Foreigners Are Sent Away
1 On that day when the Law of Moses was read aloud to everyone, it was discovered that Ammonites and Moabites were forbidden to belong to the people of God. 2 This was because they had refused to give food and water to Israel and had hired Balaam to call down a curse on them. However, our God turned the curse into a blessing. 3 Following the reading of the Law of Moses, the people of Israel started sending away anyone who had any foreign ancestors.
Nehemiah Makes Other Changes
4 The priest Eliashib was a relative of Tobiah and had earlier been put in charge of the temple storerooms. 5 So he let Tobiah live in one of these rooms, where all kinds of things had been stored—the grain offerings, incense, utensils for the temple, as well as the tenth of the grain, wine, and olive oil that had been given for the use of the Levites, singers, and temple guards, and the gifts for the priests.
6 This happened in the thirty-second year that Artaxerxes ruled Babylonia. I was away from Jerusalem at the time, because I was visiting him. Later I received permission from the king 7 to return to Jerusalem. Only then did I find out that Eliashib had done this terrible thing of letting Tobiah have a room in the temple. 8 It upset me so much that I threw out every bit of Tobiah's furniture. 9 Then I ordered the room to be cleaned and the temple utensils, the grain offerings, and the incense to be brought back into the room.
10 I also found out that the temple singers and several other Levites had returned to work on their farms, because they had not been given their share of the harvest. 11 I called the leaders together and angrily asked them, “Why is the temple neglected?” Then I told them to start doing their jobs. 12 After this, everyone in Judah brought a tenth of their grain, wine, and olive oil to the temple storeroom. 13 Finally, I appointed three men with good reputations to be in charge of what was brought there and to distribute it to the others. They were Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the teacher of the Law, and Pedaiah the Levite. Their assistant was Hanan, the son of Zaccur and the grandson of Mattaniah.
14 I pray that my God will remember these good things that I have done for his temple and for those who worship there.
The Sabbath
15 I also noticed what the people of Judah were doing on the Sabbath. Not only were they trampling grapes to make wine, but they were harvesting their grain, grapes, figs, and other crops, and then loading these on donkeys to sell in Jerusalem. So I warned them not to sell food on the Sabbath. 16 People who had moved to Jerusalem from the city of Tyre were bringing in fish and other things to sell there on the Sabbath. 17 I got angry and said to the leaders of Judah, “This evil you are doing is an insult to the Sabbath! 18 Didn't God punish us and this city because our ancestors did these very same things? And here you are, about to make God furious again by disgracing the Sabbath!”
19 I ordered the gates of Jerusalem to be closed on the eve of the Sabbath and not to be opened until after the Sabbath had ended. Then I put some of my own men in charge of the gates to make certain that nothing was brought in on the Sabbath. 20 Once or twice some merchants spent the night outside Jerusalem with their goods. 21 But I warned them, “If you do this again, I'll have you arrested.” From then on, they did not come on the Sabbath. 22 I ordered the Levites to make themselves holy and to guard the gates on the Sabbath, so that it would be kept holy.
God is truly merciful, and I pray that he will treat me with kindness and bless me for doing this.
Mixed Marriages
23 I discovered that some Jewish men had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. 24 About half of their children could not speak Hebrew—they spoke only the language of Ashdod or some other foreign language. 25 So in my anger, I called down curses on those men. I had them beaten and even pulled out the hair of some of them. Then I made them promise:
In the name of God we solemnly promise not to let our sons and daughters marry foreigners. 26 God dearly loved King Solomon of Israel and made him the greatest king on earth, but Solomon's foreign wives led him into sin. 27 So we will obey you and not rebel against our God by marrying foreign women.
28 Jehoiada, the son of the high priest Eliashib, had a son who had married a daughter of Sanballat from Horon, and I forced his son to leave.
29 I pray that God will punish them for breaking their priestly vows and disgracing the Levi tribe.
30 Then I made sure that the people were free from every foreign influence, and I assigned duties for the priests and Levites. 31 I also arranged for the people to bring firewood to the altar each day and for them to bring the first part of their harvest to the temple.
