Chronological
1 The words of Nehemiah, the son of Hachaliah: In the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in the palace of Shushan,
2 Hanani (one of my brethren) came, he and the men of Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who remained of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
3 And they said to me, “The remnant of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach. And the wall of Jerusalem is broken down. And its gates are burnt with fire.”
4 And when I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for some days. And I fasted and prayed before the God of Heaven,
5 and said, “O LORD God of Heaven, the great and terrible God, Who keeps Covenant and mercy for those who love Him and observe His Commandments,
6 “I pray, let Your Ears be attentive, and Your Eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant which I pray before You daily, day and night, for the children of Israel, Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both I and my father’s House have sinned.
7 “We have grievously sinned against You, and have not kept the Commandments, or the Statutes, or the Judgments, which You commanded Your servant Moses.
8 “I pray, remember the Word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘You will transgress. And I will scatter you among the nations.
9 ‘But if you return to Me, and keep My Commandments, and do them, though your scattering were to the uttermost part of the heaven, I will still gather you from there and will bring you to the place that I have chosen to place My Name.’
10 “Now these are Your servants and Your people whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your mighty Hand.
11 “O LORD, I pray, let Your Ear now listen to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your Name. And I pray, make Your servant prosper this day, and give him favor in the presence of this man. For I was the king’s butler.”
2 Now, in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, the wine stood before him. And I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before.
2 And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.” Then I was very afraid.
3 And I said to the king, “God save the king forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city and house of the sepulchers of my fathers lies waste; and its gates are devoured with fire?”
4 And the king said to me, “What thing do you request?” Then I prayed to the God of Heaven,
5 and said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I desire that you would send me to Judah, to the city of the sepulchers of my fathers, so that I may build it.”
6 And the king said to me (with the queen sitting by him), “How long shall your journey be? And when will you come back?” So, it pleased the king, and he sent me. And I gave him a time.
7 Afterward, I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let them give me letters to the captains beyond the River, so that they may allow me passage until I come into Judah,
8 and letters to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s park, so that he may give me timber to build the gates of the palace which pertained to the house and for the walls of the city and for the house into which I shall enter.” And the king gave to me according to the good Hand of my God upon me.
9 Then I came to the captains beyond the River and gave them the king’s letters. And the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.
10 But Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah (an Ammonite servant) heard it. And it sorely grieved them that there had come a man who sought the wealth of the children of Israel.
11 So, I came to Jerusalem, and was there for three days.
12 And I rose in the night, I and a few men with me. For I told no man what God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem. And there was not a beast with me, except the beast upon which I rode.
13 And I went out by night, by the gate of the valley, and came before the dragon well, and to the dung port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, how they were broken down, and their ports devoured with the fire.
14 Then I went forth to the gate of the fountain, and to the king’s fish pool. And there was no room for the beast that was under me to pass.
15 Then in the night, I went up by the brook and viewed the wall and turned back. And coming back, I entered by the gate of the valley and returned.
16 And the rulers did not know whether I was gone or what I did. Nor had I told it to the Jews yet, or to the priests, or to the noble men, or to the rulers, or to the rest who labored in the work.
17 Afterward I said to them, “You see the misery that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste and its gates are burnt with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, so that we are no longer a reproach.”
18 Then I told them of the Hand of my God which was good over me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise and build.” So they strengthened their hand to do good.
19 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arabian heard it, they mocked us and despised us, and said, “What thing is this that you do? Will you rebel against the king?”
20 Then I answered them, and said to them, “The God of Heaven, He will prosper us. And we, His servants, will rise up and build. But as for you, you have no portion or right or memorial in Jerusalem.”
3 Then Eliashib, the High Priest, arose with his brethren, the priests. And they built the Sheep Gate. They repaired it and set up its doors. They repaired it up to the Tower of Meah, and to the Tower of Hananel.
2 And the men of Jericho built next to him. And Zaccur, the son of Imri, was beside him.
3 But the sons of Senaah built the fish port. They also laid its beams and hung its doors, with its locks and its bars.
4 And Meremoth, the son of Urijah, the son of Koz, fortified next to them. And Meshullam, the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabel fortified next to them. And Zadok, the son of Baana, fortified next to them.
