Nehemiah 1:2-4

New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised

² one of my brothers, Hanani, came with certain men from Judah; and I asked them about the Jews that survived, those who had escaped the captivity, and about Jerusalem. ³ They replied, ‘The survivors there in the province who escaped captivity are in great trouble and shame; the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been destroyed by fire.’

⁴ When I heard these words I sat down and wept, and mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven.