Beginning

1 The words of Nehemiah, the son of Hachaliah. And it was done in the month of Chisleu, that is, November, in the twentieth year, and I was in the castle of Susa (and I was in the capital city of Susa);

² and Hanani, one of my brethren, came to me, he and men of Judah; and I asked them of the Jews, that were left, and were alive of the captivity, and of Jerusalem. (and Hanani, one of my brothers, came to me, he and some men from Judah; and I asked them about Jerusalem, and about the Jews who had remained there since the captivity/and about the Jews who had returned there from the captivity.)

³ And they said to me, They that be left of the captivity, and that dwelled there still in the province, be in great torment, and shame; and the wall of Jerusalem is destroyed, and the gates of it be burnt with fire. (And they said to me, They who survived the captivity, and had returned there to the province, be in great torment, and shame/They who had remained there in the province, and had not gone into captivity, be in great torment, and shame; and the wall of Jerusalem is broken in many places, and its gates be burned with fire.)

⁴ And when I had heard such words, I sat and wept, and mourned many days, and I fasted, and prayed before the face of (the) God of heaven;

⁵ and I said, I beseech thee, Lord God of heaven, that art strong, great, and fearedful, that keepest covenant and mercy with them that love thee, and keep thy behests; (and I said, I beseech thee, Lord God of heaven, who art strong, and great, and fearful, and who keepest covenant and mercy with those who love thee, and who keep thy commandments;)

⁶ thine ear be made harkening, and thine eyes opened, that thou hear the prayer of thy servant, by which prayer I pray before thee now, by night and day, for the sons of Israel, thy servants, and I acknowledge for the sins of the sons of Israel, by which they have sinned to thee; both I and the house of my father have sinned; (let thine ear harken, and thine eyes be opened, so that thou hear the prayer of thy servant, by which prayer I pray before thee now, by night and day, for thy servants the Israelites, and I confess the sins of the Israelites, which we have sinned against thee; both I and the house of my father have sinned;)

⁷ we were deceived by vanity, and we kept not thy commandment(s), and ceremonies, and dooms, which thou commandedest to Moses, thy servant. (we were deceptive and vain, that is, sinful and proud, and we kept not thy commandments, and statutes, and judgements, which thou commandedest to thy servant Moses.)

⁸ Have mind of the word (Remember the word), which thou commandedest to thy servant Moses, and saidest, When ye have trespassed, I shall scatter you into (the) peoples;

⁹ and if ye turn again to me, that ye keep my behests, and do those, yea, though ye be led away to the furthest things of heaven, from thence I shall gather you together, and I shall bring you into the place, that I have chosen, that my name should dwell there. (but if ye return to me, and ye keep my commandments, and do them, yea, though ye be led away to the farthest reaches of the heavens, that is, unto the ends of the earth, I shall gather you together from there, and I shall bring you into the place which I have chosen, that my name should be there.)

¹⁰ And we be thy servants, and thy people, which thou hast again-bought in thy great strength, and in thy strong hand. (And we be thy servants, and thy people, whom thou hast bought back, that is, redeemed, or rescued, with thy great strength, and with thy strong hand.)

¹¹ Lord, I beseech thee, thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, that will dread thy name; and direct thy servant to day, and give thou mercy to him before this man, that is, Artaxerxes, (the) king. For I was the bottler of the king. (Lord, I beseech thee, let thy ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayers of thy servants, who desire to revere thy name; and give thy servant success today, and give thou mercy to him before this man, that is, King Artaxerxes. For I was the king’s butler.)

2 And it was done in the month of Nisan, that is, April, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes, the king, and wine was before him, and I took up the wine, and I gave it to the king, and I was as languishing before his face.

