1 A nd it cometh to pass, when Sanballat hath heard that we are building the wall, that it is displeasing to him, and he is very angry and mocketh at the Jews,

وَلَمّا سَمِعَ سَنَبَلَّطُ بِأنَّنا عاكِفُونَ عَلَى بِناءِ السُّورِ، غَضِبَ وَاهتاجَ كَثِيراً، وَراحَ يُحَقِّرُ اليَهُودَ وَيَسْخَرُ مِنْهُمْ.

2 a nd saith before his brethren and the force of Samaria, yea, he saith, `What the weak Jews doing? are they left to themselves? do they sacrifice? do they complete in a day? do they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish? -- and they burnt!'

وَقالَ أمامَ حُلَفائِهِ وَجَيشِ السّامِرَةِ: «ما الَّذِي يَفعَلُهُ هَؤُلاءِ اليَهُودُ الضُّعَفاءُ؟ هَلْ سَيُبقُونَ الأمرَ بَينَ أيدِيهِمْ؟ أمْ سَيُقَدِّمُونَ ذَبائِحَ للهِ؟ هَلْ سَيُكمِلُونَ مَشرُوعَهُمْ فِي يَوْمٍ واحِدٍ؟ هَلْ يُعِيدَوْنَ الحَياةَ إلَى الحِجارَةِ مِنْ أكوامِ التُّرابِ وَالقُمامَةِ، حَتَّى وَهِيَ مَحرُوقَةٌ؟»

3 A nd Tobiah the Ammonite by him and saith, `Also, that which they are building -- if a fox doth go up, then it hath broken down their stone wall.'

وَكانَ طُوبِيّا العَمُّونِيُّ بِجانِبِهِ فَقالَ: «لَوْ تَسَلَّقَ حَتَّى ثَعلَبٌ عَلَى ما يَبنُونَهُ، فَسَيَهدِمُ حِجارَةَ سُورِهِمْ!»

4 H ear, O our God, for we have been despised; and turn back their reproach on their own head, and give them for a spoil in a land of captivity;

فَصَلَّيتُ أنا نَحَمْيا وَقُلْتُ: «اسْمَعْ صَلاتَنا يا إلَهَنا، لِأنَّنا صِرْنا مُحتَقَرِينَ. عاقِبْهُمْ عَلَى إهانَتِهِمْ لَنا. وَاجعَلْهُمْ يُسْبَونَ فِي أحَدِ المَنافِي.

5 a nd do not cover over their iniquity, and their sin from before Thee let not be blotted out, for they have provoked to anger -- over-against those building.

وَلا تَستُرْ ذَنبَهُمْ هَذا، وَلا تَدَعْ خَطِيَّتَهُمْ تُمحَى مِنْ أمامِ عَينَيكَ. لِأنَّهُمْ أهانُوا وَأحْبَطُوا البَنّائِينَ.»

6 A nd we build the wall, and all the wall is joined -- unto its half, and the people have a heart to work.

وَبَنَينا السُّورَ وَوَصَلْناهُ، فَوَصَلَ إلَى نِصْفِ ارتِفاعِهِ القَدِيمِ، لِأنَّ الشَّعبَ كانُوا مُتَحَمِّسِينَ لِلعَمَلِ.

7 A nd it cometh to pass, when Sanballat hath heard, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, that lengthening hath gone up to the walls of Jerusalem, that the breeches have begun to be stopped, then it is very displeasing to them,

وَلَمّا سَمِعَ سَنْبَلَّطُ وَطُوبِيّا وَالعَرَبُ وَالعَمُّونِيُّونَ وَسُكّانُ أشدُودَ أنَّ تَرْمِيمَ أسْوارِ القُدْسِ جارٍ، وَأنَّ الثَّغَراتِ وَالأجزاءَ الَّتِي انْهَدَمَتْ بَدَأتْ تُسَدُّ، غَضِبُوا غَضَباً شَدِيداً.

8 a nd they conspire, all of them together, to come in to fight against Jerusalem, and to do to it injury.

وَتَآمَرُوا جَمِيعاً عَلَى أنْ يَأْتُوا لِمُحارَبَةِ القُدسِ. وَخَطَّطُوا لإثارَةِ الفَوضَى وَالإرباكِ.

9 A nd we pray unto our God, and appoint a watch against them, by day and by night, because of them.

لَكِنّا التَجَأْنا إلَى إلَهِنا وَصَلَّينا، وَأقَمْنا حُرّاساً عَلَى الأسوارِ لَيلَ نَهارَ بِسَبَبِهِمْ.

10 A nd Judah saith, `The power of the burden-bearers hath become feeble, and the rubbish abundant, and we are not able to build on the wall.'

غَيرَ أنَّ بَنِي يَهُوذا قالُوا: «بَدَأتْ قُوَّةُ الحَمّالِينَ تَضعُفُ، وَهُناكَ حِجارَةٌ مُكَسَّرَةٌ كَثِيرَةٌ. وَلِهَذا لَنْ نَتَمَكَّنَ وَحدَنا مِنْ إعادَةِ بِناءِ السُّورِ.»

11 A nd our adversaries say, `They do not know, nor see, till that we come in to their midst, and have slain them, and caused the work to cease.'

وَقالَ أعداؤُنا: «سَنُهاجِمُ اليَهُودَ بَغْتَةً وَنَقْتَحِمُهُمْ وَنَقتُلُهُمْ وَنُوقِفُ العَمَلَ.»

12 A nd it cometh to pass, when the Jews have come who are dwelling near them, that they say to us ten times from all the places whither ye return -- against us.

