Nehemiah Sent to Judah

2 In the month of Nisan, ^(A)in the twentieth year of King ^(B)Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, ^(C)I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. ² And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but ^(D)sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid. ³ I said to the king, ^(E)“Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, ^(F)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 ^(G)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 (^(H)the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me ^(I)when I had given him a time. ⁷ And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me ^(J)to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, ⁸ and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of ^(K)the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, ^(L)for the good hand of my God was upon me.

Nehemiah Inspects Jerusalem's Walls

⁹ Then I came to ^(M)the governors of the province Beyond the River and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen. ¹⁰ But when ^(N)Sanballat the Horonite and ^(O)Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, it displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel.

^11 (P)So I went to Jerusalem and was there three days. ¹² Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. And I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me but the one on which I rode. ¹³ I went out by night by ^(Q)the Valley Gate to the Dragon Spring and to ^(R)the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem ^(S)that were broken down ^(T)and its gates that had been destroyed by fire. ¹⁴ Then I went on to ^(U)the Fountain Gate and to ^(V)the King's Pool, but there was no room for the animal that was under me to pass. ¹⁵ Then I went up in the night ^(W)by the valley and inspected the wall, and I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. ¹⁶ And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, and I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest who were to do the work.

¹⁷ Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, ^(X)how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer ^(Y)suffer derision.” ¹⁸ And I told them ^(Z)of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” ^(AA)So they strengthened their hands for the good work. ¹⁹ But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and ^(AB)Geshem the Arab heard of it, ^(AC)they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? ^(AD)Are you rebelling against the king?” ²⁰ Then I replied to them, ^(AE)“The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim^[a] in Jerusalem.”

Rebuilding the Wall

3 Then ^(AF)Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built ^(AG)the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and ^(AH)set its doors. They consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the ^(AI)Tower of Hananel. ² And next to him ^(AJ)the men of Jericho built. And next to them^[b] Zaccur the son of Imri built.

³ The sons of Hassenaah built ^(AK)the Fish Gate. ^(AL)They laid its beams and ^(AM)set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. ⁴ And next to them ^(AN)Meremoth the son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz repaired. And next to them ^(AO)Meshullam the son of Berechiah, son of Meshezabel repaired. And next to them Zadok the son of Baana repaired. ⁵ And next to them ^(AP)the Tekoites repaired, but their nobles would not stoop to serve their Lord.^[c]

⁶ Joiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah ^(AQ)repaired the Gate of Yeshanah.^{[d] (AR)}They laid its beams and ^(AS)set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. ⁷ And next to them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and of Mizpah, the seat of ^(AT)the governor of the province Beyond the River. ⁸ Next to them Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, goldsmiths, repaired. Next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, repaired, and they restored Jerusalem as far as ^(AU)the Broad Wall. ⁹ Next to them Rephaiah the son of Hur, ^(AV)ruler of half the district of^[e] Jerusalem, repaired. ¹⁰ Next to them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph repaired opposite his house. And next to him Hattush the son of Hashabneiah repaired. ¹¹ Malchijah the son of Harim and Hasshub the son of Pahath-moab repaired another section and ^(AW)the Tower of the Ovens. ¹² Next to him Shallum the son of Hallohesh, ^(AX)ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, repaired, he and his daughters.

¹³ Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired ^(AY)the Valley Gate. They rebuilt it and ^(AZ)set its doors, its bolts, and its bars, and repaired a thousand cubits^[f] of the wall, as far as ^(BA)the Dung Gate.

¹⁴ Malchijah the son of Rechab, ruler of the district of ^(BB)Beth-haccherem, repaired ^(BC)the Dung Gate. He rebuilt it and ^(BD)set its doors, its bolts, and its bars.

