⁹ For on the first day of the first month he began to go up from Babylon; and on the first of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, ^(A)because the good hand of his God was upon him.

^18 (A)And as the good hand of our God was upon us, they brought us a ^(B)man of insight from the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, and his sons and brothers, eighteen men;

²² For I was ashamed to request from the king troops and horsemen to ^[a]protect us from the enemy on the way, because we had said to the king, “^(A)The hand of our God is ^[b]favorably disposed to all who seek Him, but ^(B)His power and His anger are against all those who ^(C)abandon Him.”

⁸ and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s ^(A)forest, so that he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of ^(B)the citadel which is by the ^[a]temple, for the wall of the city, and for the house to which I will go.” And the king granted them to me because ^(C)the good hand of my God was on me.

¹⁸ And I told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me and also about the king’s words which he had spoken to me. Then they said, “Let’s arise and build.” ^(A)So they put their hands to the good work.

²¹ And ^(A)the hand of the Lord was with them, and ^(B)a large number who believed turned to the Lord.