Preparing to Rebuild the Walls

¹¹ After I arrived in Jerusalem and had been there three days,^{(A) 12} I got up at night and took a few men with me. I didn’t tell anyone what my God had laid on my heart to do for Jerusalem. The only animal I took^[a] was the one I was riding. ¹³ I went out at night through the Valley Gate toward the Serpent’s^[b] Well and the Dung Gate,^(B) and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that had been broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire.^{(C) 14} I went on to the Fountain Gate^(D) and the King’s Pool,^(E) but farther down it became too narrow for my animal to go through. ¹⁵ So I went up at night by way of the valley and inspected the wall. Then heading back, I entered through the Valley Gate^(F) and returned. ¹⁶ The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, for I had not yet told the Jews, priests, nobles, officials, or the rest of those who would be doing the work.