Beginning
Nehemiah’s Prayer
1 These are the ·words [memoirs] of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah.
In the month of Kislev [C late autumn] in the twentieth year [C of the reign of King Artaxerxes I; 445 bc], I, Nehemiah, was in the ·capital city [or fortress; C the winter residence of Persian kings, separate from the city] of Susa. 2 One of my ·brothers [relatives] named Hanani came with some other men from Judah. I asked them about Jerusalem and the Jewish people who ·lived through [had escaped and survived] the ·captivity [exile].
3 They answered me, “·Those who are left [The survivors/remnant there in the province; C of Judah] from the ·captivity [exile] are in much ·trouble [distress; misery] and ·are full of shame [disgrace; humiliation]. The wall around Jerusalem is ·broken down [ruined; breached], and its gates have been burned [C either at the time of the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem (2 Kin. 25:10) or later].”
4 When I heard these things, I sat down and ·cried [wept] for several days. I ·was sad [mourned] and fasted. I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 “Lord, God of heaven, you are the great ·God who is to be respected [and awesome God]. You ·are loyal, and you keep your agreement [keep your loving covenant/treaty; keep your covenant/treaty of unfailing love] with those who love you and ·obey [keep] your commands. 6 ·Look and listen carefully [Let your ears be attentive and eyes open]. Hear the prayer that I, your servant, am praying to you day and night ·for [on behalf of] your servants, the Israelites. I confess the sins ·we Israelites [the people/sons of Israel] have ·done [L sinned] against you. My father’s ·family [L house] and I have sinned against you. 7 We have ·been wicked toward [acted corruptly against] you and have not obeyed the commands, ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements], and ·laws [judgments] you ·gave [commanded] your servant Moses [Ex. 19—24].
8 “Remember ·what you taught [the word you commanded] your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the ·nations [L peoples]. 9 But if you return to me and obey my commands [L and do/live by them], I will gather your people from the far ends of the ·earth [L heavens; sky; C a reference to the Babylonian exile]. And I will bring them from there to ·where [the place] I have chosen ·to be worshiped [L for my name to dwell; Deut. 4:25–31; 30:1–10].’
10 “They are your servants and your people, whom you have ·saved [redeemed; rescued] with your great strength and ·power [L strong hand]. 11 Lord, ·listen carefully [L may your ear be attentive] to the prayer of your servant and the prayers of your servants who ·love to honor you [take pleasure in revering/L fearing your name]. ·Give [Grant] me, your servant, success today; allow this king to show ·kindness [compassion] to me.”
I was the ·one who served wine to the king [king’s cupbearer].
Nehemiah Is Sent to Jerusalem
2 It was the month of Nisan [C early spring] in the twentieth year Artaxerxes was king [C 445 bc]. Wine was brought ·for him [or to me]. I took some and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before. 2 So the king said, “Why does your face look sad even though you are not sick? ·Your heart must be sad [You must be very troubled].”
Then I was very afraid. 3 I said to the king, “May the king live forever! ·My face is sad because [L Why should my face not look sad/dejected when…?] the city ·where my ancestors are buried [of my fathers’ tombs] lies in ruins, and its gates have been ·destroyed [L devoured] by fire.”
4 Then the king said to me, “What do you ·want [seek; request]?”
·First [Then; So] I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 Then I answered the king, “If ·you are willing [it pleases/is good to you] and if I have ·pleased you [found favor in your sight], send me to Judah, to the city ·where my ancestors are buried [of my fathers’ tombs; C Jerusalem] so I can rebuild it.”
6 The queen was sitting next to the king. He asked me, “How long will your ·trip [journey] take, and when will you get back?” It ·pleased [L was good to] the king to send me, so I set a time.
