Ko e taʻu nai eni ʻe 70 mei he foki ki Selusalema ʻa e tokolahi taha ʻo e kau ʻIsilelí, ka naʻe kei nofo pē ʻa e niʻihi ʻi he ngaahi feituʻu kehekehe ʻo e Puleʻanga Pēsiá. Ko e taha ʻo kinautolu ko ha taulaʻeiki ko ʻĒsela, ʻa ia naʻá ne akoʻi ʻa e Lao ʻa Sihová. Naʻe ʻiloʻi ʻe ʻĒsela naʻe ʻikai ke muimui ʻa e kakai ʻi Selusalemá ki he Laó, pea naʻá ne loto ke ʻalu ʻo tokoniʻi kinautolu. Naʻe tala ange ʻe Tuʻi ʻAtasease ʻo Pēsiá kiate ia: ‘Naʻe ʻai koe ʻe he ʻOtuá ke ke poto koeʻuhi ke ke lava ʻo akoʻi ʻa ʻene Laó. ʻAlu, pea ʻave mo ha taha pē ʻe loto ke ʻalu mo koe.’ Naʻe fakataha ʻa ʻĒsela mo e faʻahinga kotoa naʻa nau loto ke foki ki Selusalemá. Naʻa nau lotu kia Sihova ke ne tokangaʻi kinautolu ʻi he fononga lōloá, pea naʻa nau ʻalu leva.

ʻI he māhina ʻe fā ki mui ai, naʻa nau aʻu ki Selusalema. Naʻe tala ange ʻe he houʻeiki ʻi aí kia ʻĒsela: ‘Kuo talangataʻa ʻa e kau ʻIsilelí kia Sihova pea nau mali mo e kakai fefine ʻoku nau lotu ki he ngaahi ʻotua loí.’ Ko e hā ʻa e meʻa naʻe fai ʻe ʻĒselá? Naʻe tūʻulutui ʻa ʻĒsela ʻi muʻa ʻi he kakaí ʻo ne lotu: ‘ʻE Sihova, kuó ke fai ʻa e meʻa lahi maʻamautolu, ka kuo mau faiangahala kiate koe.’ Naʻe fakatomala ʻa e kakaí, ka naʻa nau kei fai pē ʻa e ngaahi meʻa naʻe ʻikai ke totonu. Naʻe fili ʻe ʻĒsela ha kau mātuʻa mo e kau fakamaau ke nau vakaiʻi ʻa e ngaahi meʻa ko ení. ʻI he māhina ʻe tolu hono hokó, ko e faʻahinga naʻe ʻikai te nau lotu kia Sihová naʻe fekauʻi ke nau mavahe.

Naʻe hoko atu ai ʻa e taʻu ʻe 12. ʻI he taimi ko ení, naʻe toe langa ai ʻa e ʻā takatakai ʻi Selusalemá. Ko ia naʻe fakatahatahaʻi mai ʻe ʻĒsela ʻa e kakaí ki he malaʻe fakakoló ke lau ʻa e Lao ʻa e ʻOtuá kiate kinautolu. ʻI hono fakaava ʻe ʻĒsela ʻa e tohí, naʻe tuʻu hake ʻa e kakaí. Naʻá ne fakahīkihikiʻi ʻa Sihova, pea nau hiki honau nimá ʻi heʻenau loto-lelei ki ai. Naʻe lau leva ʻe ʻĒsela mo fakamatalaʻi ʻa e Laó, pea naʻe fanongo lelei ki ai ʻa e kakaí. Naʻa nau fakahaaʻi kuo nau toe mavahe meia Sihova, pea naʻa nau tangi. ʻI he ʻaho hono hokó, naʻe lau ʻe ʻĒsela ha toe Lao lahi ange kiate kinautolu. Naʻa nau ʻiloʻi ai kuo vave ke hoko ʻa e taimi ki he Kātoanga ʻo e Falelouʻakaú pea ʻoku totonu ke nau kātoangaʻi ia. ʻI he taimi pē ko iá, naʻe kamata ke nau teuteu ki he kātoangá.

ʻI he ʻaho ʻe fitu ʻo e kātoangá, naʻe fiefia ʻa e kakaí pea nau fakamālō kia Sihova ʻi he utu-taʻu leleí. Kuo ʻikai ha Kātoanga ʻo e Falelouʻakaú ʻe hangē ko iá talu mei he ngaahi ʻaho ʻo Siosiuá. Hili ʻa e kātoangá, naʻe fakatahataha ʻa e kakaí ʻo lotu: ‘ʻE Sihova, naʻá ke fakahaofi kimautolu mei he nofo pōpulá, fafangaʻi kimautolu ʻi he toafá, pea foaki mai kiate kimautolu ʻa e fonua fakaʻofoʻofa ko ení. Ka kuo mau toutou talangataʻa kiate koe. Naʻá ke fekauʻi mai ha kau palōfita ke nau ʻomai ha fakatokanga, ka naʻe ʻikai te mau fanongo ki ai. Neongo ia, naʻá ke kātaki. Naʻá ke fai ki hoʻo palōmesi kia ʻĒpalahamé. Ko eni ʻoku mau palōmesi te mau talangofua kiate koe.’ Naʻa nau hiki ʻenau palōmesí, pea ko e houʻeikí, mo e kau Līvaí, mo e kau taulaʻeikí naʻa nau silaʻi ia.

