³¹ On the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the Ahava Canal^(A) to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us,^(B) and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way.

² In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns.^(A) And the Lord said^(B) to you, ‘You will shepherd^(C) my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.^(D)’”

²¹ There, by the Ahava Canal,^(A) I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey^(B) for us and our children, with all our possessions.