12 Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me; I told no one what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem; nor was there any animal with me, except the one on which I rode. 13 And I went out by night (A)through the Valley Gate to the Serpent Well and the [a]Refuse Gate, and [b]viewed the walls of Jerusalem which were (B)broken down and its gates which were burned with fire. 14 Then I went on to the (C)Fountain Gate and to the (D)King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal under me to pass. 15 So I went up in the night by the (E)valley,[c] and [d]viewed the wall; then I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. 16 And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I had done; I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, or the others who did the work.

17 Then I said to them, “You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies [e]waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be (F)a reproach.” 18 And I told them of (G)the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me.

So they said, “Let us rise up and build.” Then they (H)set[f] their hands to this good work.

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Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 2:13 Dung
  2. Nehemiah 2:13 examined
  3. Nehemiah 2:15 torrent valley, wadi
  4. Nehemiah 2:15 examined
  5. Nehemiah 2:17 desolate
  6. Nehemiah 2:18 Lit. strengthened

Rebuilding the Wall

Then (A)Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests (B)and built the Sheep Gate; they consecrated it and hung its doors. They built (C)as far as the Tower of [a]the Hundred, and consecrated it, then as far as the Tower of (D)Hananel. [b]Next to Eliashib (E)the men of Jericho built. And next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built.

Also the sons of Hassenaah built (F)the Fish Gate; they laid its beams and (G)hung its doors with its bolts and bars. And next to them (H)Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of [c]Koz, made repairs. Next to them (I)Meshullam the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs. Next to them Zadok the son of Baana made repairs. Next to them the Tekoites made repairs; but their nobles did not put their [d]shoulders to (J)the work of their Lord.

Moreover Jehoiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired (K)the Old Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors, with its bolts and bars. And next to them Melatiah the Gibeonite, Jadon the Meronothite, the (L)men of Gibeon and Mizpah, repaired the (M)residence[e] of the governor of the region [f]beyond the River. Next to him Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs. Also next to him Hananiah, [g]one of the perfumers, made repairs; and they [h]fortified Jerusalem as far as the (N)Broad Wall. And next to them Rephaiah the son of Hur, leader of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs. 10 Next to them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph made repairs in front of his house. And next to him Hattush the son of Hashabniah made repairs.

11 Malchijah the son of Harim and Hashub the son of Pahath-Moab repaired another section, (O)as well as the Tower of the Ovens. 12 And next to him was Shallum the son of Hallohesh, leader of half the district of Jerusalem; he and his daughters made repairs.

13 Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired (P)the Valley Gate. They built it, hung its doors with its bolts and bars, and repaired a thousand cubits of the wall as far as (Q)the Refuse Gate.

14 Malchijah the son of Rechab, leader of the district of (R)Beth Haccerem, repaired the Refuse Gate; he built it and hung its doors with its bolts and bars.

15 Shallun the son of Col-Hozeh, leader of the district of Mizpah, repaired (S)the Fountain Gate; he built it, covered it, hung its doors with its bolts and bars, and repaired the wall of the Pool of (T)Shelah[i] by the (U)King’s Garden, as far as the stairs that go down from the City of David. 16 After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, leader of half the district of Beth Zur, made repairs as far as the place in front of the [j]tombs of David, to the (V)man-made pool, and as far as the House of the Mighty.

17 After him the Levites, under Rehum the son of Bani, made repairs. Next to him Hashabiah, leader of half the district of Keilah, made repairs for his district. 18 After him their brethren, under [k]Bavai the son of Henadad, leader of the other half of the district of Keilah, made repairs. 19 And next to him Ezer the son of Jeshua, the leader of Mizpah, repaired another section in front of the Ascent to the Armory at the (W)buttress.[l] 20 After him Baruch the son of [m]Zabbai carefully repaired the other section, from the [n]buttress to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest. 21 After him Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of [o]Koz, repaired another section, from the door of the house of Eliashib to the end of the house of Eliashib.

22 And after him the priests, the men of the plain, made repairs. 23 After him Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs opposite their house. After them Azariah the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs by his house. 24 After him (X)Binnui the son of Henadad repaired another section, from the house of Azariah to (Y)the [p]buttress, even as far as the corner. 25 Palal the son of Uzai made repairs opposite the [q]buttress, and on the tower which projects from the king’s upper house that was by the (Z)court of the prison. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh made repairs.

26 Moreover (AA)the Nethinim who dwelt in (AB)Ophel made repairs as far as the place in front of (AC)the Water Gate toward the east, and on the projecting tower. 27 After them the Tekoites repaired another section, next to the great projecting tower, and as far as the wall of Ophel.

28 Beyond the (AD)Horse Gate the priests made repairs, each in front of his own house. 29 After them Zadok the son of Immer made repairs in front of his own house. After him Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, made repairs. 30 After him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another section. After him Meshullam the son of Berechiah made repairs in front of his [r]dwelling. 31 After him Malchijah, [s]one of the goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the house of the Nethinim and of the merchants, in front of the [t]Miphkad Gate, and as far as the upper room at the corner. 32 And between the upper room at the corner, as far as the (AE)Sheep Gate, the goldsmiths and the merchants made repairs.

Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 3:1 Heb. Hammeah
  2. Nehemiah 3:2 Lit. On his hand
  3. Nehemiah 3:4 Or Hakkoz
  4. Nehemiah 3:5 Lit. necks
  5. Nehemiah 3:7 Lit. throne
  6. Nehemiah 3:7 West of the Euphrates
  7. Nehemiah 3:8 Lit. the son
  8. Nehemiah 3:8 restored
  9. Nehemiah 3:15 Or Shiloah
  10. Nehemiah 3:16 LXX, Syr., Vg. tomb
  11. Nehemiah 3:18 So with MT, Vg.; some Heb. mss., LXX, Syr. Binnui (cf. v. 24)
  12. Nehemiah 3:19 Lit. turning
  13. Nehemiah 3:20 A few Heb. mss., Syr., Vg. Zaccai
  14. Nehemiah 3:20 Lit. turning
  15. Nehemiah 3:21 Or Hakkoz
  16. Nehemiah 3:24 Lit. turning
  17. Nehemiah 3:25 Lit. turning
  18. Nehemiah 3:30 Lit. room
  19. Nehemiah 3:31 Lit. a son of the goldsmiths
  20. Nehemiah 3:31 Lit. Inspection or Recruiting

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