Nehemiah 2:4-8
Holman Christian Standard Bible
4 Then the king asked me, “What is your request?”
So I prayed to the God of heaven(A) 5 and answered the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor with you, send me to Judah and to the city where my ancestors are buried,[a](B) so that I may rebuild it.”(C)
6 The king, with the queen seated beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you return?” So I gave him a definite time,(D) and it pleased the king to send me.
7 I also said to the king: “If it pleases the king, let me have letters written to the governors of the region west of the Euphrates River,(E) so that they will grant me safe passage until I reach Judah.(F) 8 And let me have a letter written to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so that he will give me timber to rebuild the gates of the temple’s fortress,(G) the city wall, and the home where I will live.”[b](H) The king granted my requests, for I was graciously strengthened by my God.[c](I)
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Nehemiah 2:5 Lit city, the house of the graves of my fathers,
- Nehemiah 2:8 Lit enter
- Nehemiah 2:8 Lit for the gracious hand of my God was on me
Nehemiah 2:4-8
New Living Translation
4 The king asked, “Well, how can I help you?”
With a prayer to the God of heaven, 5 I replied, “If it please the king, and if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried.”
6 The king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked, “How long will you be gone? When will you return?” After I told him how long I would be gone, the king agreed to my request.
7 I also said to the king, “If it please the king, let me have letters addressed to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates River,[a] instructing them to let me travel safely through their territories on my way to Judah. 8 And please give me a letter addressed to Asaph, the manager of the king’s forest, instructing him to give me timber. I will need it to make beams for the gates of the Temple fortress, for the city walls, and for a house for myself.” And the king granted these requests, because the gracious hand of God was on me.
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