Tau foki angé ki mui ʻi ha ngaahi taʻu siʻi. Ko Nehemaiá, ko ha sevāniti ia ʻa Tuʻi ʻAtasease, ko ha ʻIsileli ʻa ia naʻe nofo ʻi he kolo Pēsia ko Sūsani. Naʻe haʻu ʻa e tokoua ʻo Nehemaiá mo ha ongoongo kovi mei Siuta: ‘Ko e kakai naʻa nau foki ki Selusalemá ʻoku ʻikai te nau malu. Ko e ngaahi ʻā mo e matapā ʻo e koló ʻa ia naʻe fakaʻauha ʻe Pāpiloné kuo ʻikai ʻaupito ke toe langa.’ Naʻe loto-mamahi ʻa Nehemaia. Naʻá ne loto ke ne ʻalu ki Selusalema ʻo tokoni, ko ia naʻá ne lotu ai ke fakaʻatā ia ʻe he tuʻí ke ne ʻalu.

Ki mui ai, naʻe fakatokangaʻi ʻe he tuʻí naʻe mata mamahi ʻa Nehemaia. Naʻá ne pehē ange: ‘Kuo ʻikai ʻaupito te u sio ʻokú ke peheni. Ko e hā ʻa e meʻa ʻoku hokó?’ Naʻe pehē ʻe Nehemaia: ‘Ko e hā ke ʻikai ai te u mata mamahi lolotonga ia ko hoku koló, ʻa Selusalema, ʻoku ʻi ha fokotuʻunga maumau?’ Naʻe ʻeke ange ʻe he tuʻí: ‘Ko e hā ʻokú ke loto ke u fai maʻaú?’ ʻI he taimi pē ko iá, naʻe lotu fakalongolongo ai ʻa Nehemaia. Peá ne pehē ange leva: ‘Fakaʻatā muʻa au ke u ʻalu ki Selusalema ʻo toe langa ʻa e ʻaá.’ Naʻe tala ange ʻe Tuʻi ʻAtasease kia Nehemaia ʻe lava ke ne ʻalu, pea naʻe fakapapauʻi ʻe he tuʻí te ne malu ʻi heʻene fononga lōloá. Naʻá ne toe fakanofo foki ʻa Nehemaia ke ne hoko ko e kōvana ʻo Siuta peá ne ʻoange kiate ia ʻa e papa ke ngaohiʻaki ʻa e matapā ʻo e koló.

ʻI he aʻu ʻa Nehemaia ki Selusalemá, naʻá ne vakaiʻi ʻa e ʻā ʻo e koló. Peá ne fakatahatahaʻi mai leva ʻa e kau taulaʻeikí mo e kau pulé ʻo ne tala kiate kinautolu: ‘ʻOku kovi ʻaupito eni. ʻOku fiemaʻu ke tau fai ha ngāue.’ Naʻe loto ki ai ʻa e kakaí, pea naʻe kamata ke nau toe langa ʻa e ʻaá.

Ka naʻe fakakataʻaki kinautolu ʻe he niʻihi ʻo e ngaahi fili ʻo ʻIsilelí, ʻo nau pehē: ‘ʻE lava pē ʻe ha fōkisi ʻo holoki ʻa e ʻā ʻoku mou langá.’ Naʻe tukunoaʻi pē ʻe he kau ngāué ʻa e laukoví pea hokohoko atu ʻenau langá. Naʻe ʻalu ke toe māʻolunga mo mālohi ange ʻa e ʻaá.

Naʻe fakapapauʻi ʻe he ngaahi filí ke nau haʻu mei he ngaahi tafaʻaki kehekehe ʻo ʻohofi fakafokifā ʻa Selusalema. ʻI he fanongo ʻa e kau Siú fekauʻaki mo e palaní, naʻa nau ilifia. Ka naʻe pehē ʻe Nehemaia: ‘ʻOua ʻe ilifia. ʻOku kau ʻa Sihova mo kitautolu.’ Naʻá ne fokotuʻu ha kau leʻo ke nau maluʻi ʻa e kau ngāué, pea naʻe ʻikai malava ke ʻohofi kinautolu ʻe he filí.

ʻI he ʻaho pē ʻe 52, naʻe ʻosi ai ʻa hono langa ʻa e ʻaá mo e matapaá. Naʻe ʻomi ʻe Nehemaia ʻa e kau Līvaí kotoa ki Selusalema ki hono hūfí. Naʻá ne fokotuʻutuʻu kinautolu ki ha ongo kulupu ʻe ua ʻo e kau hiva. Naʻa nau ʻalu hake ʻi he sitepu ʻi he ʻaá ʻi he Matapā Faunitení pea mavaeua leva ʻo laka takai ʻi he koló ʻi he ongo tafaʻakí fakatouʻosi. Naʻa nau ifi talupite, tā simipale, mo e haʻape mo nau hiva kia Sihova. Naʻe ʻalu ʻa ʻĒsela mo e kulupu ʻe taha, pea ko Nehemaia mo e kulupu ʻe taha, ʻo nau fetaulaki ʻi he temipalé. Ko e kakaí kotoa​—ʻa e kakai tangatá, kakai fefiné, mo e fānaú—​naʻa nau fai ʻa e ngaahi feilaulau kia Sihova mo e kātoanga. Naʻe lava ke ongoʻi mei he mamaʻó ʻa honau ngaahi leʻo fiefiá.