Nehemya 1

¹Hahalyas oğlu Nehemya’nın sözleridir. Yirminci yılda, Kislev ayında, ben Şuşan Kalesi’ndeyken şöyle oldu:

²Kardeşlerimden biri olan Hanani ve Yahuda’dan bazı adamlar geldi; onlara sürgünden kurtulup geride bırakılan Yahudileri ve Yeruşalim’in durumunu sordum.

³Bana şöyle dediler: "Sürgünden kurtulup orada, o eyalette geride kalmış ve kalmakta olanlar büyük bir sıkıntı ve aşağılanma içindeler; Yeruşalim’in surları yıkılmış, kapıları ise ateşle yakılıp kül edilmiş."

⁴Bu sözleri işittiğimde oturdum, ağladım ve günlerce yas tuttum; göklerin Tanrısı’nın huzurunda oruç tutup dua etmekteydim.

⁵Ve dedim ki: "Yalvarırım ey göklerin Tanrısı Rab; Kendisini sevenler ve buyruklarını yerine getirenler için antlaşmasını ve merhametini koruyan güçlü, ulu ve heybetli Tanrı!

⁶Kulunun, senin önünde bugün gece gündüz kulların İsrail halkı için etmekte olduğu duayı işitmek üzere lütfen kulağın dikkat kesilsin ve gözlerin açık olsun. İsrail halkının sana karşı işlediği ve bizim de işlemiş olduğumuz günahları itiraf ediyorum; evet, ben ve babamın evi günah işledik.

⁷Sana karşı tamamen yoldan çıktık; kulun Musa’ya verdiğin buyrukları, kuralları ve hükümleri tutmadık.

⁸Kulun Musa’ya, 'Eğer vefasızlık ederseniz, sizi ulusların arasına dağıtacağım' diyerek verdiğin o sözü lütfen şimdi hatırla.

⁹Ama bana döner, buyruklarımı tutar ve onları yerine getirirseniz, sürgünleriniz göğün en ucunda olsalar bile, onları oradan toplayıp adımı konut kılmak için seçtiğim yere geri getireceğim.

¹⁰Onlar senin büyük gücünle ve kudretli elinle kendin için kurtardığın kulların ve halkındır.

¹¹Yalvarırım ey Rab; kulağın, kulunun duasına ve senin adından korkmayı arzulayan kullarının duasına dikkat kesilsin; bugün kulunun yolunu açık et ve bu adamın önünde merhamet bulmasını sağla." Ben o sırada kralın sakisiydim.

¹ΛΟΓΟΙ Νεεμία υἱοῦ ᾿Αχαλία, καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν μηνὶ Χασελεῦ ἔτους εἰκοστοῦ καὶ ἐγὼ ἤμην ἐν Σουσὰν ἀβιρά,

²καὶ ἦλθεν ᾿Ανανὶ εἷς ἀπὸ ἀδελφῶν μου, αὐτὸς καὶ ἄνδρες ᾿Ιούδα, καὶ ἠρώτησα αὐτοὺς περὶ τῶν σωθέντων, οἳ κατελείφθησαν ἀπὸ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας καὶ περὶ ῾Ιερουσαλήμ,

³καὶ εἴποσαν πρός με· οἱ καταλειπόμενοι οἱ καταλειφθέντες ἀπὸ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἐκεῖ ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ ἐν πονηρίᾳ μεγάλῃ καὶ ἐν ὀνειδισμῷ, καὶ τείχη ῾Ιερουσαλὴμ καθῃρημένα, καὶ αἱ πύλαι αὐτῆς ἐνεπρήσθησαν ἐν πυρί.