² And the king said to me, Why is thy cheer sorry, or heavy, since I see not thee sick? This is not without cause; but I know not what evil is in thine heart. And I dreaded full greatly; (And the king said to me, Why is thy face so sad? for I see that thou art not sick. This is not without a cause; but I do not know what the problem is in thy heart. And I greatly feared;)

³ and I said to the king, King, live thou (into) without end; why should not my cheer mourn? for the city of the house of the sepulchres of my father[s] is deserted, either forsaken, and the gates thereof be burnt with fire. (and I said to the king, O king, may thou live forevermore; but why should my face not look sad? for the city of the house of my forefathers’ graves, or tombs, is deserted, and its gates be burned down.)

⁴ And the king said to me, For what thing askest thou? And I prayed (to the) God of heaven,

⁵ and I said to the king, If it seemeth good to the king, and if it pleaseth thy servants which be before thy face, I beseech thee, that thou send me into Judah, to the city of the sepulchre(s) of my father(s), and I shall build it (again). (and I said to the king, If it seemeth good to the king, and if thy servant who is before thy face pleaseth thee, I beseech thee, that thou send me to Judah, to the city of my forefathers’ graves, and I shall rebuild it.)

⁶ And the king said to me, and the queen sat beside him, Unto what time shall thy way be, and when shalt thou turn again? And it pleased to the king, and he sent me forth, and I set to the king a time of coming again; (And the king said to me, as the queen sat beside him, How long shalt thy be away, and when shalt thou return? And so it pleased the king, and he sent me forth, and I set a time when I would return to the king;)

⁷ and I said to the king, If it seemeth good to the king, give he epistles, or letters, to me to the dukes of the country beyond the flood, that they lead me over, till I come into Judah; (and I said to the king, If it seemeth good to the king, let him give me letters to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates River, with orders to help me get to Judah;)

⁸ and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he give trees to me, that I may cover (with it) the gates of the tower of the house, and of the wall of the city, and the house, into which I shall enter. And the king gave (the letters) to me, by the good hand of my God, (that was) with me. (and also a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forests, ordering him to give me wood, or timber, so that I can make beams for the gates of the stronghold, or the fortress, and for the city wall, and for the house in which I shall live. And the king gave me the letters, by the good hand of my God, who was with me.)

⁹ And I came to the dukes of the country beyond the flood, and I gave to them the letters of the king. Soothly the king had sent with me the princes of knights, and (some) horsemen. (And I came to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates River, and I gave them the king’s letters. And the king had sent with me the leaders of the horsemen, and some horsemen as well.)

¹⁰ And Sanballat (the) Horonite, and Tobiah, the servant, (the) Ammonite, heard, and they were sorrowful by great torment, that a man was come, that sought prosperity of the sons of Israel. (And Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the Ammonite servant, heard of it, and they were greatly vexed that a man had come, who sought to do good for the Israelites.)

¹¹ And I came into Jerusalem, and I was there three days.

¹² And I rose up by night, I and a few men with me, and I showed not to any man (and I told no one), what thing God had given in mine heart, that I would do in Jerusalem; and there was no work beast with me, but the beast that I sat on.

¹³ And I went out by the gate of the valley by night, and before the well of the dragon, and to the gate of dung; and I beheld the wall of Jerusalem (that was) destroyed, and the gates thereof (that were) wasted by fire. (And I went out at night through the Valley Gate, toward the Dragon Well, and the Dung Gate; and I looked at the wall of Jerusalem, that was broken in many places, and at its gates, that had been destroyed by fire.)

¹⁴ And I passed forth to the gate of the well, and to the water conduit of the king, and there was no place for to pass, to the horse, that I sat upon; (And I passed on to the Fountain Gate, and to the King’s Pool, but there was no place for the horse that I sat on, to pass through;)

¹⁵ and in the night I went up by the strand, and I beheld the wall, and I turned again, and came to the gate of the valley, and I went again (to my lodging). (and then I went up that night by the valley, and I looked at the wall, and then I returned, and came back to the Valley Gate, and went home to my lodging.)