I pray that God will bless me for the good I have done.
Rulewe ni Atrai resi
1 Tu ana si ànya zi tate ni Buku Musa ro yasi ṛeṛe lidri ri ago ànya usuyi vose egyibe ekye; ko Amona'bai kode Moaba'bai ri rudro'bene lidri Lu ro robe ana te. 2 Tana Amona'bai ndi Moaba'bai be ozoyi ŋgaonya ndi gyi be kote Yisaraele'bai ri tuse ànya kefoyibe ni Ezipeto yasi 'do si, oko gyeyi mi Balama rote Yisaraele otrine, caoko Lu amaro za latri te ŋga äṛu ro. 3 Ondro lidri Yisaraele ro keriyi ota ono te oko, ànya leweyi 'dise cini atraro teni Yisaraele lakosi.
Nemaya go 'ba Ŋgate To'diro
4 Oko dri käti kohani Eliasiba, se anjibe dri'ba vo ŋgaodroro Yekalu ro dri ana, a'dote bereazi ro Tobia be ṛo kyeno. 5 Nda letadrite Tobia ri orine zoya 'desi se kyeno ànya ko'bayi ŋgapäṛi inya ro, ŋga ŋgutruro ro, lakazà cini losi oyero Yekalu ya, ndi ŋgapäṛi telesi alo 'bute inya ro, vino ro, ido ice ido ro ro se a'ba tana te Lewe'bai, loŋgo oŋgo'bai ndi dereŋwa okwa'bai ri ndi ŋgaosa ro Kohanii ri be kigye ana ya. 6 Tase ono ka a'do oko ma i'do Yerusalema ya, tana ndroa 'butenätu foritu 'dimiri Aretakerekesa 'bädri'ba Babelona rosi, 'dooko magote nda re. Ago tu aza si oko, meji 'bädri'ba te märi ogone kovele, 7 ago megote Yerusalema ya. Lau musu tase koziro Eliasiba koyebe vo ozo si Tobia ri zoya goko Yekalu roya ana tana te. 8 Ago ma'dote kyilaro amba, ago molovo ŋga cini Tobia ro zo ya te cini tesi ni zo yasi. 9 'Dooko mozotate ago ànya wäṛiyi zoya te; ago mologo lakazà cini Yekalu ro, ŋgapäṛi inya ro ndi ŋga ŋgutruro robe te vona ya.
10 Musu ta kpate anjioko lidri ozo ŋga kote Lewe'bai ri. Ta'dota Lewe'bai ndi loŋgo oŋgo'bai yibe se kayibe ruindu ana, vonai cini goyite ämvu ànyaro yasi. 11 Ago maŋgate kyilaro dri'bai be ago matate ànyari makye “Tana e'di mitita Yekalu ro ko ni ya?” Ago motokala Lewe'bai ndi loŋgo oŋgo'bai be rote, ago mologo ànya te vo losi ànyaro ro yasi. 12 'Dooko lidri cini Yuda ro go etoyi ŋgapäṛi telesi alo 'bute ro ànyaro inya ro, vino ro, ndi ido ice ido ro robe ezina te zo ŋgaodroro ya. 13 Ago ma'ba dri'bai kwoi te zo ŋgaodroro ro dri, kohani Selemaya, Zadoka, egyi'ba Ota ro ndi Pedaya Lewe'ba be. Kundu eŋga'ba ànyaro ni Anana ŋgwa Zakura ro, kwozo Matania ro, tana usu ànyate 'diri ro ago losi ànyaro ni ŋga lanjine losi'bai azi ànyaro ri.
