1 و َفِي شَهْرِ نِيسانَ مِنَ السَّنَةِ العِشرِينَ لِحُكْمِ المَلِكِ أرْتَحْشَسْتا، عِندَما كانَتِ الخَمْرُ مَوضُوعَةً أمامَهُ، أخَذْتُ الخَمْرَ وَأعطَيتُها لِلمَلِكِ.

And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.

2 و َكانَتْ هَذِهِ أوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ أبدُو حَزِيناً فِي حَضَرَتِهِ. فَسَألَنِي المَلِكُ: «لِماذا أنتَ حَزِينٌ؟ ألَعَلَّكَ مَرِيضٌ؟ لا، بَلْ إنَّ قَلْبَكَ هُوَ الحَزِينُ.» فَخِفتُ كَثِيراً،

Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid,

3 و َقُلْتُ لِلمَلِكِ: «أطالَ اللهُ عُمْرَكَ أيُّها المَلِكُ. كَيفَ لا أكُونُ حَزِيناً وَالمَدِينَةُ الَّتِي دُفِنَ فِيها آبائِي خَرابٌ وَبَوّاباتُها قَدْ دُمِّرَتْ بِالنّار.»

And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?

4 ف َقالَ لِيَ المَلِكُ: «ماذا تَطلُبُ مِنِّي؟» فَوَجَّهْتُ صَلاتِي إلَى إلَهِ السَّماءِ،

Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.

5 و َقُلْتُ لِلمَلِكِ: «إنْ شِئْتَ أيُّها المَلِكُ، وَإنْ كُنتَ راضِياً عَنْ عَبدِكَ، فَأرسِلْنِي إلَى بِلادِ يَهُوذا حَيثُ تُوجَدُ المَدِينَةُ الَّتِي دُفِنَ فِيها آبائِي، لِكَي أُعِيدَ بِناءَها.»

And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.

6 ف َقالَ لِيَ المَلِكُ، وَالمَلِكَةُ جالِسَةٌ إلَى جانِبِهِ: «كَمْ سَتَطُولُ رِحلَتُكَ، وَمَتَى سَتَعُودُ؟» وَبَعْدَ أنْ أعلَمْتُ المَلِكَ عَنْ مُدَّةِ غِيابِي، وافَقَ بِسُرُورٍ عَلَى أنْ يُرسِلَنِي.

And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.

7 ث ُمَّ قُلْتُ لِلمَلِكِ: «إنْ شِئْتَ فَأصْدِرْ أمْراً بِأنْ تُعطَى لِي رَسائِلُ إلَى وُلاةِ المَناطِقِ الواقِعَةِ غَرْبَ نَهْرِ الفُراتِ، لِكَي يَأْذَنُوا لِي بِالعُبُورِ حَتَّى أصِلَ إلَى يَهُوذا.

Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah;

8 و َبِأنْ تُعْطَى لِي رِسالَةٌ إلَى آسافَ المُشرِفِ عَلَى غابَةِ المَلِكِ، لِيُعطِيَنِي خَشَباً لِصُنْعِ سُقُوفٍ لِلبَوّاباتِ وَالأسوارِ وَالجُدرانِ المُحِيطَةِ بِالهَيكَلِ، وَالبَيْتِ الَّذِي سَأنزِلُ فِيهِ.» فَاسْتَجابَ المَلِكُ لِطَلَبِي، لِأنَّ إلَهِي كانَ مَعِي وَأحْسَنَ إلَيَّ.

And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.

9 ف َذَهَبْتُ إلَى وُلاةِ المَناطِقِ الواقِعَةِ غَرْبَ النَّهْرِ، وَسَلَّمْتُهُمْ رَسائِلَ المَلِكِ. وَكانَ المَلِكُ قَدْ أرسَلَ مَعِي ضُبّاطاً مِنَ الجَيشِ وَفُرساناً.

Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.

10 و َعِندَما عَرَفَ سَنْبَلَّطُ الحُورُونِيُّ وَطُوبِيّا، وَهُوَ مَسؤُولٌ عَمُّونِيٌّ، عَنْ هَذا الأمرِ، اغتاظا غَيظاً شَدِيداً لِأنَّ شَخصاً جاءَ يَسعَى إلَى خَيرِ بَنِي إسْرائِيلَ. نَحَمْيا يَتَفَقَّدُ الأسوار

When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.

