Nehemiah 1-2

New International Version

Nehemiah’s Prayer

1 The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah:

In the month of Kislev^(A) in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa,^(B) ²Hanani,^(C) one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant^(D) that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.

³They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.^(E)”

⁴When I heard these things, I sat down and wept.^(F) For some days I mourned and fasted^(G) and prayed before the God of heaven. ⁵Then I said:

“Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God,^(H) who keeps his covenant of love^(I) with those who love him and keep his commandments, ⁶let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear^(J) the prayer^(K) your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess^(L) the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. ⁷We have acted very wickedly^(M) toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.

⁸“Remember^(N) the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter^(O) you among the nations, ⁹but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather^(P) them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’^(Q)

¹⁰“They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand.^(R) ¹¹Lord, let your ear be attentive^(S) to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor^(T) in the presence of this man.”

I was cupbearer^(U) to the king.

Artaxerxes Sends Nehemiah to Jerusalem

2 In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes,^(V) when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before, ²so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.”

I was very much afraid, ³but I said to the king, “May the king live forever!^(W) Why should my face not look sad when the city^(X) where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?^(Y)”

⁴The king said to me, “What is it you want?”

Then I prayed to the God of heaven, ⁵and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.”

⁶Then the king^(Z), with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.

⁷I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates,^(AA) so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? ⁸And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel^(AB) by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And because the gracious hand of my God was on me,^(AC) the king granted my requests.^(AD) ⁹So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry^(AE) with me.

¹⁰When Sanballat^(AF) the Horonite and Tobiah^(AG) the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.^(AH)

Nehemiah Inspects Jerusalem’s Walls

¹¹I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days^(AI) ¹²I set out during the night with a few others. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on.

¹³By night I went out through the Valley Gate^(AJ) toward the Jackal^[a] Well and the Dung Gate,^(AK) examining the walls^(AL) of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. ¹⁴Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate^(AM) and the King’s Pool,^(AN) but there was not enough room for my mount to get through; ¹⁵so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate. ¹⁶The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.

¹⁷Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire.^(AO) Come, let us rebuild the wall^(AP) of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.^(AQ)” ¹⁸I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me^(AR) and what the king had said to me.

They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.

¹⁹But when Sanballat^(AS) the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem^(AT) the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us.^(AU) “What is this you are doing?” they asked. “Are you rebelling against the king?”

²⁰I answered them by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding,^(AV) but as for you, you have no share^(AW) in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.”