The Daily Audio Bible

Nehemiah’s Prayer for the People

1 The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah.

It happened in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year, that I myself was in the citadel in Susa, ² and one of my brothers, Hanani, came with some men from Judah. I asked them about the Jews who had escaped the captivity and about Jerusalem. ³ They replied to me, “The survivors in the province who have survived the captivity are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned in the fire.”

⁴ When I heard these words, I sat and wept and mourned for days, and I was fasting and praying before the God of the heavens. ⁵ I said, “O Yahweh God of the heavens, the great and awesome one who keeps the covenant and loyal love for the ones who love him and for those who keep his commands. ⁶ Please, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer of your servant that I am praying before you by day and by night for your servants, the Israelites,^[a] and confessing the sins of the Israelites^[b] that we have sinned against you. I and my father’s house have sinned. ⁷ We have certainly offended you and have not kept the commands, regulations, and judgments that you have commanded your servant Moses. ⁸ Please, remember the word that you have commanded to your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you act unfaithfully I will scatter you all among the nations. ⁹ But if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, even though all of your outcasts are at the furthest parts of heaven, I will gather them and bring them to the place which I have chosen to make my name dwell.’ ¹⁰ They are your servants and your people whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. ¹¹ O Lord, please let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight to revere in your name. Please, let your servant be successful this day and give him compassion before this man.”

I was cupbearer for the king.

Nehemiah Sent

2 It happened in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I carried the wine and gave it to the king. And I had never been sad before the king. ² So the king said to me, “Why is your face sad since you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” And I was very much afraid. ³ I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad when the city of my ancestors’^[c] burial site^[d] is ruined and her gates are consumed by fire?” ⁴ Then the king said to me, “What is your request?” So I prayed to the God of the heavens. ⁵ Then I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your presence, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my ancestors’^[e] burial sites, so that I may rebuild it.”

⁶ With the queen sitting beside him, the king said to me, “How long will your journey be and when will you return?” So it pleased the king and he sent me, and I set for him an appointed time. ⁷ Then I said to the king, “If it is good for the king, let letters be given to me for the governors in the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass until I come to Judah. ⁸ Also, a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king’s land reserve, that he should give me timber for laying the beams for the gates of the citadel of the house and for the walls of the city, and for the house which I will enter.” And the king gave permission to me, according to the good hand of God on me.

⁹ I came to the governors of the province Beyond the River, and I gave them the letters of the king. Then the king sent troop commanders and horses with me. ¹⁰ But when Sanballat the Horonite and the Ammonite servant Tobiah heard this, they were greatly displeased^[f] that a person had come to seek the welfare of the Israelites.^[g]

Nehemiah Inspects the Walls and Decides to Restore Them

¹¹ I came to Jerusalem and was there for three days. ¹² I got up during the night, I and a few men with me. I did not tell anybody what my God put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. No animal was with me except the animal that I was riding on. ¹³ I went out during the night at the gate of the valley by the Dragon spring and to the Dung Gate. And I examined the walls in Jerusalem and its gates that had been destroyed by the fire. ¹⁴ I crossed over to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool, but there was no place for my mount^[h] to cross over. ¹⁵ So I went up by the valley during the night and was examining the wall. Then I returned and came to the Valley Gate and returned. ¹⁶ The prefects did not know where I had gone and what I was doing. I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the prefects, and the rest of the workers.

¹⁷ Then I said to them, “You see the misery that we are in, that Jerusalem is ruined and its gates burned by the fire. Come, build the walls of Jerusalem and we shall no longer be a disgrace.” ¹⁸ I told them of the good hand of my God that was upon me and surely the words of the king that were spoken to me. And they said, “Let us arise and build!” And they strengthened their hands for this good work. ¹⁹ But Sanballat the Horonite, the Ammonite servant Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab heard it, and they mocked and despised us, saying, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” ²⁰ Then I answered and said to them, “The God of the heavens himself will let us succeed, and we his servants shall arise and build. But for you there is no share, right, or memorial in Jerusalem.”

