Nehemiah 2
1 After King Artaxerxes [had been ruling the Persian Empire] for almost 20 years, (during the spring/before the hot season) of that year, when it was time to serve wine to him [during a feast], I took the wine and gave it to him. I had never looked sad when I was in front of him before, [but on that day he saw that I looked very sad].
亚达薛西王二十年尼散月，在王面前摆酒，我拿起酒来奉给王。我素来在王面前没有愁容。
2 So he asked me, “Why are you sad? [I know that] you are not sick. It must be that you are troubled about something.” Then I was very afraid, [because it was not proper to be sad when I came to the king] (OR, [because I was worried what the king would do to me if he refused to do what I was about to request him to do]).
王对我说：“你既没有病，为什么面带愁容呢？这不是别的，必是你心中愁烦。”于是我甚惧怕。
3 I replied, “Your majesty, I hope you will live a very long time! But (how can I prevent myself from being sad, because the city where my ancestors are buried [has been destroyed] and is in ruins?/I cannot keep myself from looking sad, because the city where my ancestors are buried [has been destroyed and] is in ruins.) [RHQ] [Even] the city gates have been completely burned.”
我对王说：“愿王万岁！我列祖坟墓所在的那城荒凉，城门被火焚烧，我岂能面无愁容吗？”
4 The king replied, “What do you want me to do [for you]?” I prayed [silently] to our God [who is/rules] in heaven.
王问我说：“你要求什么？”于是我默祷天上的 神。
5 Then I replied, “If you are willing [to do it], and if I have pleased you, send me to the city [of Jerusalem] in Judah [province] where my ancestors are buried, in order that I may [help people to] rebuild the city.”
我对王说：“仆人若在王眼前蒙恩，王若喜欢，求王差遣我往犹大，到我列祖坟墓所在的那城去，我好重新建造。”
6 While the queen was sitting beside the king, he asked, [“If I allow you to go, ] how long will you be gone? When will you return?” [I told the king how long I would be gone, and] the king gave me permission to go, and I told him what day [I wanted to leave].
那时王后坐在王的旁边。王问我说：“你去要多少日子？几时回来？”我就定了日期。于是王喜欢差遣我去。
7 I also said to the king, “If you are willing to do it, write letters for me to take to the governors of the province west of the [Euphrates] River. Tell them to allow me to travel safely [through their province] until I arrive in Judah.
我又对王说：“王若喜欢，求王赐我诏书，通知大河西的省长准我经过，直到犹大；
8 Also, [please write] a letter to Asaph, the man who takes care of your forest [in that area], telling him to give me timber to make the beams to support the gates of the fortress that is near the temple, and timber for making the walls of the city, and for building the house in which I [will live].” The king did what I requested him to do, because my God was graciously/kindly (helping/acting for) me.
又赐诏书，通知管理王园林的亚萨，使他给我木料，做属殿营楼之门的横梁和城墙，与我自己房屋使用的。”王就允准我，因我 神施恩的手帮助我。
9 [After I got ready, I left to travel to Judah]. The king sent some army officers and soldiers riding on horses to accompany me, [to protect me]. When I came to where the governors of the provinces west of the [Euphrates] River lived, I gave them the letters that the king had written.
王派了军长和马兵护送我。我到了河西的省长那里，将王的诏书交给他们。
10 But when [two government officials, ] Sanballat from [a village near] Horon and Tobiah from the Ammon [people-group], heard that I had arrived, they were very angry that someone had come to help the Israeli people.
和伦人参巴拉，并为奴的亚扪人多比雅，听见有人来为以色列人求好处，就甚恼怒。
11 When I arrived in Jerusalem, I did not tell anyone what thoughts God had given to me about what I should do there. Three days after I arrived in Jerusalem, I went out of the city in the evening, taking a few other men with me. I was riding a donkey; we had no other animals with us.
我到了耶路撒冷，在那里住了三日。
我夜间起来，有几个人也一同起来；但 神使我心里要为耶路撒冷做什么事，我并没有告诉人。除了我骑的牲口以外，也没有别的牲口在我那里。
13 We left the city, going out through the Valley Gate, then past the well called the Jackal (OR, Dragon’s) Well, and then past the gate called the Rubbish/Garbage Gate. We inspected all the walls that had been broken down and all the gates that had been burned down.
当夜我出了谷门，往野狗井去，到了粪厂门，察看耶路撒冷的城墙，见城墙拆毁，城门被火焚烧。
14 Then we went to the Fountain Gate and to the pool called the King’s Pool, but my donkey could not get through [the narrow opening] (OR, [the rubble]).
我又往前，到了泉门和王池，但所骑的牲口没有地方过去。
15 So we turned back and went along the [Kidron] Valley. We inspected the wall there before we turned back/around and entered the city again at the Valley Gate.
于是夜间沿溪而上，察看城墙，又转身进入谷门，就回来了。
16 The [city] officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because I had not told anyone about what I planned to do. I had not said anything about it to the Jewish leaders or the officials or the priests or any of the others who would be helping me in the work [that I wanted to do].
我往哪里去，我做什么事，官长都不知道。我还没有告诉犹大平民、祭司、贵胄、官长，和其余做工的人。
17 But now I said to them, “You all know very well the terrible things [that have happened to] our city. The city is ruined; even the gates are burned down. So we should rebuild the city wall. If we do that, we will no longer feel humiliated/disgraced.”
以后，我对他们说：“我们所遭的难，耶路撒冷怎样荒凉，城门被火焚烧，你们都看见了。来吧，我们重建耶路撒冷的城墙，免得再受凌辱！”
18 Then I told them about how God had kindly/graciously helped me [when I talked to the king], and what the king had said to me. They immediately replied, “Let’s start rebuilding!” So they started to do this good work.
我告诉他们我 神施恩的手怎样帮助我，并王对我所说的话。他们就说：“我们起来建造吧！”于是他们奋勇做这善工。
19 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, and Gershom the Arab [king of the Kedar region] heard about what we planned to do, they made fun of us and ridiculed us. They said, “What is this work that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king [again]?” [RHQ]
但和伦人参巴拉，并为奴的亚扪人多比雅和阿拉伯人基善听见就嗤笑我们，藐视我们，说：“你们做什么呢？要背叛王吗？”
20 But I replied, “Our God [who is/rules] in heaven will help our plans to succeed. But as for you, you have no right to decide anything about this city, because you have not participated in what has happened in this city in previous years.”
我回答他们说：“天上的 神必使我们亨通。我们作他仆人的，要起来建造；你们却在耶路撒冷无分、无权、无纪念。”
