Nehemiah 2:8-10

Expanded Bible

⁸ And may I have a letter for Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, telling him to give me timber? I will need it to make ·boards [beams] for the gates of the ·palace [or fortress], which is by the ·Temple [^Lhouse], and for the city wall, and for the house in which I will live.” So the king ·gave [granted] me the letters, because ·God was showing kindness to me [^Lthe gracious/good hand of God was on me]. ⁹ Then I went to the governors of ·Trans-Euphrates [^Cprovinces west of the Euphrates River] and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and ·horsemen [cavalry] with me.

¹⁰ When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite ·officer [official] heard about this, they were ·upset [very displeased] that someone had come to ·help [promote/seek the welfare of] the Israelites.