¹⁶ Forsooth the magistrates knew not, whither I had gone, either what I would do; but also I had not showed any thing to the Jews, and [the] priests, and to the best men, and [the] magistrates, and to [the] other men that made the work, till that time. (But the magistrates did not know where I had gone, or what I planned to do; and also I had not told anything to the Jews, or the priests, or the leaders, or the magistrates, or the other men who would do the work, up to that time.)

¹⁷ And I said to them, Ye know the torment, in which we Jews be, for Jerusalem is deserted, and the gates thereof be wasted with fire; come ye, build we [up] the walls of Jerusalem, and be we no more (a) shame/and be we no more in shame. (And so I said to them, Ye know the torment in which we Jews be, for Jerusalem is deserted, and its gates have been destroyed by fire; come ye, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and let us be in shame no more.)

¹⁸ And I showed to them the hand of my God, that it was good with me, and the words of the king, which he spake to me; and I said, Rise we up, and build we (it again); and the hands of them were strengthened in good. (And I told them how the good hand of my God was upon me, and the words of the king, which he had spoken to me; and they said, Rise we up, and let us rebuild it; and so they strengthened their hands to do this good work.)

¹⁹ And Sanballat (the) Horonite, and Tobiah, the servant, (the) Ammonite, and Geshem (of) Arabs, heard this, and they scorned us, and despised; and said, What is this thing, that ye do? whether ye rebel against the king? (And Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the Ammonite servant, and Geshem the Arab heard of this, and they scorned us, and despised us; and they said, What is this, that ye do? do ye rebel against the king?)

²⁰ And I answered to them a word, and I said to them, God himself of heaven helpeth us, and we be his servants; rise we up, and build; forsooth part, and rightwiseness, and mind, in Jerusalem, is not to you. (And I answered to them, and said, The God of heaven helpeth us, and we be his servants; we shall rise up, and rebuild it; but there is no part, or right, or precedent, for you in Jerusalem.)

3 And Eliashib, the great priest, rose up, and his brethren, and priests, and they builded the gate of the flock; they made it steadfast; and they set up the gates thereof, and unto the tower of an hundred cubits they made it steadfast, unto the tower of Hananeel. (And the High Priest Eliashib, and his fellow priests, rose up, and they rebuilt the Sheep Gate; and they dedicated it/yea, they rebuilt it, and they put up its doors, or its gates, and they dedicated the wall unto the Tower of the Hundred, and unto the Tower of Hananeel.)

² And beside him the men of Jericho builded; and beside them builded Zaccur, the son of Imri. (And beside him, the men of Jericho rebuilt; and Zaccur, the son of Imri, rebuilt beside them.)

³ And the sons of Hassenaah builded the gates of fishes; they covered it, and setted (up) the gates thereof, and (the) locks, and bars. (And the sons of Hassenaah rebuilt the Fish Gate; they rebuilt it, and put up its doors, or its gates, with their locks and bars.)

⁴ And Meremoth, the son of Urijah, the son of Hakkoz, builded beside them. And Meshullam, the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabeel, builded beside him. And Zadok, the son of Baana, builded beside him.

⁵ And men of Tekoa builded beside him; but the principal men of them under-putted not their necks in the work of their Lord God. (And the men of Tekoa rebuilt beside them; but their leaders did not put their shoulders to the work of the Lord their God.)

⁶ And Jehoiada, the son of Paseah, and Meshullam, the son of Besodeiah, builded the old gate; they builded it, and setted up the gates thereof, and the locks, and bars. (And Jehoiada, the son of Paseah, and Meshullam, the son of Besodeiah, rebuilt the Old Gate, or the Jeshanah Gate; they rebuilt it, and put up its doors, or its gates, with their locks and bars.)

⁷ And Melatiah (the) Gibeonite, and Jadon (the) Meronothite, men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, builded beside them, for the duke that was in the country beyond the flood. (And Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, rebuilt beside them, unto the residence of the governor of the province west of the Euphrates River.)

