Old/New Testament

1 I, Nehemiah, am the son of Hacaliah. These are my words. They tell my story. During the winter month of Chislev in the 20th year of Artaxerxes I’s reign, I was in the fortress of Susa ² when one of my brothers, Hanani, came from Judah along with some other men. I asked them about those Jews who had escaped—who had survived the exile—and about our city, Jerusalem.

⁴ Hearing this, I was overwhelmed with grief and could only sit and weep. For days I mourned this news and sought the audience of the True God of heaven, praying and fasting before Him.

In that day, I was cupbearer to the king.

2 Four months later, in the spring month of Nisan at the start of our New Year, Artaxerxes had been king 20 years. At a feast, wine was brought to him, and when it had passed my examinations, I gave it to him. Now, you must understand that in the presence of the king it is not my custom to openly express emotion, especially sadness.

As I stood there before the king I was very afraid.

All at once, I prayed to the God of heaven ⁵ and made my request to the king.

⁶ With his queen sitting beside him, the king continued to probe.

Then I knew: I had received his blessing. He was sending me. In response to his question, I set a time.

My True God had heard my prayers and rested His hand of favor and love upon me. The king gave me everything I asked for!

⁹ And so I left, journeying to see the governors of the lands beyond the Euphrates River. I gave them the letters the king sent with me. Moreover, I traveled in the company of the king’s army, surrounded by the officers and cavalry. ¹⁰ In fact, when Sanballat (the Horonite who governed Samaria) and Tobiah (the Ammonite official under him there) heard about what was happening, they were unnerved, distressed that someone was seeking the good of the Israelites left in the land.

¹¹ Nevertheless, my journey continued until I reached Jerusalem. After three days in the city, ¹² under the cover of darkness, I was accompanied by a small group of men. The True God had placed a secret plan on my heart, and there I had left it hidden until the time was right. No one knew what it was I imagined for Jerusalem. With my men walking beside me, I mounted and rode around the city. ¹³ At night I went out of Jerusalem through the valley gate, heading toward the dragon well and down to the potsherd gate where the city dumps its trash. As we went, we examined the walls of Jerusalem: they were as bad as we had heard. No stones remained standing, and fire had consumed the gates. ¹⁴ We continued on toward the fountain gate and the pool of the king, but amid the rubble I was unable to continue riding—there was simply no room— ¹⁵ and so I dismounted and followed along the valley, still under the cover of night, examining the wall as I went. Finally I had seen enough and turned back toward the valley gate, reentering the city the way I had left. ¹⁶ Those who were in charge of Jerusalem did not know where I had gone, much less what I was up to. I had said nothing to anyone—even those who would shortly be doing the work of rebuilding. Everyone was in the dark: common Jews, priests, nobles, and leaders alike.

¹⁸ I told them how my True God had used His power to favor me, evidenced by what the king had said to me.

And so they began the good work. ¹⁹ Our adversaries lost no time, either. Joining Samaritan Governor Sanballat (the Horonite) and Official Tobiah (the Ammonite) was an Arab named Geshem. When they heard of our plans, they mocked and ridiculed us.

3 The sheep gate was first. Led by their brother, the high priest Eliashib, the priests began the work of rebuilding. They framed it,^[a] then they set its doors in place. They proceeded to the tower of the hundred, and after dedicating it they made it as far as the tower of Hananel. ² The men of Jericho partnered with Eliashib, as did Zacur (Imri’s son).

³ Hassenaah’s sons rebuilt the fish gate. They framed it, set its doors in place, then secured it with bolts and bars. ⁴ Meremoth (Hakkoz’s grandson and Uriah’s son) partnered with Hassenaah’s sons in repairing the wall, as did Meshullam (Berechiah’s son and Meshezabel’s grandson) and Zadok (Baana’s son). ⁵ Even the men from Tekoa partnered in the repairs; however, Jerusalem’s long-standing noblemen didn’t support the new leadership’s plans.

⁶ Joiada (Paseah’s son) and Meshullam (Besodeiah’s son) rebuilt the old gate. In the same way, they framed it, set its doors in place, and secured it with bolts and bars. ⁷ The men of Gibeon and Mizpah (that’s the Mizpah where the governor of the Persian Empire beyond the Euphrates River had his capital)—Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite—partnered with them. ⁸ Uzziel the goldsmith (Harhaiah’s son) partnered with them in the repairs, as did Hananiah, a perfumer. The wall they built was the broad wall. ⁹ There, a half-district ruler of Jerusalem named Rephaiah (Hur’s son) partnered with them in the repairs. ¹⁰ Jedaiah (Harumaph’s son) partnered with Rephaiah, working directly across from his own house, as did Hattush (Hashabneiah’s son). ¹¹ Malchijah (Harim’s son) and Hasshub (Pahath-moab’s son) repaired another section and the oven tower. ¹² A half-district ruler named Shallum (Hallohesh’s son) and his daughters partnered with Malchijah.