14 Miyi ta maro, ta ono ta Äye Lu maro ago nyije takado se mayebe ta Yekalu rota ndi ta mätuna robe ono ko.
15 Tuse kai si mandre lidri Yuda ya te vino ozwavoya ni doŋgo na yasi Sabata si. Ago kayi inya amba ezi ago odrona doŋgyii ànyaro drisi. Ànya kayi kpa vino, kono, kyi'du ndi ŋga azaka be ezina Yerusalema ya Sabata si; mozo miomba te ànyari ko ŋgaonya logyene tu 'do si. 16 Lidri Tura ro se kayibe ori Yerusalema ya, eziyi ti'bi kpate ndi ŋga cini dritoto be ago logyeyite Sabata si lidri Yuda ro ri Yerusalema ya. 17 'Dooko maŋgate kyilaro dri'bai Yuda ro be ago matate ànyari makye: “Mìndre takozi se nyàbe ugu loyena ono! Nyà ugu Sabata o'ba ko a'done alokado. 18 Inye'do zutui amiro ye ta ṛoko nonye ago inye'do Lu amaro ezi taezaro ṛoko ämädri ndi 'bakici ono be ya? Caoko nyà kayi drigi ugu kyila Lu ro ezina ndra Yisaraele dri ta Sabata enji rosi.”
19 Ondro vo kate ezi uni dereŋwà Yerusalema ro ya etovo Sabata rosi oko, mozotate dereŋwai 'bakici ro osene, ago ko upine madale Sabata vosi. Ago mara ruka lidri maro rote dereŋwai kalasi anjioko ko ŋga aza ezine 'bakici ya tu Sabata rosi. 20 Perena alo kode ritu ronye ŋgalogye'bai se cini kayibe ŋga dritoto ro logyena iyi u'duyite tesi tiṛi 'bakici ro kundusi. 21 Oko matate ànyari makye: “Tana e'di nyàori tiṛi lomvosi ni ya? Ondro ka'do mìgo nyòjo kpate oyene oso inye, mezana ami ndi.” Etoni tu ana si ànya go ikyiyi kote tona Sabata si. 22 Ago mata Lewe'bai te beṛo ànyari andivo ànyaro wäṛine ago oyine dereŋwà okwane, tu Sabata ro o'bane a'done alokado.
Miyi ta ono kpa ta maro ta Äye Lu maro ago nya'do yauni be märi tana ŋgälu miro orivoya äduako.
23 Tuse kai si mandre Yudai kpate se logyeyi 'ditoko teni Asedodo, Amona ndi Moaba be yasi; 24 ago kpäkyi ŋgagà ànyaro ro atate kala Asedodo ro ndi kala azaka be ayani, ago ànya niyi kala Yuda ata kote. 25 Ago mawasakalate ànya yibe ago matri ànya te, ma'bi rukä ànyaro te ago meŋgye drikyiri ànyaro te, 'dooko ma'ba ànya te, ruäṛune ävuru Lu rosi ekye: ko amiri ndiriŋwa amiro ozone ogyene ŋgwaàgoro ànyaro ri kode ndiriŋwa ànyaro ogyene ŋwaàgoro amiro ri kode andivo amiro ri. 26 Miti tate ànyari makye: “Inye'do Solomo 'bädri'ba 'de ṛoko ta 'ditoko inye'do rosi ya? Tu'dei cini lakosi 'bädri'ba aza i'do oso nda ronye. Lu ndaro lu nda tawi inye, ago Lu 'ba nda te 'bädri'ba ro Yisaraele cini dri, caoko 'ditoko atra ro 'ba ndate takozi oyene. 27 Inye'do mèrina te ta amiro ago màyena te takozi se 'desi ono ago màrinate Lu amaro oroako ugu 'ditoko atraro logye siya?”
28 Ŋgwaagoro aza alodi Yoyada ŋgwa Eliasiba Kohani Fopara ro, gye ŋguti Sanebalata Orona'ba ro rote, ta'doro manja Yoyada teni maresi.
29 Miyi ta anyaro Äye Lu maro tana ànya enjiyi losi kohanii ro ago tao'baro a'doro kohanii ro ndi Lewe'bai robe te.
30 Ndi mäwäṛi ànya teni ŋgase cini atraro yasi, ago mara kama te kohanii ndi Lewe'bai be ri 'dialo gyi losi ndaro ya. 31 Ago maratate tiza se abe ŋgapäṛi ozaro ozana sina 'do ezine saa na ya, ago doŋgo drikäti ezine.
Miyi ta maro Äye Lu maro takado ta.