5 And the Tekoites fortified next to them. But the great men of them did not put their necks to the works of their lords.
6 And Jehoiada, the son of Paseah, and Meshullam, the son of Besodeiah, fortified the gate of the old fish pool. They laid its beams and hung its doors, with its locks and its bars.
7 Next to them, Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, men of Gibeon and Mizpah, also fortified the throne of the duke beyond the River.
8 Next to him, Uzziel the son of Harhaiah of the goldsmiths fortified. Next to him, Hananiah the son of Harakkahim also fortified. And they repaired Jerusalem to the broad wall.
9 Also next to them, Rephaiah the son of Hur, the ruler of half of Jerusalem, fortified.
10 And next to him, Jedaiah the son of Harumaph fortified in front of his house. And next to him, Hattush the son of Hashabniah fortified.
11 Malchijah the son of Harim, and Hashub the son of Pahath-Moab, fortified the second portion and the tower of the furnaces.
12 Next to him, Shallum the son of Hallohesh, the ruler of half of Jerusalem also fortified, he and his daughters.
13 Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah fortified the Valley Gate. They built it and hung its doors, with its locks and bars, a thousand cubits on the wall to the dung port.
14 But, Malchijah the son of Rechab, the ruler of one fourth of Beth Haccarem fortified the dung port. He built it and hung its doors, with its locks and bars.
15 But, Shallun the son of Col-Hozeh, the ruler of one fourth of Mizpah, fortified the Gate of the Fountain. He built it and covered it and hung its doors, with its locks and bars. And he built the wall to the fish pool of Shelah by the king’s garden, and to the steps that go down from the City of David.
16 After him, Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of half of Beth Zur, fortified until the other side, opposite the sepulchers of David, and to the fish pool that was repaired, and to the house of the mighty.
17 After him, the Levites fortified: Rehum, the son of Bani, and next to him was Hashabiah, the ruler of half of Keilah, in his quarter.
18 After him their brethren fortified: Bavai, the son of Henadad, the ruler of half of Keilah,
19 and next to him was Ezer, the son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah, who fortified the other portion opposite the going up to the corner of the armor.
20 After him was earnest Baruch, the son of Zabbai, who fortified another portion from the corner to the door of the house of Eliashib, the High Priest.
21 After him, Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of Koz, fortified another portion, from the door of the house of Eliashib, as long as the house of Eliashib extended.
22 After him, the priests (the men of the plain) also fortified.
23 After them, Benjamin and Hasshub fortified in front of their house. After them, Azariah the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, fortified by his house.
24 After him, Binnui, the son of Henadad, fortified another portion from the house of Azariah to the turning and to the corner.
25 Palal, the son of Uzai, fortified from opposite the corner, and the high tower that lies out from the king’s house, which is beside the court of the prison. After him, Pedaiah the son of Parosh fortified.
26 And the Nethinim dwelt in the fortress to the place in front of the water gate, eastward, and to the tower that lies out.
27 After him, the Tekoites fortified another portion in front of the great tower that lies out to the wall of the fortress.
28 The priests fortified from beyond the Horse Gate, each one in front of his house.
29 After them, Zadok, the son of Immer, fortified in front of his house. And after him, Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, fortified.
30 After him, Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the son of Zalaph, (the sixth), fortified another portion. After him, Meshullam, the son of Berechiah, fortified in front of his chamber.
31 After him, Malchijah the goldsmith’s son fortified until the house of the Nethinim and of the Merchants, in front of the gate Miphkad, and to the chamber in the corner.
32 And the goldsmiths and the merchants fortified between the chamber of the corner to the Sheep Gate.
4 But when Sanballat heard that we built the wall, he was angry and very grieved and mocked the Jews
2 and spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, “What are these weak Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish it in a day? Will they make the stones whole again out of the heaps of dust, seeing they are burnt?”
3 And Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and said, “Although they build, even if a fox goes up on it, yet he shall break down their stony wall!”
4 Hear, O our God, for we are despised! And turn their shame upon their own heads and give them to a prey in the land of their captivity.
5 And do not cover their iniquity or let their sin be put out in Your presence. For they have provoked us before the builders.