7 I also said to him, “If ·you are willing [it pleases/is good to you], give me letters for the governors of ·Trans-Euphrates [C provinces west of the Euphrates River]. Tell them to let me pass safely through their lands ·on my way to [until I reach] Judah. 8 And may I have a letter for Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, telling him to give me timber? I will need it to make ·boards [beams] for the gates of the ·palace [or fortress], which is by the ·Temple [L house], and for the city wall, and for the house in which I will live.” So the king ·gave [granted] me the letters, because ·God was showing kindness to me [L the gracious/good hand of God was on me]. 9 Then I went to the governors of ·Trans-Euphrates [C provinces west of the Euphrates River] and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and ·horsemen [cavalry] with me.
10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite ·officer [official] heard about this, they were ·upset [very displeased] that someone had come to ·help [promote/seek the welfare of] the Israelites.
Nehemiah Inspects Jerusalem
11 I went to Jerusalem and ·stayed there three days [or after three days…]. 12 Then at night I started out with a few men. I had not told anyone what God had ·caused me [put in my mind/heart] to do for Jerusalem. There were no animals with me except the one I was riding.
13 I went out at night through the Valley Gate. I rode toward the Dragon Well and the ·Trash [Garbage; Refuse; T Dung] Gate, inspecting the walls of Jerusalem that had been broken down and the gates that had been ·destroyed [devoured] by fire. 14 Then I rode on toward the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was not enough room for the animal I was riding to pass through. 15 So I went up the ·valley [ravine; C likely the Kidron Valley; many of these walls no longer exist] at night, inspecting the wall. Finally, I turned and went back in through the Valley Gate. 16 The ·guards [officials] did not know where I had gone or what I was doing. I had not yet said anything to the Jewish people, the priests, the ·important men [nobles], the ·officers [officials], or any of the others who would do the work.
17 Then I said to them, “You can see the trouble we ·have here [are in]. Jerusalem is ·a pile of ruins [desolate], and its gates have been burned. Come, let’s rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so we won’t be ·full of shame [disgraced; humiliated] any longer.” 18 I also told them how ·God had been kind to [the gracious hand of God had been on] me and what the king had said to me.
Then they answered, “Let’s start rebuilding.” So they ·began to work hard [L strengthened their hands for this good work].
19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite officer, and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they ·made fun of us and laughed at [mocked and ridiculed/jeered at] us. They said, “What are you doing? Are you ·turning [rebelling] against the king?”
20 But I answered them, “The God of heaven will ·give us success [prosper us]. We, his servants, will start rebuilding, but you have no share, claim, or ·memorial [historic/ancient right] in Jerusalem.”
Builders of the Wall
3 Eliashib the high priest and his ·fellow priests [L brothers] went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They ·gave it to the Lord’s service [dedicated/consecrated it] and set its doors in place. They worked as far as the Tower of the Hundred and ·gave it to the Lord’s service [L dedicated/consecrated it]. Then they went on to the Tower of Hananel. 2 Next to them, the people of Jericho built part of the wall, and Zaccur son of Imri built next to them.
3 The sons of Hassenaah rebuilt the Fish Gate, laying its ·boards [beams] and setting its doors, bolts, and bars in place. 4 Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, made repairs next to them. Meshullam son of Berekiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs next to Meremoth. And Zadok son of Baana made repairs next to Meshullam. 5 The people from Tekoa [L a town ten miles south of Jerusalem] made repairs next to them, but the ·leading men of Tekoa [nobles] would not work under ·their supervisors [or their lords; or their Lord; C or possibly a reference to Nehemiah].
6 Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah repaired the Old Gate. They laid its ·boards [beams] and set its doors, bolts, and bars in place. 7 Next to them, Melatiah from Gibeon, other men from Gibeon and Mizpah, and Jadon from Meronoth made repairs. These places were ·ruled by [under the jurisdiction of] the governor of ·Trans-Euphrates [C provinces west of the Euphrates River]. 8 Next to them, Uzziel son of Harhaiah, a goldsmith, made repairs. And next to him, Hananiah, a perfume maker, made repairs. These men rebuilt Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. 9 The next part of the wall was repaired by Rephaiah son of Hur, the ·ruler [official; head] of half of the district of Jerusalem. 10 Next to him, Jedaiah son of Harumaph made repairs ·opposite [across from] his own house. And next to him, Hattush son of Hashabneiah made repairs. 11 Malkijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-Moab repaired another part of the wall and the Tower of the ·Ovens [Furnaces; Fire Pots; C possibly the bakery district]. 12 Next to them Shallum son of Hallohesh, the ·ruler [official; head] of half of the district of Jerusalem, and his daughters made repairs.
