< ネヘミヤ 記 2 >

1 茲にアルタシヤスタ王の二十年ニサンの月王の前に酒のいでし時我酒をつぎて王にたてまつれり我は今まで王の前にて憂色を帶しこと有ざりき
And it comes to pass, in the month of Nisan, the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, wine [is] before him, and I lift up the wine, and give to the king, and I had not been sad before him;
2 王われに言けるは汝は疾病も有ざるに何とて面に憂色を帶るや是他ならず心に憂ふる所あるなりと是において我甚だ大に懼れたりしが
and the king says to me, “Why [is] your face sad, and you not sick? This is nothing except sadness of heart”; and I fear very much,
3 遂に王に奏して曰ふ願くは王長壽かれ我が先祖の墓の地たるその邑は荒蕪その門は火にて焚たれば我いかで顔に憂色を帶ざるを得んやと
and say to the king, “Let the king live for all time! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of the graves of my fathers, [is] a desolation, and its gates have been consumed with fire?”
4 王われに向ひて然らば汝何をなさんと願ふやと言ければ我すなはち天の神に祈りて
And the king says to me, “For what are you seeking?” And I pray to the God of the heavens,
5 王に言けるは王もし之を善としたまひ我もし汝の前に恩を得たる者なりせば願くはユダにあるわが先祖の墓の邑に我を遣はして我にこれを建起さしめたまへと
and say to the king, “If [it is] good to the king, and if your servant is pleasing before you, that you send me to Judah, to the city of the graves of my fathers, and I have built it.”
6 時に后妃も傍に坐しをりしが王われに言けるは汝が往てをる間は何程なるべきや何時頃歸りきたるやと王かく我を遣はすことを善としければ我期を定めて奏せり
And the king says to me (and the queen is sitting near him), “How long is your journey? And when do you return?” And it is good before the king, and he sends me away, and I set to him a time.
7 而して我また王に言けるは王もし善としたまはば請ふ河外ふの總督等に與ふる書を我に賜ひ彼らをして我をユダまで通さしめたまへ
And I say to the king, “If [it is] good to the king, let letters be given to me for the governors beyond the River, that they let me pass over until I come to Judah:
8 また王の山林を守るアサフに與ふる書をも賜ひ彼をして殿に屬する城の門を作り邑の石垣および我が入べき家に用ふる材木を我に授けしめたまへと我神善く我を助けたまひしに因て王これを我に允せり
and a letter to Asaph, keeper of the paradise that the king has, that he give to me trees for beams [for] the gates of the palace that the house has, and for the wall of the city, and for the house into which I enter”; and the king gives to me, according to the good hand of my God on me.
9 是に於て我河外ふの總督等に詣りて王の書をこれに付せり王は軍長數人に騎兵をそへて我に伴なはせたり
And I come to the governors beyond the River, and give to them the letters of the king; and the king sends with me heads of a force, and horsemen;
10 時にホロニ人サンバラテおよびアンモニ人奴隸トビヤこれを聞きイスラエルの子孫の安寧を求むる人來れりとて大に憂ふ
and Sanballat the Horonite hears, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and it is evil to them—a great evil—that a man has come to seek good for the sons of Israel.
11 我ついにヱルサレムに到りて彼處に三日居りける後
And I come to Jerusalem, and I am there three days,
12 夜中に起いでたり數人の者われに伴なふ我はわが神がヱルサレムのために爲せんとて我心に入たまひし所の事を何人にも告しらせず亦我が乗る一匹の畜の外には畜を引つれざりき
and I rise by night, I and a few men with me, and have not declared to a man what my God is giving to my heart to do for Jerusalem, and there is no beast with me except the beast on which I am riding.
13 我すなはち夜中に立いで谷の門を通り龍井の對面を經糞門に至りてヱルサレムの石垣を閲せしにその石垣は頽れをりその門は已に火に焚てありき
And I go out through the Valley Gate by night, and to the front of the Dragon Fountain, and to the Refuse Gate, and I am inspecting the walls of Jerusalem, that are broken down, and its gates consumed with fire.
14 かくて又前みて泉の門にゆき王の池にいたりしに我が乗る畜の通るべき處なかりき
And I pass over to the Fountain Gate, and to the King’s Pool, and there is no place for the beast under me to pass over,
15 我亦その夜の中に渓川に沿て進みのぼりて石垣を觀めぐり頓て身を反して谷の門より歸りいりぬ
and I am going up through the brook by night, and am inspecting the wall, and turn back, and come in through the Valley Gate, and turn back.
16 然るに牧伯等は我が何處に往しか何を爲しかを知ざりき我また未だこれをユダヤ人にも祭司にも貴き人にも方伯等にも其他の役人にも告しらせざりしが
And the prefects have not known to where I have gone, and what I am doing; and to the Jews, and to the priests, and to the nobles, and to the prefects, and to the rest of those doing the work, until now I have not declared [it];
17 遂に彼らに言けるは汝らの見るごとく我儕の境遇は惡くヱルサレムは荒はてその門は火に焚たり來れ我儕ヱルサレムの石垣を築きあげて再び世の凌辱をうくることなからんと
and I say to them, “You are seeing the evil that we are in, in that Jerusalem [is] desolate, and its gates have been burned with fire; come and we build the wall of Jerusalem, and we are not a reproach anymore.”
18 而して我わが神の善われを助けたまひし事を彼らに告げまた王の我に語りし言詞をも告しらせければ去來起て築かんと言ひ皆奮ひてこの美事を爲んとす
And I declare to them the hand of my God that is good on me, and also the words of the king that he said to me, and they say, “Let us rise, and we have built”; and they strengthen their hands for good.
19 時にホロニ人サンバラテ、アンモニ人奴隸トビヤおよびアラビヤ人ガシムこれを聞て我らを嘲けり我儕を悔りて言ふ汝ら何事をなすや王に叛かんとするなるかと
And Sanballat the Horonite hears, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, and they mock at us, and despise us, and say, “What [is] this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”
20 我すなはち答へて彼らに言ふ天の神われらをして志を得させたまはん故に其僕たる我儕起て築くべし然ど汝らはヱルサレムに何の分もなく權理もなく記念もなしと
And I return them word, and say to them, “The God of the heavens—He gives prosperity to us, and we His servants rise and have built; and to you there is no portion, and right, and memorial in Jerusalem.”

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