Organization of the Work

3 Then Eliashib the high priest and his brothers the priests arose and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and erected its doors. They consecrated it up to the Tower of the Hundred and up to the Tower of Hananel. ² And next to him^[i] the men of Jericho built, and next to him^[j] Zaccur son of Imri built.

³ The sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate. They laid its beams and erected its doors, its bolts, and its bars. ⁴ Next to them^[k] Meremoth son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz, repaired. Next to them^[l] Meshullam son of Berekiah, son of Meshezabel, repaired. Next to them^[m] Zadok son of Baana repaired. ⁵ Next to them^[n] the Tekoites repaired, but their nobles did not put their neck to the work of their lord.

⁶ Jehoiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam repaired the old Yeshanah Gate. They laid its beams and erected its doors, its bolts, and its bars. ⁷ Next to them^[o] Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and Mizpah who were under the rule of the governor of the province Beyond the River, repaired. ⁸ Next to him^[p] Uzziel son of Harhaiah (goldsmiths) repaired. Next to him^[q] Hananiah son of the perfume-makers repaired. They restored Jerusalem up to the Broad Wall. ⁹ Next to them^[r] Rephaiah son of Hur, commander of half the district of Jerusalem, repaired. ¹⁰ Next to them^[s] Jedaiah son of Harumaph repaired opposite his house. Next to him^[t] Hattush son of Hashabneiah repaired.

¹¹ Malkijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-Moab repaired another section and the Tower of the Ovens. ¹² Next to him^[u] Shallum son of Hallohesh, commander of half of the district of Jerusalem, repaired with his daughters.

¹³ Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate. They rebuilt it and erected its doors, its bolts, and its bars, and a thousand cubits of the wall up to the Dung Gate.

¹⁴ Malkijah son of Recab, commander of the district of Beth-haccherem, repaired the Dung Gate. He rebuilt it and erected its doors, its bolts, and its bars.

Concerning Christian Marriage

7 Now concerning the things about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to touch^[a] a woman.” ² But because of sexual immorality, let each man have^[b] his own wife and let each woman have her own husband. ³ The husband must fulfill his obligation to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband. ⁴ The wife does not have authority over her own body, but her husband does. And likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but his wife does. ⁵ Do not defraud one another, except perhaps by agreement, for a time, in order that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and then you should be together^[c] again, lest Satan tempt you because of your lack of self control. ⁶ But I say this as a concession, not as a command. ⁷ I wish all people could be like myself, but each one has his own gift from God, one in this way and another in that way.

⁸ Now I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain as I am. ⁹ But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with sexual desire.

¹⁰ To the married I command—not I, but the Lord—a wife must not separate from her husband. ¹¹ But if indeed she does separate, she must remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.

¹² Now to the rest I say—not the Lord—if any brother has an unbelieving wife and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her. ¹³ And if any wife has an unbelieving husband and he consents to live with her, she must not divorce her husband. ¹⁴ For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the brother, since otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy. ¹⁵ But if the unbeliever leaves, let him leave. The brother or the sister is not bound in such cases. But God has called us^[d] in peace. ¹⁶ For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

¹⁷ But to each one as the Lord has apportioned. As God has called each one, thus let him live—and thus I order in all the churches. ¹⁸ Was anyone called after^[e] being circumcised? He must not undo his circumcision. Was anyone called in uncircumcision? He must not become circumcised. ¹⁹ Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God. ²⁰ Each one in the calling in which he was called—in this he should remain. ²¹ Were you called while a slave? Do not let it be a concern to you. But if indeed you are able to become free, rather make use of it. ²² For the one who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freedperson. Likewise the one who is called while free is a slave of Christ. ²³ You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. ²⁴ Each one in the situation in which he was called, brothers—in this he should remain with God.