Separation from Foreigners
1 When the Law of Moses was being read aloud to the people, they came to the passage that said that no Ammonite or Moabite was ever to be permitted to join God's people. 2 This was because the people of Ammon and Moab did not give food and water to the Israelites on their way out of Egypt. Instead, they paid money to Balaam to curse Israel, but our God turned the curse into a blessing. 3 When the people of Israel heard this law read, they excluded all foreigners from the community.
Nehemiah's Reforms
4 The priest Eliashib, who was in charge of the Temple storerooms, had for a long time been on good terms with Tobiah. 5 He allowed Tobiah to use a large room that was intended only for storing offerings of grain and incense, the equipment used in the Temple, the offerings for the priests, and the tithes of grain, wine, and olive oil given to the Levites, to the Temple musicians, and to the Temple guards. 6 While this was going on, I was not in Jerusalem, because in the thirty-second year that Artaxerxes was king of Babylon I had gone back to report to him. After some time I received his permission 7 and returned to Jerusalem. There I was shocked to find that Eliashib had allowed Tobiah to use a room in the Temple. 8 I was furious and threw out all of Tobiah's belongings. 9 I gave orders for the rooms to be ritually purified and for the Temple equipment, grain offerings, and incense to be put back.
10 I also learned that the Temple musicians and other Levites had left Jerusalem and gone back to their farms, because the people had not been giving them enough to live on. 11 I reprimanded the officials for letting the Temple be neglected. And I brought the Levites and musicians back to the Temple and put them to work again. 12 Then all the people of Israel again started bringing to the Temple storerooms their tithes of grain, wine, and olive oil. 13 I put the following men in charge of the storerooms: Shelemiah, a priest; Zadok, a scholar of the Law; and Pedaiah, a Levite. Hanan, the son of Zaccur and grandson of Mattaniah, was to be their assistant. I knew I could trust these men to be honest in distributing the supplies to the other workers.
14 Remember, my God, all these things that I have done for your Temple and its worship.
15 At that time I saw people in Judah pressing juice from grapes on the Sabbath. Others were loading grain, wine, grapes, figs, and other things on their donkeys and taking them into Jerusalem; I warned them not to sell anything on the Sabbath. 16 Some people from the city of Tyre were living in Jerusalem, and they brought fish and all kinds of goods into the city to sell to our people on the Sabbath. 17 I reprimanded the Jewish leaders and told them, “Look at the evil you're doing! You're making the Sabbath unholy. 18 This is exactly why God punished your ancestors when he brought destruction on this city. And yet you insist on bringing more of God's anger down on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”
19 So I gave orders for the city gates to be shut at the beginning of every Sabbath, as soon as evening began to fall, and not to be opened again until the Sabbath was over. I stationed some of my men at the gates to make sure that nothing was brought into the city on the Sabbath. 20 Once or twice merchants who sold all kinds of goods spent Friday night outside the city walls. 21 I warned them, “It's no use waiting out there for morning to come. If you try this again, I'll use force on you.” From then on they did not come back on the Sabbath. 22 I ordered the Levites to purify themselves and to go and guard the gates to make sure that the Sabbath was kept holy.
Remember me, O God, for this also, and spare me because of your great love.
23 At that time I also discovered that many of the Jewish men had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. 24 Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or some other language and didn't know how to speak our language. 25 I reprimanded the men, called down curses on them, beat them, and pulled out their hair. Then I made them take an oath in God's name that never again would they or their children intermarry with foreigners. 26 I told them, “It was foreign women that made King Solomon sin. Here was a man who was greater than any of the kings of other nations. God loved him and made him king over all of Israel, and yet he fell into this sin. 27 Are we then to follow your example and disobey our God by marrying foreign women?”
28 Joiada was the son of Eliashib the High Priest, but one of Joiada's sons married the daughter of Sanballat, from the town of Beth Horon, so I made Joiada leave Jerusalem.
29 Remember, God, how those people defiled both the office of priest and the covenant you made with the priests and the Levites.
30 I purified the people from everything foreign; I prepared regulations for the priests and the Levites so that all of them would know their duties; 31 I arranged for the wood used for burning the offerings to be brought at the proper times, and for the people to bring their offerings of the first grain and the first fruits that ripened.
Remember all this, O God, and give me credit for it.
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.