2 And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.

² Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid,

³ And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?

⁴ Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.

⁵ And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.

⁶ And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.

⁷ Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah;

⁸ And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.

⁹ Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.

¹⁰ When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.

¹¹ So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.

¹² And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon.

¹³ And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before the dragon well, and to the dung port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire.

¹⁴ Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king's pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass.

¹⁵ Then went I up in the night by the brook, and viewed the wall, and turned back, and entered by the gate of the valley, and so returned.

¹⁶ And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work.

¹⁷ Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.

¹⁸ Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.

¹⁹ But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?

²⁰ Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.

⁵ And my God put into mine heart to gather together the nobles, and the rulers, and the people, that they might be reckoned by genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy of them which came up at the first, and found written therein,

⁶ These are the children of the province, that went up out of the captivity, of those that had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and came again to Jerusalem and to Judah, every one unto his city;

⁷ Who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah. The number, I say, of the men of the people of Israel was this;

⁸ The children of Parosh, two thousand an hundred seventy and two.

⁹ The children of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy and two.

¹⁰ The children of Arah, six hundred fifty and two.

¹¹ The children of Pahathmoab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand and eight hundred and eighteen.

¹² The children of Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four.

¹³ The children of Zattu, eight hundred forty and five.

¹⁴ The children of Zaccai, seven hundred and threescore.

¹⁵ The children of Binnui, six hundred forty and eight.

¹⁶ The children of Bebai, six hundred twenty and eight.

¹⁷ The children of Azgad, two thousand three hundred twenty and two.

¹⁸ The children of Adonikam, six hundred threescore and seven.

¹⁹ The children of Bigvai, two thousand threescore and seven.

²⁰ The children of Adin, six hundred fifty and five.

²¹ The children of Ater of Hezekiah, ninety and eight.

²² The children of Hashum, three hundred twenty and eight.

²³ The children of Bezai, three hundred twenty and four.

²⁴ The children of Hariph, an hundred and twelve.

²⁵ The children of Gibeon, ninety and five.

²⁶ The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, an hundred fourscore and eight.

²⁷ The men of Anathoth, an hundred twenty and eight.

²⁸ The men of Bethazmaveth, forty and two.

²⁹ The men of Kirjathjearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred forty and three.

³⁰ The men of Ramah and Gaba, six hundred twenty and one.

³¹ The men of Michmas, an hundred and twenty and two.

³² The men of Bethel and Ai, an hundred twenty and three.

³³ The men of the other Nebo, fifty and two.

³⁴ The children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four.

³⁵ The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty.

³⁶ The children of Jericho, three hundred forty and five.

³⁷ The children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred twenty and one.

³⁸ The children of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty.

³⁹ The priests: the children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred seventy and three.

⁴⁰ The children of Immer, a thousand fifty and two.

⁴¹ The children of Pashur, a thousand two hundred forty and seven.

⁴² The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen.

⁴³ The Levites: the children of Jeshua, of Kadmiel, and of the children of Hodevah, seventy and four.

⁴⁴ The singers: the children of Asaph, an hundred forty and eight.

⁴⁵ The porters: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, an hundred thirty and eight.

⁴⁶ The Nethinims: the children of Ziha, the children of Hashupha, the children of Tabbaoth,

⁴⁷ The children of Keros, the children of Sia, the children of Padon,

⁴⁸ The children of Lebana, the children of Hagaba, the children of Shalmai,

⁴⁹ The children of Hanan, the children of Giddel, the children of Gahar,

⁵⁰ The children of Reaiah, the children of Rezin, the children of Nekoda,

⁵¹ The children of Gazzam, the children of Uzza, the children of Phaseah,

⁵² The children of Besai, the children of Meunim, the children of Nephishesim,

⁵³ The children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur,

⁵⁴ The children of Bazlith, the children of Mehida, the children of Harsha,

⁵⁵ The children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the children of Tamah,

⁵⁶ The children of Neziah, the children of Hatipha.

⁵⁷ The children of Solomon's servants: the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Perida,

⁵⁸ The children of Jaala, the children of Darkon, the children of Giddel,

⁵⁹ The children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth of Zebaim, the children of Amon.

⁶⁰ All the Nethinims, and the children of Solomon's servants, were three hundred ninety and two.

⁶¹ And these were they which went up also from Telmelah, Telharesha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer: but they could not shew their father's house, nor their seed, whether they were of Israel.

⁶² The children of Delaiah, the children of Tobiah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred forty and two.

⁶³ And of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai, which took one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite to wife, and was called after their name.

⁶⁴ These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but it was not found: therefore were they, as polluted, put from the priesthood.

⁶⁵ And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and Thummim.

⁶⁶ The whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore,

⁶⁷ Beside their manservants and their maidservants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven: and they had two hundred forty and five singing men and singing women.

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