OET interlinear NEH 4:5

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

וְ⁠אַל־תְּכַס֙ עַל־עֲוֺנָ֔⁠ם וְ⁠חַטָּאתָ֖⁠ם מִ⁠לְּ⁠פָנֶ֣י⁠ךָ אַל־תִּמָּחֶ֑ה

and,do_not (Some words not found in UHB: and,do_not cover on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in iniquity_of,their and,sin_of,their from,before,face_of,you not blotted_out that/for/because/then/when provoked_~_to_anger to,before the,builders )

These two phrases mean similar things. Nehemiah uses the repetition to emphasize how guilty Sanballat and Tobiah are for opposing the work that God has sent him to do. If it would be helpful in your language, you could combine these phrases. Alternate translation: [do not ever forgive them]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

וְ⁠אַל־תְּכַס֙ עַל־עֲוֺנָ֔⁠ם

and,do_not (Some words not found in UHB: and,do_not cover on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in iniquity_of,their and,sin_of,their from,before,face_of,you not blotted_out that/for/because/then/when provoked_~_to_anger to,before the,builders )

Nehemiah speaks of a person’s sins as if they were an object that could be physically hidden. Alternate translation: [do not forgive their sins]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

וְ⁠חַטָּאתָ֖⁠ם & אַל־תִּמָּחֶ֑ה

(Some words not found in UHB: and,do_not cover on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in iniquity_of,their and,sin_of,their from,before,face_of,you not blotted_out that/for/because/then/when provoked_~_to_anger to,before the,builders )

Nehemiah speaks of a person’s sins as if they were something written that could be erased. Alternate translation: [do not forget their sins]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

מִ⁠לְּ⁠פָנֶ֣י⁠ךָ

(Some words not found in UHB: and,do_not cover on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in iniquity_of,their and,sin_of,their from,before,face_of,you not blotted_out that/for/because/then/when provoked_~_to_anger to,before the,builders )

Here, face means the action of seeing or a person’s notice or attention. A person can see what is in front of their face, so in this case the expression means, “from where you can see it”

כִּ֥י הִכְעִ֖יסוּ לְ⁠נֶ֥גֶד הַ⁠בּוֹנִֽים

(Some words not found in UHB: and,do_not cover on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in iniquity_of,their and,sin_of,their from,before,face_of,you not blotted_out that/for/because/then/when provoked_~_to_anger to,before the,builders )

This expression could mean one of the following three things: (1) It could mean that they have made God angry by opposing the work he has commanded Nehemiah to do. Alternate translation: [they have made you become angry.] This possibility seems the most likely, since Nehemiah is praying that what these men are trying to do to others will happen to them. (2) It could mean that they have caused others to be angry at the people who are rebuilding the wall. Alternate translation: [they have caused others to be angry at the people who are rebuilding the wall.]; (3) It could mean that Sanballat and Tobiah have made the builders angry by mocking them. Alternate translation: [they have made the builders become angry]