⁴ And when I heard these words, I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven,

⁵ And said, ^(A)O Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him, and observe his commandments,

⁶ I pray thee let thine ears be attent, and thine eyes open, to hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee daily, day and night for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee, both I and my father’s house have sinned:

⁷ We have ^[a]grievously sinned against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.

⁸ I beseech thee, remember the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, Ye will transgress, and ^(B)I will scatter you abroad among the people.

⁹ But if ye return unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them, ^(C)though your scattering were to the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather you from thence, and will bring you unto the place that I have chosen to place my Name there.

¹⁰ Now these are thy servants and thy people whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy mighty hand.

¹¹ O Lord, I beseech thee, let thine ear now hearken to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to ^[b]fear thy Name, and I pray thee, cause thy servant to prosper this day, and give him favor in the presence of ^[c]this man: for I was the king’s butler.

2 1 After Nehemiah had obtained letters of Artaxerxes, 11 he came to Jerusalem, 17 and built the walls.

¹ Now in the month ^[d]Nisan in the twentieth year of king ^[e]Artaxerxes, the wine stood before him, and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I was not before time sad in his presence.

² And the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing, but sorrow of heart. Then was I sore afraid,

³ And I said to the King, God save the king forever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city and house of the sepulchers of my fathers lieth waste, and the gates thereof are devoured with fire?

⁴ And the king said unto me, For what thing doest thou require? Then I prayed ^[f]to the God of heaven,

⁵ And said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favor in thy sight, I desire that thou wouldest send me to Judah unto the city of the sepulchers of my fathers, that I may build it.

⁶ And the King said unto me, (the Queen also sitting by him:) How long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou come again? So it pleased the king, and he sent me, and I set him a time.

⁷ After I said unto the King, If it please the King, let them give me letters to the captains beyond the ^[g]River, that they may convey me over, till I come into Judah,

⁸ And letters unto Asaph the keeper of the king’s ^[h]park, that he may give me timber to build the gates of the palace (which appertained to the house) and for the walls of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king gave me according to ^[i]the good hand of my God upon me.

⁹ ¶ Then came I to the captains beyond the River, and gave them the king’s letters. And the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.