6 So, we built the wall. And the whole wall was joined to its half. And the heart of the people was to work.
7 But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabians and the Ammonite, and the Ashdodims heard that the walls of Jerusalem had been repaired (for the breaches began to be stopped), then they were very angry
8 and conspired together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder them.
9 Then we prayed to our God. And because of them we set watchmen against them, day and night.
10 And Judah said, “The strength of the bearers has weakened. And there is much earth, so that we are not able to build the wall.”
11 Also, our adversaries had said, “They shall neither know nor see until we come into the midst of them, and kill them, and cause the work to cease.”
12 But when the Jews who dwelt beside them came, they told us ten times, “From all places where you shall return, they will be upon us.”
13 Therefore I stationed men in the lower places, behind the wall, upon the tops of the stones, and placed the people by their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows.
14 Then I beheld, and rose up, and said to the princes and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them! Remember the great and fearful LORD! And fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses!”
15 And when our enemies heard that it was known to us, then God brought their plans to nothing. And we all turned to the wall again, each one to his work.
16 And from that day, half of the young men did the labor, and the other half of them held the spears, and shields, and bows, and armor. And the rulers stood behind the whole House of Judah,
17 those who built on the wall and those who bore burdens. Those who loaded did the work with one hand and held the sword with the other.
18 For every one of the builders had his sword girded on his loins and built. And he who blew the trumpet was beside me.
19 Then I said to the princes and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and large! And we are separated upon the wall, one far from another!
20 “In whatever place you hear the sound of the trumpet, return from there to us! Our God shall fight for us!”
21 So we labored in the work. And half of them held the spears, from the appearance of the morning until the stars came forth.
22 And at the same time, I said to the people, “Let everyone lodge with his servant within Jerusalem, so that they may be a watch for us in the night and labor in the day.”
23 So, neither I nor my brethren nor my servants nor the men of the ward who followed me (none of us) took off our clothes, except when everyone took them off for washing.
5 Now there was a great cry from the people, and from their wives, against their brethren the Jews.
2 For there were those who said, “We, our sons and our daughters, are many. Therefore, let us get grain, so that we may eat and live.”
3 And there were those who said, “We must gage our lands and our vineyards and our houses, and get grain for the famine.”
4 There were also those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tribute on our lands and our vineyards.
5 “And now, our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, and our sons as their sons. And lo, we bring our sons and our daughters into subjection, as servants. And our daughters are now in subjection. And there is no power in our hands. For other men have our lands and our vineyards.”
6 Then I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.
7 And I thought in my mind. And I rebuked the princes and the rulers and said to them, “Each of you lays burdens upon his brethren.” And I set a great assembly against them.
8 And I said to them, “We, according to our ability, have redeemed our brethren the Jews who were sold to the heathen. And will you sell your brethren back, or shall they be sold to us?” Then they held their peace and could not answer.
9 I also said, “That which you do is not good. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God for the reproach of the heathen, our enemies?
10 “For even I, my brethren, and my servants, lend them money and grain. Please, let us stop this usury!
11 “Please restore to them this day their lands, their vineyards, their olives, and their houses, and one hundredth of the silver and of the grain, of the wine, and of the oil that you exacted from them!”
12 Then they said, “We will restore it and will not require it of them. We will do as you have said.” Then I called the priests and required an oath from them that they would do according to this promise.
13 So I shook my lap, and said, “So let God shake out every man from His House, and from His labor, who will not perform this promise. Thus let him be shaken out and emptied!” And all the Congregation said, “Amen!” and praised the LORD. And the people did according to this promise.
14 And from the time that the king gave me charge to be governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes (twelve years), I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor.
15 For the former governors who were before me had laid burdens on the people, and had taken bread and wine from them, besides forty shekels of silver. Yea, and their servants bore rule over the people. But I did not do so, because of the fear of God.
16 But rather, I fortified a portion in the work of this wall. And we bought no land. And all my servants came there together to work.
17 Moreover, there were at my table one hundred fifty of the Jews and rulers who came to us from among the heathen who are around us.
18 And an ox was prepared daily, and six chosen sheep. And birds were prepared for me. And every ten days, there was wine for all in abundance. Yet for all this, I did not require the bread of the governor. For the bondage was grievous to this people.
19 Remember me, O my God, in goodness, according to all that I have done for this people.
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