⁷ I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates,^(A) so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah?

⁸ And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel^(A) by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And because the gracious hand of my God was on me,^(B) the king granted my requests.^(C)

¹⁰ When Sanballat^(A) the Horonite and Tobiah^(B) the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.^(C)

Nehemiah Inspects Jerusalem’s Walls

¹¹ I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days^{(D) 12} I set out during the night with a few others. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on.