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 Nisan hando ra, Bonkoono Artasersiz mayra jiiri warankanta ra, waato kaŋ duvan* go bonkoono jine, kala ay na duvaŋo din sambu k'a no bonkoono se. Amma za doŋ ay mana doona ka mo-kuuru haw a jine baa ce fo.
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 Bonkoono binde ne ay se: «Ifo se no ni moyduma hasara, za kaŋ ni siino ga maa doori fo? Woone manti hay fo kulu no kala bine saray.» Alwaato din ay humburu gumo.
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 Ay ne bonkoono se: «Bonkoono fundo ma gay hal abada! Ifo no ga ganji ay moyduma ma hasara za kaŋ ay kaayey saarayey do gallo go, a ciya kurmu. A meyey daabirjey mo, danji n'i ŋwa.»
4Then the king said to me, “For what do you make request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.
4 Kala bonkoono ne ay se: «Ifo no ni goono ga ceeci?» Ay binde na adduwa te Irikoy kaŋ go beene gaa,
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 ka ne bonkoono se: «Da bonkoono yadda, da day ay, ni bannya du gaakuri mo ni jine, kala ni ma yadda k'ay donton ya koy Yahuda, ka koy ay kaayey saarayey gallo do, zama ay m'a cina se.»
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 Bonkoono wando mo go a jarga ga goro, kala bonkoono ne ay se: «Ni dirawo ga to sanda alwaati mate cine? Waatifo no ni ga ye ka kaa koyne?» A binde kaan bonkoono se nga m'ay donton. Ay mo na alwaati kosu a se.
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 Ay ne bonkoono se koyne: «Hala day koyo yadda, kala i m'ay no tirayaŋ kaŋ ay ga konda isa daŋanta mayraykoyey do, zama i ma naŋ ay ma du ka bisa hal ay ma to Yahuda.
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 I m'ay no tira mo koyne kaŋ ga koy Asaf do, nga kaŋ ga bonkoono tuuri zugay batu din, zama i m'ay no bunduyaŋ kaŋ ga te ganjiyaŋ wongu fu beero meyey se kaŋ go windo do haray, da birno cinaro se, d'ay windo kaŋ ra ay ga goro se mo.» Bonkoono yadda ay se mo, ay Irikoyo kamba gomno kaŋ go ay boŋ din se.
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 Kaŋ ay fun noodin binde, ay kaa isa daŋanta mayraykoyey do ka bonkoono tirey no i se. Bonkoono jin ka wongu marga jine boroyaŋ da bari-kariyaŋ daŋ ay banda.
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 Waato kaŋ Sanballat Horoni bora, da nga zanka Tobiya Amonance boro maa baaro, a n'i biney sara gumo, way, zama boro fo kaa kaŋ goono ga Israyla izey baani ceeci.
11So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.
11 Ay binde kaa Urusalima ka kani cin hinza noodin.
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 Kal ay tun cin, in da boro sasabante fooyaŋ ay banda. Ay mana ci mo boro kulu se haŋ kaŋ ay Irikoyo daŋ ay bina ra ya te Urusalima se. Alman fo kulu mo si no ay banda, kala almano kaŋ ay ga kaaru hinne.
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 Ay binde fatta cin, Gooro Meyo fonda gaa haray, sanda ay ma koy Zoŋo Dayo do haray nooya. Ay koy Birji Meyo gaa haray mo. Ay na Urusalima birni cinarey kaŋ yaŋ kaŋ din fonnay, d'a me daabirjey kaŋ yaŋ danji ŋwa.
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 Gaa no ay bisa ka koy Hari-mo Meyo do, ka koy hala Bonkoono Bango do. Amma fondo si no almano kaŋ boŋ ay go din se a ma du ka bisa.
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 Waato din gaa, cin haray ay kaaru gooro do ka birno cinaro guna. Ay ye ka bare koyne ka ye ka furo Gooro Meyo gaa. Waato din gaa no ay ye ka kaa fu.
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 Mayraykoyey binde mana bay haŋ kaŋ no ay te, wala naŋ kaŋ no ay koy. Ay mana ci mo Yahudancey se jina, wala baa alfagey, wala kwaara boro beerey, wala ciitikoy, wala boro cindey kaŋ yaŋ ga goyo te.
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 Waato din gaa no ay ne i se: «Araŋ di masiiba kaŋ ra iri go: Urusalima ciya kurmu, a me daabirjey mo, danji n'i ŋwa. Wa kaa, iri ma Urusalima windi cinaro cina, zama iri ma si ye ka ciya wowi hari koyne.»
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 Ay n'i no ay Irikoyo kambe kaŋ go ay boŋ da gomni din baaru, hala nda bonkoono sanney kaŋ yaŋ a ci ay se mo. I ne: «Iri ma tun ka soobay ka cina.» I binde na ngey kambey gaabandi goy hanna din se.
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 Amma waato kaŋ Sanballat Horoni bora, da nga zanka Tobiya Amonance, da Gesem Laarabu mo maa baaru, i n'iri hahaara nda donda-caray. I ne: «Ifo no araŋ ga te wo? Araŋ ga murte bonkoono gaa, wala?»
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 Kala ay tu i se ka ne: «Irikoy kaŋ go beene, nga no g'iri albarkandi. Woodin se no iri, kaŋ ga ti a tamey, iri ga tun ka cina. Amma araŋ wo, araŋ sinda baa wala fondo wala fonguyaŋ hari Urusalima ra.»