13 Hanun and the people of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate, rebuilding it and setting its doors, bolts, and bars in place. They also repaired the ·five hundred yards [L one thousand cubits] of the wall to the ·Trash [Garbage; Refuse; T Dung] Gate.
14 Malkijah son of Recab, the ·ruler [official; head] of the district of Beth Hakkerem, repaired the ·Trash [Garbage; Refuse; T Dung] Gate. He rebuilt that gate and set its doors, bolts, and bars in place.
15 Shallun son of Col-Hozeh, the ·ruler [official; head] of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate. He rebuilt it, ·put a roof over [covered] it, and set its doors, bolts, and bars in place. He also repaired the wall of the Pool of ·Siloam [or Shelah] next to the King’s Garden all the way to the steps that went down from the ·older part of the city [L City of David]. 16 Next to Shallun was Nehemiah [C not the governor] son of Azbuk, ·the ruler [official; head] of half of the district of Beth Zur. He made repairs ·opposite [across from] the tombs of David and as far as the ·man-made [artificial] pool and the House of the ·Heroes [Champions; Warriors; T Mighty Men].
17 Next to him, the Levites made repairs, working under Rehum son of Bani. Next to him, Hashabiah, the ·ruler [official; head] of half of the district of Keilah, for his district. 18 Next to him, ·Binnui [or Bavvai] son of Henadad and his ·relatives [kinsmen; L brothers] made repairs. ·Binnui [or Bavvai] was the ·ruler [official; head] of the other half of the district of Keilah. 19 Next to them, Ezer son of Jeshua, the ·ruler [official; head] of Mizpah, repaired another part of the wall. He worked across from the way up to the armory, as far as the ·bend [angle; buttress]. 20 Next to him, Baruch son of Zabbai worked ·hard [zealously] on the wall that went from the ·bend [angle; buttress] to the ·entrance to [door of] the house of Eliashib, the high priest. 21 Next to him, Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired the wall that went from the ·entrance to [door of] Eliashib’s house to the far end of it.
22 Next to him worked the priests from the ·surrounding area [nearby district]. 23 Next to them, Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs ·in front of [across from] their own house. Next to them, Azariah son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs ·beside [near] his own house. 24 Next to him, Binnui son of Henadad repaired ·the wall [another section] that went from Azariah’s house to the ·bend [angle; buttress] and on to the corner. 25 Palal son of Uzai worked across from the ·bend [angle; buttress] and by the tower on the upper ·palace [L house of the king], which is near the courtyard of the guard. Next to Palal, Pedaiah son of Parosh made repairs. 26 The Temple servants who lived on the hill of Ophel made repairs as far as a point ·opposite [across from] the Water Gate. They worked toward the east and the ·tower that extends from the palace [projecting/protruding tower]. 27 Next to them, the people of Tekoa [v. 5] repaired ·the wall [another section] from the great ·tower that extends from the palace [projecting/protruding tower] to the wall of Ophel.
28 The priests made repairs above the Horse Gate, each working ·in front of [across from] his own house. 29 Next to them, Zadok son of Immer made repairs across from his own house. Next to him, Shemaiah son of Shecaniah, the guard of the East Gate, made repairs. 30 Next to him, Hananiah son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, made repairs on another ·part of the wall [section]. Next to them, Meshullam son of Berekiah made repairs across from ·where he lived [his quarters]. 31 Next to him, Malkijah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs. He worked as far as the house of the Temple servants and the ·traders [merchants], which is across from the Inspection Gate, and as far as the ·room above the corner of the wall [upper room at the corner]. 32 The goldsmiths and the traders made repairs between the ·room above the corner of the wall [upper room at the corner] and the Sheep Gate.
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