OET interlinear NEH 13:19

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: writing-newevent

וַ⁠יְהִ֡י כַּ⁠אֲשֶׁ֣ר צָֽלֲלוּ֩ שַׁעֲרֵ֨י יְרוּשָׁלִַ֜ם לִ⁠פְנֵ֣י הַ⁠שַּׁבָּ֗ת

and=he/it_was just=as began_to_be_dark gates Yerushalayim to=(the)_face_of/in_front_of/before the,sabbath

Nehemiah uses this phrase to introduce the next event in his story. You do not need to represent it in your translation unless your language has a similar expression that it characteristically uses.

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

כַּ⁠אֲשֶׁ֣ר צָֽלֲלוּ֩ שַׁעֲרֵ֨י יְרוּשָׁלִַ֜ם לִ⁠פְנֵ֣י הַ⁠שַּׁבָּ֗ת

just=as began_to_be_dark gates Yerushalayim to=(the)_face_of/in_front_of/before the,sabbath

Nehemiah speaks of the gates as if they were changing in hue, but this is a figurative way of saying that the sun was setting and evening was beginning. Alternate translation: “when evening came”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

לִ⁠פְנֵ֣י הַ⁠שַּׁבָּ֗ת

to=(the)_face_of/in_front_of/before the,sabbath

As in 13:4, the expression face, which often refers to the front of something, has the further figurative significance of “in front of” or “before” a certain time. Alternate translation: “as the Sabbath was beginning”

Note 4 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

וָ⁠אֹֽמְרָ⁠ה֙ וַ⁠יִּסָּגְר֣וּ הַ⁠דְּלָת֔וֹת

and,commanded, and,shut the,doors

Here the conjunction and indicates that the action described in the second phrase was the result of the action described in the first phrase. Alternate translation: “I gave orders for the doors to be closed and barred”

וָ⁠אֹ֣מְרָ֔⁠ה אֲשֶׁר֙ לֹ֣א יִפְתָּח֔וּ⁠ם עַ֖ד אַחַ֣ר הַ⁠שַּׁבָּ֑ת

and,gave_orders, which/who not opened,they until after the,sabbath

They likely refers to the gatekeepers. Alternate translation: “I ordered the gatekeepers not to open them again until after the Sabbath”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

וּ⁠מִ⁠נְּעָרַ֗⁠י הֶֽעֱמַ֨דְתִּי֙ עַל־הַ⁠שְּׁעָרִ֔ים

and,some_of,servants,my stationed on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in the,gates

As in 4:16 and many other places in the book, “young men” refers to the servants who worked for Nehemiah. While they probably were young adult males, the expression is specifically envisioning their role and status. Alternate translation: “I had some of my servants stand at the gates”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / personification

לֹא־יָב֥וֹא מַשָּׂ֖א בְּ⁠י֥וֹם הַ⁠שַּׁבָּֽת

not brought_in load in/on=day the,sabbath

Here Nehemiah speaks of a load of goods as if it were a living thing that could go through the gates and into Jerusalem on its own. Alternate translation: “so that no one would bring in a load on the Sabbath day”

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

לֹא־יָב֥וֹא מַשָּׂ֖א בְּ⁠י֥וֹם הַ⁠שַּׁבָּֽת

not brought_in load in/on=day the,sabbath

The ultimate purpose was to keep merchants from offering goods for sale on the Sabbath and to keep the people from buying them. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say this explicitly. Alternate translation: “so that on the Sabbath day no one would bring a load of goods into the city for sale”