³ And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and ^(A)shame. ^(B)The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, ^(C)and its gates are destroyed by fire.”

¹⁷ Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, ^(A)how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer ^(B)suffer derision.”

¹⁰ And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, ^(A)broke down the walls around Jerusalem.

³⁶ Behold, ^(A)we are slaves this day; in the land that you gave to our fathers to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts, behold, we are slaves. ^37 (B)And its rich yield goes to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and over our livestock as they please, and we are in great distress.

^6 (A)These were the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried into exile. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his town.

¹³ I went out by night by ^(A)the Valley Gate to the Dragon Spring and to ^(B)the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem ^(C)that were broken down ^(D)and its gates that had been destroyed by fire.

³ I said to the king, ^(A)“Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, ^(B)when the city, the place of my fathers' graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”

⁸ Be it known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being built with huge stones, and timber is laid in the walls. This work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands.

Restore Us to Yourself, O Lord