Nehemiah 1
New Catholic Bible
The Deeds of Nehemiah
Chapter 1
Nehemiah’s Vocation. 1 The words of Nehemiah, the son of Hacaliah.
In the month of Kislev,[a] in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, arrived with some men from Judah. I asked them about the Jews—those who had survived the captivity—and about Jerusalem.
3 They replied: “Those who survived the captivity and remained in the province are in dire distress and badly demoralized. The wall of Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire.” 4 Upon hearing this, I sat down and wept,[b] mourning for several days while fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
5 Then I offered this prayer: “O Lord, God of heaven, you are a great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of steadfast love with those who love him and obey his commandments. 6 Let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to heed the prayer of your servant that I now offer to you day and night in your presence on behalf of your servants, the people of Israel.
“I confess the sins that your servants, the Israelites, have committed against you. I and my family are equally guilty in this regard. 7 We have offended you grievously and failed to keep the commandments, the statutes, and the laws you enjoined on your servant Moses.
8 “Do not fail to remember the promise you made to your servant Moses when you said: ‘If you are unfaithful, I shall scatter you among the nations. 9 However, if you return to me and obey my commandments and fulfill them, then I will gather even those among you who have been scattered to the farthest ends of the world and bring you back to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my name.’
10 “These are your servants, your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and your strong hand. 11 O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the humble prayer of your servants who take delight in revering your name. Grant that your servant will be given success this day and win this man’s compassion”—for at that time I was cupbearer to the king.[c]
Footnotes
- Nehemiah 1:1 Month of Kislev: November–December. The twentieth year of the reign of Artaxerxes I was 445 B.C. Susa was one of the capitals used by the Persian kings. The others were Ecbatana, Persepolis, and Babylon.
- Nehemiah 1:4 Sat down and wept: there was much for Nehemiah to be saddened by in Jerusalem. Walls represented safety for the people against intruders and a sense of independence and strength. The Jews needed to rebuild to gain a sense of control but were prevented from doing so by a previous edict (Ezr 4:6-23).
- Nehemiah 1:11 Cupbearer to the king: one of the highest ranks at the royal court. It was Nehemiah’s job to secure the safety and quality of the king’s food and allowed him easy access to share his concerns about the Jews with the king.
尼希米记 1
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
尼希米的祷告
1 以下是哈迦利亚的儿子尼希米的记述。
波斯王亚达薛西二十年基斯流月[a]，我在书珊城里。 2 从犹大来了我的一个兄弟哈拿尼和一些人，我问他们有关从流亡之地归回的犹太余民和耶路撒冷的情况。 3 他们回答说：“那些从流亡之地归回犹大省的人深陷苦难，饱受凌辱。耶路撒冷的城墙已经倒塌，城门也被烧毁。”
4 我一听见这消息，就坐下痛哭，悲伤了好几天。我在天上的上帝面前禁食祷告，说：
5 “天上的上帝耶和华啊，你是伟大而可畏的上帝，你向爱你、守你诫命的人守约，施慈爱。 6 仆人在你面前昼夜为你的众仆人以色列民祈祷，求你睁眼察看，侧耳倾听。我承认以色列人向你所犯的罪，以及我和我的家族所犯的罪。 7 我们行事败坏，没有遵守你赐给你仆人摩西的诫命、律例和典章。 8 求你顾念你对你仆人摩西所说的话，‘如果你们不忠，我必把你们驱散到列邦中。 9 但如果你们转向我，谨遵我的诫命，即使你们流落天涯，我也必从那里把你们召集到我选为我名所在之地。’ 10 我们是你的仆人、你的子民，是你用大能大力救赎的。 11 主啊，求你侧耳听你仆人的祷告，垂听那些喜爱敬畏你名的众仆人的祈求，使你仆人今天亨通，在王面前蒙恩。”
我是王的侍酒总管。
Footnotes
- 1:1 “基斯流月”即希伯来历的九月，阳历是十一月中旬到十二月中旬。
Chinese Contemporary Bible Copyright © 1979, 2005, 2007, 2011 by Biblica® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.