Add parallel Print Page Options

Ko nga kupu a Nehemia tama a Hakaria. Na, i te marama Kihireu, i te rua tekau o nga tau, i ahau i Huhana, i te whare kingi,

Ka tae mai a Hanani, tetahi o oku teina, ratou ko etahi tangata o Hura; a ka ui ahau ki a ratou ki nga Hurai i mawhiti, i mahue o nga whakarau, ki Hiruharama hoki.

A ka mea ratou ki ahau, Ko nga oranga i mahue o nga whakarau i reira i taua kawanatanga he nui te he, te whakahaweatia: kua pakaru hoki te taiepa o Hiruharama, a kua wera ona keti i te ahi.

A, no toku rongonga i enei kupu, ka noho ahau, ka tangi, ka pouri hoki a taka noa etahi ra; na nohopuku ana ahau, inoi ana hoki ki te aroaro o te Atua o nga rangi,

A ka mea ahau, Aue, e Ihowa, e te Atua o te rangi, ko te Atua nui ia e wehingia ana, e pupuri ana i te kawenata, i te atawhai mo te hunga e aroha ana ki a ia, e pupuri ana i ana whakahau:

Tena, kia tahuri mai tou taringa, kia titiro mai ano ou kanohi, kia whakarongo mai ai koe ki te inoi a tau pononga, e inoi atu nei ki tou aroaro i te ao, i te po, mo au pononga, mo nga tama a Iharaira, i ahau e whaki nei i nga hara o nga tama a I haraira i hara ai matou ki a koe; ae ra, kua hara ahau me te whare o toku papa.

He rawa ta matou mahi ki a koe, kihai hoki i pupuri i nga whakahau, i nga tikanga, i nga whakaritenga i whakahaua e koe ki tau pononga ki a Mohi.

Tena, maharatia te kupu i whakahaua e koe ki tau pononga, ki a Mohi, i mea ra koe, Ki te poka ke ta koutou, ka whakamararatia atu koutou e ahau ki roto ki nga iwi;

Otiia ki te tahuri mai ano koutou ki ahau, a ka pupuri, ka mahi i aku whakahau, ahakoa i peia etahi o koutou ki te pito whakamutunga o te rangi, ka kohikohia mai ratou e ahau i reira, ka kawea mai ano ki te wahi i whiriwhiria e ahau kia noho toku ingoa ki reira.

10 Na ko au pononga enei, ko tau iwi i hokona e koe, ara e tou kaha nui, e tou ringa kaha.

11 Tena, e te Ariki, tahuri mai tou taringa ki te inoi a tau pononga, ki te inoi hoki a au pononga e mea nei kia wehi i tou ingoa: kia tika ra ta tau pononga aianei, homai hoki ki a ia kia atawhaitia e tenei tangata. Ko ahau hoki te kaiwhakainu a t e kingi.

The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,

That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.

And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

And said, I beseech thee, O Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:

Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned.

We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.

Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations:

But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.

10 Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand.

11 O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer.

Nehemiah Prays for His People

The words of (A)Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah.

It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the (B)twentieth year, as I was in (C)Shushan[a] the [b]citadel, that (D)Hanani one of my brethren came with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the (E)province are there in great distress and (F)reproach. (G)The wall of Jerusalem (H)is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”

So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

And I said: “I pray, (I)Lord God of heaven, O great and (J)awesome God, (K)You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love [c]You and observe [d]Your commandments, please let Your ear be attentive and (L)Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and (M)confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. (N)We have acted very corruptly against You, and have (O)not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, (P)If you [e]are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; (Q)but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, (R)though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’ 10 (S)Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. 11 O Lord, I pray, please (T)let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who (U)desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”

For I was the king’s (V)cupbearer.

Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 1:1 Or Susa
  2. Nehemiah 1:1 Or fortified palace, and so elsewhere in the book
  3. Nehemiah 1:5 Lit. Him
  4. Nehemiah 1:5 Lit. His
  5. Nehemiah 1:8 act treacherously

The words of Nehemiah(A) son of Hacaliah:

News from Jerusalem

During the month of Chislev(B) in the twentieth year,(C) when I was in the fortress city of Susa,(D) Hanani,(E) one of my brothers, arrived with men from Judah, and I questioned them about Jerusalem and the Jewish remnant(F) that had survived the exile.(G) They said to me, “The remnant in the province,(H) who survived the exile, are in great trouble and disgrace. Jerusalem’s wall has been broken down, and its gates have been burned.”(I)

Nehemiah’s Prayer

When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for a number of days, fasting and praying(J) before the God of the heavens.(K) I said,(L)

Lord, the God of the heavens, the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him(M) and keep his commands,(N) let your eyes be open and your ears be attentive(O) to hear your servant’s prayer that I now pray to you day and night(P) for your servants, the Israelites. I confess the sins[a] we have committed against you. Both I and my father’s family have sinned.(Q) We have acted corruptly toward you and have not kept the commands, statutes, and ordinances you gave your servant Moses.(R) Please remember what you commanded your servant Moses: “If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples.(S) But if you return to me and carefully observe my commands, even though your exiles were banished to the farthest horizon,[b] I will gather them from there and bring them to the place where I chose to have my name dwell.”(T) 10 They are your servants and your people. You redeemed them by your great power and strong hand.(U) 11 Please, Lord, let your ear be attentive(V) to the prayer of your servant and to that of your servants who delight to revere your name. Give your servant success today,(W) and grant him compassion in the presence of this man.[c](X)

At the time, I was the king’s cupbearer.(Y)

Footnotes

  1. 1:6 Lit sins of the Israelites
  2. 1:9 Lit skies
  3. 1:11 = the king