⁴καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ ἀκοῦσαί με τοὺς λόγους τούτους ἐκάθισα καὶ ἔκλαυσα καὶ ἐπένθησα ἡμέρας καὶ ἤμην νηστεύων καὶ προσευχόμενος ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ

⁵καὶ εἶπα· μὴ δή, Κύριε ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ὁ ἰσχυρός, ὁ μέγας καὶ φοβερός, φυλάσσων τὴν διαθήκην καὶ τὸ ἔλεός σου τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτὸν καὶ τοῖς φυλάσσουσι τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ·

⁶ἔστω δὴ τὸ οὖς σου προσέχον καὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου ἀνεῳγμένοι τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι προσευχὴν τοῦ δούλου σου, ἣν ἐγὼ προσεύχομαι ἐνώπιόν σου σήμερον ἡμέραν καὶ νύκτα περὶ υἱῶν ᾿Ισραὴλ δούλων σου. καὶ ἐξαγορεύσω ἐπὶ ἁμαρτίαις υἱῶν ᾿Ισραήλ, ἃς ἡμάρτομέν σοι. καὶ ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ οἶκος πατρός μου ἡμάρτομεν·

⁷διαλύσει διελύσαμεν πρός σε· καὶ οὐκ ἐφυλάξαμεν τὰς ἐντολὰς καὶ τὰ προστάγματα καὶ τὰ κρίματα, ἃ ἐνετείλω τῷ Μωυσῇ παιδί σου.

⁸μνήσθητι δὴ τὸν λόγον, ὃν ἐνετείλω τῷ Μωυσῇ παιδί σου λέγων· ὑμεῖς ἐὰν ἀσυνθετήσητε, ἐγὼ διασκορπιῶ ὑμᾶς ἐν τοῖς λαοῖς·

⁹καὶ ἐὰν ἐπιστρέψητε πρός με καὶ φυλάξητε τὰς ἐντολάς μου καὶ ποιήσητε αὐτάς, ἐὰν ᾖ ἡ διασπορὰ ὑμῶν ἀπ’ ἄκρου τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ἐκεῖθεν συνάξω αὐτοὺς καὶ εἰσάξω αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸν τόπον, ὃν ἐξελεξάμην κατασκηνῶσαι τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐκεῖ.

¹⁰καὶ αὐτοὶ παῖδές σου καὶ λαός σου, οὓς ἐλυτρώσω ἐν τῇ δυνάμει σου τῇ μεγάλῃ καὶ ἐν τῇ χειρί σου τῇ κραταιᾷ.

¹¹μὴ δή, Κύριε· ἀλλὰ ἔστω τὸ οὖς σου προσέχον εἰς τὴν προσευχὴν τοῦ δούλου σου καὶ εἰς τὴν προσευχὴν παίδων σου τῶν θελόντων φοβεῖσθαι τὸ ὄνομά σου· καὶ εὐόδωσον δὴ τῷ παιδί σου σήμερον καὶ δὸς αὐτὸν εἰς οἰκτιρμοὺς ἐνώπιον τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τούτου. καὶ ἐγὼ ἤμην οἰνοχόος τῷ βασιλεῖ.

¹The words of Neemias the son of Achalia. And it came to pass in the month Chaseleu, of the twentieth year, that I was in Susan the palace.

²And Anani, one of my brethren, came, he and [some] men of Juda; and I asked them concerning those that had escaped, who had been left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

³And they said to me, The remnant, [even] those that are left of the captivity, [are] there in the land, in great distress and reproach: and the walls of Jerusalem [are] thrown down, and its gates are burnt with fire.

⁴And it came to pass, when I heard these words, [that] I sat down and wept, and mourned for [several] days, and continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

⁵And I said, Nay, I pray thee, O Lord God of heaven, the mighty, the great and terrible, keeping thy covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to those that keep his commandments:

⁶let now thine ear be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee at this time, this day [both] day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and make confession for the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and the house of my father have sinned.

⁷We have altogether broken [covenant] with thee, and we have not kept the commandments, and the ordinances, and the judgments, which thou didst command thy servant Moses.

⁸Remember, I pray thee, the word wherewith thou didst charge thy servant Moses, saying, If ye break covenant [with me], I will disperse you among the nations.

⁹But if ye turn again to me, and keep my commandments, and do them; if ye should be scattered under the utmost [bound] of heaven, thence will I gather them, and I will bring them into the place which I have chosen to cause my name to dwell there.

¹⁰Now they [are] thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed with thy great power, and with thy strong hand.

¹¹[Turn] not [away], I pray thee, O Lord, but let thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and cause him to find mercy in the sight of this man. Now I was the king’s cup-bearer.