Nehemiah 2
New American Standard Bible 1995
Nehemiah’s Prayer Answered
2 And it came about in the month Nisan, (A)in the twentieth year of King (B)Artaxerxes, that wine was before him, and (C)I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. 2 So the king said to me, “Why is your face sad though you are not sick? (D)This is nothing but sadness of heart.” Then I was very much afraid. 3 I said to the king, “(E)Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad (F)when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?” 4 Then the king said to me, “What would you request?” (G)So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 I said to the king, “If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.” 6 Then the king said to me, the queen sitting beside him, “How long will your journey be, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and (H)I gave him a definite time. 7 And I said to the king, “If it please the king, let letters be given me (I)for the governors of the provinces beyond the River, that they may allow me to pass through until I come to Judah, 8 and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s (J)forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of (K)the fortress which is by the [a]temple, for the wall of the city and for the house to which I will go.” And the king granted them to me because (L)the good hand of my God was on me.
9 Then I came to (M)the governors of the provinces beyond the River and gave them the king’s letters. Now (N)the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen. 10 When (O)Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite [b]official heard about it, it was very displeasing to them that someone had come to seek the welfare of the sons of Israel.
Nehemiah Inspects Jerusalem’s Walls
11 So I (P)came to Jerusalem and was there three days. 12 And I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. I did not tell anyone what my God was putting into my [c]mind to do for Jerusalem and there was no animal with me except the animal on which I was riding. 13 So I went out at night by (Q)the Valley Gate in the direction of the Dragon’s Well and on to the [d]Refuse Gate, inspecting the walls of Jerusalem (R)which were broken down and its (S)gates which were consumed by fire. 14 Then I passed on to (T)the Fountain Gate and (U)the King’s Pool, but there was no place for [e]my mount to pass. 15 So I went up at night by the (V)ravine and inspected the wall. Then I entered the Valley Gate again and returned. 16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I had done; nor had I as yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials or the rest who did the work.
17 Then I said to them, “You see the bad situation we are in, that (W)Jerusalem is desolate and its gates burned by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that we will no longer be a reproach.” 18 I told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me and also about the king’s words which he had spoken to me. Then they said, “Let us arise and build.” (X)So they put their hands to the good work. 19 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite [f]official, and (Y)Geshem the Arab heard it, (Z)they mocked us and despised us and said, “What is this thing you are doing? (AA)Are you rebelling against the king?” 20 So I answered them and said to them, “(AB)The God of heaven will give us success; therefore we His servants will arise and build, (AC)but you have no portion, right or memorial in Jerusalem.”
Footnotes
- Nehemiah 2:8 Lit house
- Nehemiah 2:10 Lit servant
- Nehemiah 2:12 Lit heart
- Nehemiah 2:13 Lit Gate of Ash-heaps
- Nehemiah 2:14 Lit the animal under me
- Nehemiah 2:19 Lit servant
Psalm 141
New American Standard Bible 1995
An Evening Prayer for Sanctification and Protection.
A Psalm of David.
141 O Lord, I call upon You; (A)hasten to me!
(B)Give ear to my voice when I call to You!
2 May my prayer be [a]counted as (C)incense before You;
The (D)lifting up of my hands as the (E)evening offering.
3 Set a (F)guard, O Lord, [b]over my mouth;
Keep watch over the (G)door of my lips.
4 (H)Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,
To practice deeds [c]of wickedness
With men who (I)do iniquity;
And (J)do not let me eat of their delicacies.
5 Let the (K)righteous smite me [d]in kindness and reprove me;
It is (L)oil upon the head;
Do not let my head refuse it,
[e]For still my prayer (M)is [f]against their wicked deeds.
6 Their judges are (N)thrown down by the sides of the rock,
And they hear my words, for they are pleasant.
7 As when one (O)plows and breaks open the earth,
Our (P)bones have been scattered at the (Q)mouth of [g]Sheol.
8 For my (R)eyes are toward You, O [h]God, the Lord;
In You I (S)take refuge; (T)do not [i]leave me defenseless.
9 Keep me from the [j](U)jaws of the trap which they have set for me,
And from the (V)snares of those who do iniquity.
10 Let the wicked (W)fall into their own nets,
While I pass by [k](X)safely.
Footnotes
- Psalm 141:2 Lit fixed
- Psalm 141:3 Lit to
- Psalm 141:4 Lit in
- Psalm 141:5 Or lovingly
- Psalm 141:5 Lit And my prayer
- Psalm 141:5 Or in spite of their calamities
- Psalm 141:7 I.e. the nether world
- Psalm 141:8 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Psalm 141:8 Lit pour out my soul
- Psalm 141:9 Lit hands of the trap
- Psalm 141:10 Lit altogether
Revelation 7
New American Standard Bible 1995
An Interlude
7 After this I saw (A)four angels standing at the (B)four corners of the earth, holding back (C)the four winds of the earth, (D)so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. 2 And I saw another angel ascending (E)from the rising of the sun, having the (F)seal of (G)the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the (H)four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, “(I)Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have (J)sealed the bond-servants of our God on their (K)foreheads.”
The 144,000
4 And I heard the (L)number of those who were sealed, (M)one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:
5 from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand, 6 from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand, 7 from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand, 8 from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed.
A Multitude from the Tribulation
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from (N)every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing (O)before the throne and (P)before the Lamb, clothed in (Q)white robes, and (R)palm branches were in their hands; 10 and they cry out with a loud voice, saying,
“(S)Salvation to our God (T)who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” 11 And all the angels were standing (U)around the throne and around (V)the elders and the (W)four living creatures; and they (X)fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying,
“(Y)Amen, (Z)blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. (AA)Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders (AB)answered, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the (AC)white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?” 14 I [a]said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the (AD)great tribulation, and they have (AE)washed their robes and made them (AF)white in the (AG)blood of the Lamb. 15 For this reason, they are (AH)before the throne of God; and they (AI)serve Him day and night in His [b](AJ)temple; and (AK)He who sits on the throne will spread His (AL)tabernacle over them. 16 (AM)They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun [c]beat down on them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their (AN)shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the [d](AO)water of life; and (AP)God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”
Footnotes
- Revelation 7:14 Lit have said
- Revelation 7:15 Or sanctuary
- Revelation 7:16 Lit fall
- Revelation 7:17 Lit waters
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