وَعِندَما جاءَ اليَهُودُ الَّذِينَ يَسكُنُونَ قُربَ أعدائِنا، كَرَّرُوا عَلَى مَسامِعِنا قَولَهُمْ: «الأعداءُ مُحِيطُونَ بِكُمْ مِنْ كُلِّ الجِهاتِ فَاترُكُوا المَدِينَةَ وَارجِعُوا إلَينا سالِمِينَ!»

13 A nd I appoint at the lowest of the places, at the back of the wall, in the clear places, yea, I appoint the people, by their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

فَوَقَفْتُ فِي الجُزءِ المُنخَفِضِ خَلْفَ السُّورِ فِي المَكانِ المَفتُوحِ، وَجَعَلْتُ الشَّعبَ يَقِفُونَ حَسَبَ عائِلاتِهِمْ حامِلِينَ سُيُوفَهُمْ وَرِماحَهُمْ وَأقواسَهُمْ.

14 A nd I see, and rise up, and say unto the freemen, and unto the prefects, and unto the rest of the people, `Be not afraid of them; the Lord, the great and the fearful, remember ye, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.'

وَبَعْدَ أنْ فَكَّرْتُ فِي الأمْرِ، نَهَضْتُ وَقُلْتُ لِلوُجَهاءِ وَالمَسؤُولِينَ وَبَقِيَّةِ الشَّعبِ: «لا تَخافُوا مِنْهُمْ. وَتَذَكَّرُوا الرَّبَّ العَظِيمَ المَخُوفَ. وَقاتِلُوا مِنْ أجلِ إخْوَتِكُمْ وَأبنائِكُمْ وَبَناتِكُمْ وَزَوجاتِكُمْ وَبُيُوتِكُمْ.»

15 A nd it cometh to pass, when our enemies have heard that it hath been known to us, and God doth frustrate their counsel, and we turn back, all of us, unto the wall, each unto his work;

فَلَمّا سَمِعَ أعداؤُنا أنَّ خِطَّتَهُمُ انكَشَفَتْ لَنا، وَأنَّ اللهَ أفشَلَ مُؤامَرَتَهُمْ، عُدْنا جَمِيعاً إلَى السُّورِ، وَعادَ كُلُّ واحِدٍ إلَى عَمَلِهِ.

16 y ea, it cometh to pass, from that day, half of my servants are working in the business, and half of them are keeping hold of both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the coats of mail; and the heads behind all the house of Judah.

وَمُنذُ ذَلِكَ اليَوْمِ عَمِلَ نِصفُ العامِلِينَ مَعِي بِنَشاطٍ عَلَى السُّورِ. بَينَما حَمَلَ النِّصفُ الآخَرُ التُّرُوسَ وَالرِّماحَ وَالأقواسَ وَالدُّرُوعَ. وَوَقَفَ المَسؤُولُونَ خَلْفَ بَنِي يَهُوذا يَحرُسُونَ وَيَدعَمُونَ

17 T he builders on the wall, and the bearers of the burden, those lading, with one of his hands is working in the business, and one is laying hold of the missile.

الَّذِينَ يَبنُونَ السُّورَ. وَكانَ الحَمّالُونَ يَحمِلُونَ وَيَشتَغِلُونَ بِيَدٍ، وَيَحمِلُونَ سِلاحاً بِاليَدِ الأُخرَى.

18 A nd the builders each with his sword, girded on his loins, and building, and he who is blowing with a trumpet beside me.

وَكانَ البَنّاؤُونَ يَبنُونَ وَسُيُوفُهُمْ مُثَبَّتَةٌ إلَى جانِبِهِمْ، وَكانَ نافِخُ البُوقِ يَقِفُ بِجانِبِي.

19 A nd I say unto the freemen, and unto the prefects, and unto the rest of the people, `The work is abundant, and large, and we are separated on the wall, far off one from another;

وَقُلْتُ لِلوُجَهاءِ وَالمَسؤُولِينَ وَبَقِيَّةَ الشَّعبِ: «العَمَلُ كَثِيرٌ وَمُمتَدٌّ، وَالمَسافَةُ الفاصِلَةُ بَينَ الواحِدِ وَأخِيهِ عَلَى السُّورِ كَبِيرَةٌ جِدّاً.

20 i n the place that ye hear the voice of the trumpet thither ye are gathered unto us; our God doth fight for us.'

فَانضَمُّوا إلَينا مِنْ أيِّ مَكانٍ تَسمَعُونَ فِيهِ صَوْتَ البُوقِ، وَسَيُقاتِلُ إلَهُنا عَنّا.»

21 A nd we are working in the business, and half of them are keeping hold of the spears, from the going up of the dawn till the coming forth of the stars.

فَتابَعْنا العَمَلَ وَنِصفُ الرِّجالِ يَحمِلُونَ رِماحَهُمْ مِنْ أوَّلِ الفَجرِ حَتَّى ظُهُورِ النُّجُومِ.

22 A lso, at that time I said to the people, `Let each with his servant lodge in the midst of Jerusalem, and they have been to us by night a guard, and by day the work:'

وَقُلْتُ أيْضاً لِلشَّعبِ فِي ذَلِكَ اليَومِ: «لِيَقْضِ كُلُّ رَجُلٍ مَعَ خادِمِهِ اللَّيلَةَ فِي القُدسِ، لِيَحرُسُونا لَيلاً وَيَعمَلُوا نَهاراً.»

23 a nd there are none -- I and my brethren and my servants, the men of the guard who after me -- there are none of us putting off our garments, each his vessel of water.

وَلَمْ نَخلَعْ لا أنا وَلا أقرِبائِي وَلا رِجالِي وَلا الحُرّاسُ الَّذِينَ تَبِعُونِي مَلابِسَنا. وَكانَ كُلُّ واحِدٍ يَضَعُ سِلاحَهُ فِي مُتُناوَلِ يَمِينِهِ.