Nehemiah 2:3-6

English Standard Version

³ I said to the king, ^(A)“Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, ^(B)when the city, the place of my fathers' graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” ⁴ Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed ^(C)to the God of heaven. ⁵ And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' graves, that I may rebuild it.” ⁶ And the king said to me (^(D)the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me ^(E)when I had given him a time.