¹³ Working with the residents of Zanoah, Hanun rebuilt the valley gate. In the same way, they framed it, set its doors in place, and secured it with bolts and bars. They were able to build the wall as far as the potsherd gate—a full 500 yards past where they started.

¹⁴ The ruler of the district of Beth-haccherem rebuilt the potsherd gate. In the same way, he framed it, set its doors in place, then secured it with bolts and bars.

¹⁵ Mizpah’s ruler, Shallum (Col-hozeh’s son) repaired the fountain gate, adding a roof while framing it, setting its doors in place, and securing it with bolts and bars. It fell to him to repair the wall of the pool of Shelah—of the king’s garden—to the steps leading down and away from the city of David.

¹⁶ Nehemiah (Azbuk’s son), who was ruler of the half-district of Beth-zur, built until he was directly across from David’s tombs, which is also where the artificial pool is and the house of the heroes.

¹⁷ Down the wall, the Levites worked: Rehum (Bani’s son), then Hashabiah, the half-district ruler of Keilah who worked on behalf of his own people. ¹⁸ Then came their brothers: Bavvai (Henadad’s son), the other half-district ruler of Keilah. ¹⁹ Ezer (Jeshua’s son), who ruled in Mizpah, partnered with Bavvai on the section of the wall that faced the road leading up to the armory—as far as the point where the wall angles away.^{[b] 20} Then came Baruch (Zabbai’s son), who worked fervently on the section between the angle of the wall and the entrance to High Priest Eliashib’s house. ²¹ From that entrance all the way to the end of Eliashib’s house, Meremoth (Uriah’s son and Hakkoz’s grandson) worked, in addition to the work he had completed next to the fish gate. ²² Priests from the surrounding region repaired the next portion of the wall. ²³ Benjamin and Hasshub worked on sections directly in front of their homes, then Azariah (Maaseiah’s son and Ananiah’s grandson) worked on a section beside his home. ²⁴ From Azariah’s home to the angle and the corner, Binnui (Henadad’s son) completed a second section. ²⁵ Palal (Uzai’s son) worked on the wall section at a point across from both the angle and the place where the upper tower comes out of the palace near the guards’ court. Then came Pedaiah (Parosh’s son) ²⁶ and servants from the temple living on the Ophel’s hill making repairs as far as the point directly across from the water gate to the east and the upper palace tower. ²⁷ The men of Tekoa, who worked without the support of their nobles, worked from that same tower as far as Ophel’s wall.

²⁸ Beyond the horse gate, each priest repaired the wall section in front of his own house, ²⁹ as did Zadok (Immer’s son) and the guard of the east gate, Shemaiah (Shecaniah’s son). ³⁰ Then Hananiah (Shelemiah’s son) and Hanun (Zalaph’s sixth-born son) worked on the next section, and Meshullam (Berechiah’s son) worked on the section across from where he lived. ³¹ Malchijah, a goldsmith, then repaired the wall all the way to the place where the temple servants and the merchants live, the place across from the inspection gate just beyond the room above the corner. ³² The goldsmiths and the merchants were the ones responsible for the final area between that room and the sheep gate.

2 When the holy day of Pentecost came 50 days after Passover, they were gathered together in one place.

² Picture yourself among the disciples:

A sound roars from the sky without warning, the roar of a violent wind, and the whole house where you are gathered reverberates with the sound. ³ Then a flame appears, dividing into smaller flames and spreading from one person to the next. ⁴ All the people present are filled with the Holy Spirit and begin speaking in languages they’ve never spoken, as the Spirit empowers them.

⁵ Because of the holy festival, there are devout Jews staying as pilgrims in Jerusalem from every nation under the sun. ⁶ They hear the sound, and a crowd gathers. They are amazed because each of them can hear the group speaking in their native languages. ⁷ They are shocked and amazed by this.

¹² Their amazement becomes confusion as they wonder,

¹⁴ As the twelve stood together, Peter shouted to the crowd,