Nehemiah 4

^[a]When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews,

Honhom no si no pi sɛ, akyiri yi, nnipa bi begyaa gyidi no mu so. Wobedi atoro ahonhom akyi na wɔadi ahohommɔne nkyerɛkyerɛ akyi.

and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?”

Saa nkyerɛkyerɛ yi fi atorofo nnaadaa a wɔyɛ adwenewuifo sɛ dade a wɔato wɔ ogya mu no.

Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!”

Saa nnipa no kyerɛkyerɛ sɛ enye sɛ obi ware na nnuan bi nso wɔ hɔ a, enye sɛ onipa di. Nanso Onyankopɔn bɔɔ saa nnuan no sɛ, sɛ gyidifo a wɔahu nokware no nsa ka na wɔbɔ so mpae a, wotumi di.

Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity.

Biribiara a Onyankopɔn abɔ no ye. Ɛnsɛ sɛ wɔpo biribiara na mmom ɛsɛ sɛ wɔbɔ mpae gu ne nyinaa so.

Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of^[b] the builders.

Efisɛ, Onyankopɔn asɛm no ne mpaebɔ tew ho.

So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.

Sɛ wokyerɛkyerɛ anuanom no saa nkyerɛkyerɛ yi a, na ɛkyerɛ sɛ woyɛ Kristo somfo pa a wɔnam nokware ne gyidi ne nkyerɛkyerɛ pa so atetew wo.

But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry.

Nsɛe wo bere wɔ atorosɛm ho. Mmom hyɛ wo ho, na yɛ kronn.

They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it.

Ɛwom sɛ honam mu mmɔdenbɔ ho hia de, nanso honhom mu mmɔdenbɔ ho hia akwan nyinaa mu, efisɛ, ɛhyɛ yɛn nnɛ asetena ne daakye asetena ho bɔ.

But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.

Eyi yɛ nokwasɛm a ɛsɛ sɛ wogye tom na wogye di.

Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”

Ɛno nti na ɛsɛ sɛ yɛpere na yɛyɛ adwuma dennen, efisɛ, yɛde yɛn anidaso ahyɛ Onyankopɔn teasefo a ɔyɛ nnipa nyinaa, ne titiriw no, gyidifo Agyenkwa no mu.

Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”

Eyinom na ɛsɛ sɛ moka ho asɛm wɔ mo nkyerɛkyerɛ no mu.

Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”

Mma obiara ho kwan mma ɔmmfa wo sɛ wunnyinii enti obebu wo abomfiaa. Wo kasa mu, wo suban mu, wo dɔ mu, wo gyidi mu ne wo kronnyɛ mu no, ɛsɛ sɛ woyɛ nhwɛso pa.

Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows.

Nya adagyew kenkan Kyerɛwsɛm no na ka Asɛmpa no na kyerɛkyerɛ ansa na maba.

Fa wo dom akyɛde som

After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”

Honhom mu akyɛde a mpanyimfo nam nkɔmhyɛ so de wɔn nsa guu so a wonnyaee no, nnyaa mu.

When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work.

So saa nneɛma no mu yiye. Fa wo ho nyinaa ma wɔn sɛnea ɛbɛma obiara ahu wo nkɔso.

From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah

Hwɛ wo ho so yiye na hwɛ wo nkyerɛkyerɛ nso so. Kɔ so yɛ saa nneɛma yi nyinaa, efisɛ, sɛ woyɛ saa a wubegye wo ho ne wɔn a wotie wo no nkwa.

who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other,

and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.

Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall.

Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!”

So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out.

At that time I also said to the people, “Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and as workers by day.”

Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.^[c]