¹⁵ And Shallum the son of Col-hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah, repaired ^(BE)the Fountain Gate. He rebuilt it and covered it and ^(BF)set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. And he built the wall of ^(BG)the Pool of Shelah of ^(BH)the king's garden, as far as ^(BI)the stairs that go down from the city of David. ¹⁶ After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, ruler of half the district of Beth-zur, repaired to a point opposite ^(BJ)the tombs of David, as far as ^(BK)the artificial pool, and as far as the house of the mighty men. ¹⁷ After him the Levites repaired: Rehum the son of Bani. Next to him Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah, repaired for his district. ¹⁸ After him their brothers repaired: Bavvai the son of Henadad, ruler of half the district of Keilah. ¹⁹ Next to him Ezer the son of Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah, repaired another section opposite the ascent to the armory at ^(BL)the buttress.^{[g] 20} After him Baruch the son of Zabbai repaired^[h] another section from the buttress to the door of the house of ^(BM)Eliashib the high priest. ²¹ After him ^(BN)Meremoth the son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz repaired another section from the door of the house of Eliashib to the end of the house of Eliashib. ²² After him the priests, the men of ^(BO)the surrounding area, repaired. ²³ After them Benjamin and Hasshub repaired opposite their house. After them Azariah the son of Maaseiah, son of Ananiah repaired beside his own house. ²⁴ After him Binnui the son of Henadad repaired another section, from the house of Azariah to the buttress and to ^(BP)the corner. ²⁵ Palal the son of Uzai repaired opposite the buttress and the tower projecting from the upper house of the king at ^(BQ)the court of the guard. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh ^26 (BR)and the temple servants living on ^(BS)Ophel repaired to a point opposite ^(BT)the Water Gate on the east and the projecting tower. ²⁷ After him ^(BU)the Tekoites repaired another section opposite the great projecting tower as far as the wall of Ophel.

²⁸ Above ^(BV)the Horse Gate the priests repaired, each one opposite his own house. ²⁹ After them Zadok the son of Immer repaired opposite his own house. After him Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, repaired. ³⁰ After him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph repaired another section. After him ^(BW)Meshullam the son of Berechiah repaired opposite ^(BX)his chamber. ³¹ After him Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired as far as the house of the temple servants and of the merchants, opposite the Muster Gate,^[i] and to the upper chamber of the corner. ³² And between the upper chamber of the corner and ^(BY)the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and the merchants repaired.

The Resurrection of the Dead

¹² Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, ^(A)how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³ But if there is no resurrection of the dead, ^(B)then not even Christ has been raised. ¹⁴ And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. ¹⁵ We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that ^(C)he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. ¹⁶ For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. ¹⁷ And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and ^(D)you are still in your sins. ¹⁸ Then those also who ^(E)have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. ¹⁹ If in Christ we have hope^[a] in this life only, ^(F)we are of all people most to be pitied.

²⁰ But in fact ^(G)Christ has been raised from the dead, ^(H)the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For as ^(I)by a man came death, ^(J)by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. ²² For ^(K)as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. ²³ But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then ^(L)at his coming ^(M)those who belong to Christ. ²⁴ Then comes the end, when he delivers ^(N)the kingdom to God the Father after destroying ^(O)every rule and every authority and power. ²⁵ For he must reign ^(P)until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶ The last enemy to be ^(Q)destroyed is death. ²⁷ For ^(R)“God^[b] has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. ²⁸ When ^(S)all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that ^(T)God may be all in all.

²⁹ Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? ³⁰ Why are we ^(U)in danger every hour? ³¹ I protest, brothers, by ^(V)my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, ^(W)I die every day! ³² What do I gain if, humanly speaking, ^(X)I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, ^(Y)“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” ^33 (Z)Do not be deceived: ^(AA)“Bad company ruins good morals.”^{[c] 34 (AB)}Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For ^(AC)some have no knowledge of God. ^(AD)I say this to your shame.

The Resurrection Body

³⁵ But someone will ask, ^(AE)“How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” ³⁶ You foolish person! ^(AF)What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. ³⁷ And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. ³⁸ But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. ³⁹ For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. ⁴⁰ There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. ⁴¹ There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.

^42 (AG)So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. ⁴³ It is sown in dishonor; ^(AH)it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. ⁴⁴ It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. ⁴⁵ Thus it is written, ^(AI)“The first man Adam became a living being”;^{[d] (AJ)}the last Adam became a ^(AK)life-giving spirit. ⁴⁶ But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. ^47 (AL)The first man was from the earth, ^(AM)a man of dust; ^(AN)the second man is from heaven. ⁴⁸ As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, ^(AO)so also are those who are of heaven. ⁴⁹ Just ^(AP)as we have borne the image of the man of dust, ^(AQ)we shall^[e] also bear the image of the man of heaven.

Mystery and Victory

⁵⁰ I tell you this, brothers: ^(AR)flesh and blood ^(AS)cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. ⁵¹ Behold! I tell you a mystery. ^(AT)We shall not all sleep, ^(AU)but we shall all be changed, ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For ^(AV)the trumpet will sound, and ^(AW)the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and ^(AX)this mortal body must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and ^(BA)the power of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, ^(BB)who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

^58 (BC)Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in ^(BD)the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord ^(BE)your labor is not in vain.

Great Is the Lord

Of David.