，建造圣殿的营楼大门的横梁，以及建造城墙和我要入住的房屋。”因为我的 神施恩的手帮助我，王就赐给我这一切。
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.
9于是我到了河西那边的省长那里去，把王的诏书交给他们；王又派了军长和马兵护送我。
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.
10和伦人参巴拉和作臣仆的亚扪人多比雅听见有人来到，要为以色列求利益，他们就非常恼怒。
11So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.
11尼希米夜间巡视城墙我到了耶路撒冷，在那里停留了三天。
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.
12我在夜间起来，和几个人一起出去，我没有告诉任何人我的 神使我定意要为耶路撒冷作的事，除了我所骑的一头牲口以外，没有带着别的牲口。
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.
13我夜间出了谷门，向着龙泉走去，到了粪门，视察耶路撒冷破坏了的城墙和被火焚毁的城门。
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.
14我又往前走，到了泉门和王池，因为地方不够让我骑着牲口过去，
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.
15我只得在夜间沿溪而上，视察城墙，然后转回，经过谷门，回到城里。
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.
16没有一个官长知道我去过什么地方，作了什么事。我也一直没有告诉犹大人、或祭司、或贵胄、或官长，或其余作工的人。
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.”
17尼希米鼓励人民重建城墙后来我对他们说：“你们都看见我们遭遇的患难：耶路撒冷成了荒芜之地，城门被火焚毁，你们都来吧！让我们重建耶路撒冷的城墙，免得我们再受凌辱。”
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.
18我告诉他们，我的 神施恩的手怎样帮助我，以及王对我所说的话；他们就说：“我们要起来建造！”于是他们奋勇着手作这善工。
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?”
19但和伦人参巴拉和作臣仆的亚扪人多比雅，以及阿拉伯人基善听见了，就讥笑我们，藐视我们，说：“你们在干什么？你们要背叛王吗？”
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.”
20我回答他们说：“天上的 神必使我们成功；我们是他的仆人，我们要起来建造，但你们在耶路撒冷无分、无权，无人记念。”