Nehemiah 1

كَلاَمُ نَحَمْيَا بْنِ حَكَلْيَا: حَدَثَ فِي شَهْرِ كَسْلُو فِي السَّنَةِ الْعِشْرِينَ، بَيْنَمَا كُنْتُ فِي شُوشَنَ الْقَصْرِ،

The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,

أَنَّهُ جَاءَ حَنَانِي، وَاحِدٌ مِنْ إِخْوَتِي، هُوَ وَرِجَالٌ مِنْ يَهُوذَا، فَسَأَلْتُهُمْ عَنِ الْيَهُودِ الَّذِينَ نَجَوْا، الَّذِينَ بَقُوا مِنَ السَّبْيِ، وَعَنْ أُورُشَلِيمَ.

That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

فَقَالُوا لِي: «إِنَّ الْبَاقِينَ الَّذِينَ بَقُوا مِنَ السَّبْيِ هُنَاكَ فِي الْبِلاَدِ، هُمْ فِي شَرّ عَظِيمٍ وَعَارٍ. وَسُورُ أُورُشَلِيمَ مُنْهَدِمٌ، وَأَبْوَابُهَا مَحْرُوقَةٌ بِالنَّارِ».

And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.

فَلَمَّا سَمِعْتُ هذَا الْكَلاَمَ جَلَسْتُ وَبَكَيْتُ وَنُحْتُ أَيَّامًا، وَصُمْتُ وَصَلَّيْتُ أَمَامَ إِلهِ السَّمَاءِ،

And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

وَقُلْتُ: «أَيُّهَا الرَّبُّ إِلهُ السَّمَاءِ، الإِلهُ الْعَظِيمُ الْمَخُوفُ، الْحَافِظُ الْعَهْدَ وَالرَّحْمَةَ لِمُحِبِّيهِ وَحَافِظِي وَصَايَاهُ،

And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:

لِتَكُنْ أُذْنُكَ مُصْغِيَةً وَعَيْنَاكَ مَفْتُوحَتَيْنِ لِتَسْمَعَ صَلاَةَ عَبْدِكَ الَّذِي يُصَلِّي إِلَيْكَ الآنَ نَهَارًا وَلَيْلاً لأَجْلِ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ عَبِيدِكَ، وَيَعْتَرِفُ بِخَطَايَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ الَّتِي أَخْطَأْنَا بِهَا إِلَيْكَ. فَإِنِّي أَنَا وَبَيْتُ أَبِي قَدْ أَخْطَأْنَا.

Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned.

لَقَدْ أَفْسَدْنَا أَمَامَكَ، وَلَمْ نَحْفَظِ الْوَصَايَا وَالْفَرَائِضَ وَالأَحْكَامَ الَّتِي أَمَرْتَ بِهَا مُوسَى عَبْدَكَ.

We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.

اذْكُرِ الْكَلاَمَ الَّذِي أَمَرْتَ بِهِ مُوسَى عَبْدَكَ قَائِلاً: إِنْ خُنْتُمْ فَإِنِّي أُفَرِّقُكُمْ فِي الشُّعُوبِ،

Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations:

وَإِنْ رَجَعْتُمْ إِلَيَّ وَحَفِظْتُمْ وَصَايَايَ وَعَمِلْتُمُوهَا، إِنْ كَانَ الْمَنْفِيُّونَ مِنْكُمْ فِي أَقْصَاءِ السَّمَاوَاتِ، فَمِنْ هُنَاكَ أَجْمَعُهُمْ وَآتِي بِهِمْ إِلَى الْمَكَانِ الَّذِي اخْتَرْتُ لإِسْكَانِ اسْمِي فِيهِ.

But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.

فَهُمْ عَبِيدُكَ وَشَعْبُكَ الَّذِي افْتَدَيْتَ بِقُوَّتِكَ الْعَظِيمَةِ وَيَدِكَ الشَّدِيدَةِ.

Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand.

يَا سَيِّدُ، لِتَكُنْ أُذْنُكَ مُصْغِيَةً إِلَى صَلاَةِ عَبْدِكَ وَصَلاَةِ عَبِيدِكَ الَّذِينَ يُرِيدُونَ مَخَافَةَ اسْمِكَ. وَأَعْطِ النَّجَاحَ الْيَوْمَ لِعَبْدِكَ وَامْنَحْهُ رَحْمَةً أَمَامَ هذَا الرَّجُلِ». لأَنِّي كُنْتُ سَاقِيًا لِلْمَلِكِ.

O Lord, I beseech thee, let now 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 grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer.