Nehemiah’s Grief for the Exiles

1 The words of ^(A)Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah.

Now it happened in ^(B)the month Chislev, ^(C)in the twentieth year, while I was in ^(D)Susa the ^[a]capitol, ² that ^(E)Hanani, one of my brothers, and ^[b]some men from Judah came; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped and had survived the captivity, and about Jerusalem. ³ They said to me, “The remnant there in the ^(F)province who survived the captivity are in great distress and ^(G)reproach, and ^(H)the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and ^(I)its gates are burned with fire.”

¹¹ O Lord, I beseech You, ^(A)may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to ^[a]revere Your name, and make Your servant successful today and grant him compassion before this man.”

Now I was the ^(B)cupbearer to the king.