OET interlinear NEH 13:18

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

הֲ⁠ל֨וֹא כֹ֤ה עָשׂוּ֙ אֲבֹ֣תֵי⁠כֶ֔ם וַ⁠יָּבֵ֨א אֱלֹהֵ֜י⁠נוּ עָלֵ֗י⁠נוּ אֵ֚ת כָּל־הָ⁠רָעָ֣ה הַ⁠זֹּ֔את וְ⁠עַ֖ל הָ⁠עִ֣יר הַ⁠זֹּ֑את

am=not same they_had_acquired ancestors,your_all's and=he/it_brought God,our on,us DOM all/each/any/every the,disaster the,this and,on the=city the,this

Nehemiah once again uses a question form for emphasis as he continues to scold the leaders of Judah. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate what he says as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “You know that your ancestors did the same thing, and that is why our God brought all this trouble on us and on this city”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

אֲבֹ֣תֵי⁠כֶ֔ם

ancestors,your_all's

Fathers here means “ancestors.” Alternate translation: “your ancestors”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

וַ⁠יָּבֵ֨א אֱלֹהֵ֜י⁠נוּ עָלֵ֗י⁠נוּ אֵ֚ת כָּל־הָ⁠רָעָ֣ה הַ⁠זֹּ֔את וְ⁠עַ֖ל הָ⁠עִ֣יר הַ⁠זֹּ֑את

and=he/it_brought God,our on,us DOM all/each/any/every the,disaster the,this and,on the=city the,this

As Nehemiah speaks to the leading citizens, he assumes that they will know that he is referring to the way God allowed the Babylonians to conquer Jerusalem, destroy much of the city including the temple, break down the city wall, and take most of the people into exile. As he reports this conversation in the book, he assumes that its audience will know this as well. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say this explicitly. Alternate translation: “our God allowed the Babylonians to take our people into exile and destroy this city”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

כָּל־הָ⁠רָעָ֣ה הַ⁠זֹּ֔את

all/each/any/every the,disaster the,this

Evil here does not refer to something morally wrong, but to trouble or harm. Alternate translation: “all this trouble”

Note 5 topic: grammar-connect-logic-contrast

וְ⁠אַתֶּ֞ם

and,you_all

In this context, the conjunction And indicates a contrast between how the leading citizens should be acting and how they actually are acting. You could make this contrast explicit by using an expression such as, “You should know better”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

וְ⁠אַתֶּ֞ם מוֹסִיפִ֤ים חָרוֹן֙ עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל

and,you_all adding severe_anger on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in Yisrael

Nehemiah assumes that the leading citizens will know that he is speaking of God’s wrath, that is, God’s anger at the people’s sin, and the punishment that God may use to penalize and correct the people for what they are doing. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say this explicitly. Alternate translation: “you are making God even more angry with the people of Israel, and God may punish us even more”

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / personification

יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל

Yisrael

Here Nehemiah refers to all of the Israelites as if they were a single person, their ancestor, Israel. Alternate translation: “the Israelites” or “the people of Israel”

Note 8 topic: translate-unknown

לְ⁠חַלֵּ֖ל אֶת־הַ⁠שַּׁבָּֽת

by,profaning DOM the,sabbath

As in 13:17, to profane something means to treat something that should be considered holy, that is, set apart for a special purpose, as if it were ordinary or common. Alternate translation: “by treating the Sabbath day like any other day”