11 و َهَكَذا جِئتُ إلَى مَدينَةِ القُدْسِ وَبَقَيتُ فِيها ثَلاثَةَ أيّامٍ.

So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.

12 ث ُمَّ انْطَلَقْتُ لَيلاً مَعَ بَعْضِ الرِّجالِ. وَلَمْ أكُنْ قَدْ أخْبَرْتُ أحَداً مِنْهُمْ بِما وَضَعَ إلَهِي فِي قَلْبِي مِنْ أجلِ القُدْسِ. وَلَمْ نَكُنْ قَدْ أحضَرْنا مَعَنا أيَّةَ دابَّةٍ إلّا الحِصانَ الَّذِي كُنْتُ أرْكَبُهُ.

And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon.

13 ف َعَبَرْتُ بابَ الوادِي وَتَجاوَزْتُ عَينَ التِّنِّينِ، حَتَّى وَصَلْتُ إلَى بابِ الدِّمْنِ. وَتَفَقَّدتُ أسوارَ القُدسِ المُهُدَّمَةَ وَبَوّاباتِها الَّتِي دَمَّرَتْها النّارُ.

And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before the dragon well, and to the dung port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire.

14 ث ُمَّ تابَعْتُ إلَى بابِ العَينِ وَبِرْكَةِ المَلِكِ. وَلَكِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ هُناكَ مُتَّسَعٌ لِعُبُورِ الحِصانِ الَّذِي أركَبُهُ.

Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king's pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass.

15 ف َصَعِدْتُ إلَى أعَلَى الوادِي لَيلاً مُتَفَحِّصاً السُّورَ، ثُمَّ عُدْتُ وَدَخَلْتُ مِنْ بابِ الوادِي. وَهَكَذا رَجِعْتُ.

Then went I up in the night by the brook, and viewed the wall, and turned back, and entered by the gate of the valley, and so returned.

16 و َلَمْ يَعلَمْ المَسؤُولُونَ أينَ ذَهَبْتُ أوْ ما كُنْتُ أفعَلُهُ، فَلَمْ أكُنْ بَعْدُ قَدْ أخبَرْتُ اليَهُودَ أوِ الكَهَنَةَ أوِ الأشْرافَ أوِ المَسؤُولِينَ، أوْ بَقِيَّةَ الَّذِينَ سَيَقُومُونَ بِالعَمَلِ.

And the rulers knew not whither 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 that did the work.

17 ث ُمَّ قُلْتُ لَهُمْ: «أنتُمْ تَرَوْنَ ما نَحنُ فِيهِ مِنْ مِحنَةٍ وَضِيقٍ، وَكَيفَ أنَّ القُدْسَ مُهَدَّمَةٌ، وَأبْوابَها مَحرُوقَةٌ بِالنّارِ. فَلْنَبنِ سُورَ القُدسِ مِنْ جَدِيدٍ، حَتَّى لا نَخزَى بَعْدَ اليَوْمِ.»

Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.

18 و َأخبَرْتُهُمْ كَيفَ أحسَنَ إلَهِي إلَيَّ، وَما قالَهُ المَلِكُ لِي. فَقالُوا: «لِنَنهَضْ وَنَبْنِ.» وَشَجَّعَ بَعضُهُمْ بَعْضاً عَلَى الاسْتِعدادِ لِهَذا العَمَلِ الصّالِحِ.

Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.

19 و َلَمّا سَمِعَ بِهَذا سَنَبَلَّطُ الحُورُونِيُّ وَطُوبِيّا المَسؤُولُ العَمُّونِيُّ وَجَشَمٌ العَرَبِيُّ، سَخِرُوا مِنّا وَاسْتَهْزَأُوا بِنا، وَقالُوا: «ما هَذا الَّذِي تَفعَلُونَهُ؟ هَلْ تَتَمَرَّدُونَ عَلَى المَلِكِ؟»

But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?

20 ف َأجَبْتُهُمْ: «سَيُوَفِّقُ إلَهُ السَّماءِ مَسْعانا، وَسَنَقُومُ نَحنُ عَبِيْدَهُ بِإعادَةِ البِناءِ. أمّا أنتُمْ فَلَيسَتْ لَكُمْ مُمتَلَكاتٌ أوْ حُقُوقٌ أوْ مَكانٌ فِي القُدسِ فِيهِ اسْمٌ لَكُمْ.»

Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.