⁸ And Uzziel, the goldsmith, the son of Harhaiah, builded beside him; and Hananiah, the son of an ointment maker, builded beside him; and they let go Jerusalem till to the wall of the larger street. (And Uzziel, the goldsmith, the son of Harhaiah, rebuilt beside them; and Hananiah, the son of a perfume maker, rebuilt beside him; and they rebuilt Jerusalem unto the Broad Wall.)

⁹ And Rephaiah, the son of Hur, prince of a street of Jerusalem, builded beside them. (And Rephaiah, the son of Hur, the ruler of half of the district of Jerusalem, rebuilt beside them.)

¹⁰ And Jedaiah, the son of Harumaph, builded beside them over against his own house; and Hattush, the son of Hashabniah, builded beside him. (And Jedaiah, the son of Harumaph, rebuilt beside him, opposite his own house; and Hattush, the son of Hashabniah, rebuilt beside him.)

¹¹ And Malchijah, the son of Harim, and Hashub, the son of Pahathmoab, builded the half part of the street, and the tower of ovens. (And Malchijah, the son of Harim, and Hashub, the son of Pahathmoab, rebuilt the next section, and the Tower of the Ovens, or the Tower of the Furnaces.)

¹² Shallum, the son of Halohesh, prince of the half part of a street of Jerusalem, builded beside him, he and his sons. (Shallum, the son of Halohesh, the ruler of the other half of the district of Jerusalem, rebuilt beside them, with the help of his daughters.)

¹³ And Hanun, and the dwellers of Zanoah, builded the gate of the valley; they builded it, and setted up the gates thereof, and the locks and bars thereof; and they builded a thousand cubits in the wall unto the gate of the dunghill. (And Hanun, and the inhabitants of Zanoah, rebuilt the Valley Gate; they rebuilt it, and put up its doors, or its gates, with their locks and bars; and they rebuilt a thousand cubits of the wall unto the Dung Gate.)

¹⁴ And Malchiah, the son of Rechab, prince of a street of Bethhaccerem, builded the gate of the dunghill; he builded it, and setted it up, and covered the gates thereof, and (the) locks, and bars. (And Malchiah, the son of Rechab, the ruler of the district of Bethhaccerem, rebuilt the Dung Gate; he rebuilt it, and put up its doors, or its gates, with their locks and bars.)

¹⁵ And Shallun, the son of Colhozeh, prince of a town of Mizpah, builded the gate of the well; he builded it, and covered it, and he set up the gates thereof, and (the) locks, and bars; and he builded the walls of the cistern of Siloah, unto the orchard of the king, and unto the degrees of the king, which come down from the city of David. (And Shallun, the son of Colhozeh, the ruler of the district of Mizpah, rebuilt the Fountain Gate; he rebuilt it, and roofed it, or covered it, and he put up its doors, or its gates, with their locks and bars; and he rebuilt the wall by the Pool of Siloah, beside the king’s garden, and unto the steps which came down from the City of David.)

¹⁶ And Nehemiah, the son of Azbuk, prince of the half part of the street of Bethzur, builded after him, unto over against the sepulchre of David, and unto the cistern, that is builded with great work, and unto the house of strong men. (And Nehemiah, the son of Azbuk, the ruler of half of the district of Bethzur, rebuilt after him, to a point opposite David’s tomb, and the pool that was built with great work, and the house for the strong men, that is, the barracks.)

¹⁷ And (the) deacons builded after him; and Rehum, the son of Bani, builded after them. And Hashabiah, the prince of half part of the street of Keilah, builded in his street after him. (And the Levites rebuilt after him; first Rehum, the son of Bani, rebuilt. And after him, Hashabiah, the ruler of half of the district of Keilah, rebuilt in his district.)

¹⁸ The brethren of them, Bavai, the son of Henadad, prince of the half part of Keilah, builded after him. (And their kinsmen rebuilt after him; first Bavai, the son of Henadad, the ruler of the other half of the district of Keilah.)

