Nechemyah 1
Orthodox Jewish Bible
1 The Divrei Nechemyah ben Chachalyah. And it came to pass in the month Kislev, in the twentieth year [i.e., 445 B.C.E.], as I was in Shushan the capital [of Persia],
2 That Chanani, one of my achim [see 7:2], came, he and certain men, from Yehudah; and I asked them concerning the remnant of the Yehudim that had survived the Exile [the Golus], and concerning Yerushalayim.
3 And they said unto me, The remnant that have survived the Exile [the Golus] there in the province are in ra’ah gedolah and reproach; the Chomat Yerushalayim also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with eish.
4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for several yamim, and did a tzom, and davened before Elohei HaShomayim,
5 And said, O Hashem Elohei HaShomayim, HaEl HaGadol vHaNora, that is shomer habrit vachesed for them that love Him and are shomer mitzvot over His commandments,
6 Let Thine ear now be attentive, and Thine eyes open, that Thou mayest hear the tefillah of Thy eved, which I am davening before Thee now, yomam valailah, for the Bnei Yisroel Thy avadim, and mitvaddeh al chattot (confess the sins) of the Bnei Yisroel, which we have sinned against Thee. Both I and the Bais Avi have sinned.
7 We have dealt very corruptly against Thee, and have not been shomer mitzvot, neither over the chukkim, nor the mishpatim, which Thou commandedst Moshe Thy eved.
8 Remember, the word that Thou commandedst Moshe Thy eved, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations,
9 But if ye make teshuvah and turn unto Me, and are shomer over My mitzvot, and do them; though there were of you those exiled unto the uttermost part of HaShomayim, yet will I gather them from there, and will bring them unto the place [i.e., Yerushalayim] that I have chosen to make dwell Shmi (My Name) there.
10 Now these are Thy Avadim and Thy Am, whom Thou hast redeemed by Thy ko’ach hagadol, and by Thy Yad HaChazakah.
11 O Adonoi, let now Thine ear be attentive to the tefillah of Thy eved, and to the tefillah of Thy Avadim, who desire to fear Thy Shem; and give success to Thy eved today, and grant him rachamim in the sight of this man. For I was the Mashkeh L’Melech.
Nehemiah 1
New King James Version
Nehemiah Prays for His People
1 The words of (A)Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah.
It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the (B)twentieth year, as I was in (C)Shushan[a] the [b]citadel, 2 that (D)Hanani one of my brethren came with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the (E)province are there in great distress and (F)reproach. (G)The wall of Jerusalem (H)is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”
4 So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
5 And I said: “I pray, (I)Lord God of heaven, O great and (J)awesome God, (K)You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love [c]You and observe [d]Your commandments, 6 please let Your ear be attentive and (L)Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and (M)confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. 7 (N)We have acted very corruptly against You, and have (O)not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. 8 Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, (P)‘If you [e]are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; 9 (Q)but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, (R)though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’ 10 (S)Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. 11 O Lord, I pray, please (T)let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who (U)desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”
For I was the king’s (V)cupbearer.
Footnotes
- Nehemiah 1:1 Or Susa
- Nehemiah 1:1 Or fortified palace, and so elsewhere in the book
- Nehemiah 1:5 Lit. Him
- Nehemiah 1:5 Lit. His
- Nehemiah 1:8 act treacherously
Nehemiah 1
English Standard Version
Report from Jerusalem
1 The words of (A)Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah.
Now it happened in the month of (B)Chislev, (C)in the twentieth year, as I was in (D)Susa the citadel, 2 that (E)Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and (F)shame. (G)The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, (H)and its gates are destroyed by fire.”
Nehemiah's Prayer
4 As soon as I heard these words I (I)sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the (J)God of heaven. 5 And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, (K)the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 (L)let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, (M)confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even (N)I and my father's house have sinned. 7 (O)We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules (P)that you commanded your servant Moses. 8 Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, (Q)I will scatter you among the peoples, 9 (R)but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, (S)though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them (T)to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ 10 (U)They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. 11 O Lord, (V)let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”
Now I was (W)cupbearer to the king.
Nehemías 1
Nueva Biblia Viva
Nehemías ora por su pueblo
1 Autobiografía de Nehemías hijo de Jacalías:
En diciembre del año veinte del reinado de Artajerjes de Persia, cuando yo servía en el palacio de Susa, 2 uno de mis compatriotas, un judío llamado Jananí, vino a visitarme con algunos hombres que habían llegado de Judá. Aproveché la oportunidad para preguntarles:
―¿Cómo está la ciudad de Jerusalén y cómo están los judíos que escaparon de ir cautivos a Babilonia?
3 ―Pues te diremos que las cosas no andan muy bien —contestaron—. Los que regresaron del destierro sufren grandes males y humillaciones. Los muros de Jerusalén aún están medio derribados y las puertas están quemadas.
4 Cuando oí esto me senté y lloré. Durante varios días ayuné y oré así al Dios del cielo:
5 «Señor, Dios del cielo, Dios grande y temible, que cumples las promesas y que amas y tienes misericordia de los que te aman y te obedecen, escucha mi oración. 6-7 Escucha lo que yo te digo. Mírame y ve que noche y día oro por el pueblo de Israel. Confieso que hemos pecado contra ti. Yo mismo y mi pueblo hemos pecado. No hemos obedecido los mandamientos, estatutos y preceptos que nos entregaste por medio de tu siervo Moisés.
8 »Recuerda que le dijiste a Moisés: “Si ustedes pecan, los esparciré entre las naciones. 9 Pero si se vuelven a mí y obedecen mis leyes, y las ponen en práctica, aun de los rincones más lejanos del universo, a donde hayan sido llevados, los haré regresar a Jerusalén. Porque Jerusalén es el lugar que he escogido como mi lugar de residencia”.
10 »Nosotros somos tus siervos, somos el pueblo que rescataste con tu gran poder. 11 Señor, escucha mi oración. Escucha la oración de quienes se deleitan en darte gloria y honra. Te ruego que me permitas tener éxito cuando me presente ante el rey con mi petición. Haz que el rey me atienda y me trate bien».
Yo era entonces copero del rey.
Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Nueva Biblia Viva, © 2006, 2008 por Biblica, Inc.® Usado con permiso de Biblica, Inc.® Reservados todos los derechos en todo el mundo.