¹⁹ And Ezer, the son of Jeshua, prince of Mizpah, builded beside him the second measure, (over) against the going up of the strongest corner. (And then Ezer, the son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah, rebuilt the next section beside him, opposite the ascent, or the going up, of the strongest corner.)

²⁰ And Baruch, the son of Zabbai, builded after him in the hill the second measure, from the corner unto the gate of the house of Eliashib, the great priest. (And Baruch, the son of Zabbai, rebuilt the next section after him, on the hill, from the corner unto the door of the house of the High Priest Eliashib.)

²¹ And Meremoth, the son of Urijah, son of Hakkoz, builded after him the second measure, from the gate [of the house] of Eliashib, as far as the house of Eliashib was stretched forth. (And Meremoth, the son of Urijah, the son of Hakkoz, rebuilt the next section after him, from the door of the house of Eliashib, unto the end of Eliashib’s house.)

²² And [the] priests, men of the field places of Jordan, builded after him. (And the priests, from the area around Jerusalem, rebuilt after him.)

²³ And Benjamin and Hashub builded after him over against their house; and Azariah, the son of Maaseiah, son of Ananiah, builded after him over against his own house. (And Benjamin and Hashub rebuilt after them, opposite their own houses; and Azariah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, rebuilt after them opposite his own house.)

²⁴ And Binnui, the son of Henadad, builded after him the second measure, from the house of Azariah unto the bowing (of the wall), and unto the corner. (And Binnui, the son of Henadad, rebuilt the next section after him, from the house of Azariah unto the turning of the wall, that is, unto the corner.)

²⁵ Palal, the son of Uzai, builded over against the bowing (of the wall), and the tower that standeth forth, from the high house of the king, that is in the large place of the prison; Pedaiah, the son of Parosh, builded after him. (Palal, the son of Uzai, rebuilt from the turning of the wall, opposite the tower that standeth forth from the king’s high house, or his palace, in the courtyard of the guard; and Pedaiah, the son of Parosh, rebuilt after him,)

²⁶ And (the) Nethinims dwelled in Ophel till (over) against the gate of waters at the east, and the tower that appeared (over the others). (to a place on the east, opposite the Water Gate, and the tower that appeared over the others. This was near the part of Jerusalem called Ophel, where the Temple workers lived.)

²⁷ After him men of Tekoa builded the second measure even over against, from the great tower, and appearing unto the wall of the temple. (After him the men of Tekoa rebuilt a second section, from a point opposite the great tower, that appeared over the others, unto the wall of Ophel.)

²⁸ And [the] priests builded above at the gate of horses, each man over against his house. (And the priests rebuilt above the Horse Gate, each man opposite his own house.)

²⁹ And Zadok, the son of Immer, builded over against his house after them. And Shemaiah, the son of Shechaniah, the keeper of the east gate, builded after him. (And Zadok, the son of Immer, rebuilt after them, opposite his house. And Shemaiah, the son of Shechaniah, the guard, or the doorkeeper, of the East Gate, rebuilt after him.)

³⁰ Hananiah, the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, builded after him the second measure. Meshullam, the son of Berechiah, builded over against his chamber after him. (Hananiah, the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, rebuilt the next section after him. Meshullam, the son of Berechiah, rebuilt after them, opposite his room.)

³¹ Malchiah, the son of a goldsmith, builded after him unto the house of (the) Nethinims, and of men selling shields, over against the gate of judges, and unto the solar of the corner. (Malchiah, the son of a goldsmith, rebuilt after him unto the house of the Temple workers, and the merchants, opposite the Miphkad Gate, or the Watch Gate, to the room on the top of the corner.)

³² And craftsmen and merchants builded within the solar of the corner, and the gate of the king. (And the craftsmen, and the merchants, rebuilt between the room on the top of the corner, and the Sheep Gate.)