Chapter 2

Nehemiah’s Prayer Answered

1 And it came about in the month Nisan, ain the twentieth year of King bArtaxerxes, that wine was before him, and cI took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence.

2 So the king said to me, “Why is your face sad though you are not sick? aThis is nothing but sadness of heart.” Then I was very much afraid.

3 I said to the king, “aLet the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad bwhen the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?”

4 Then the king said to me, “What would you request?” aSo I prayed to the God of heaven.

5 I said to the king, “If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”

6 Then the king said to me, the queen sitting beside him, “How long will your journey be, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and aI gave him a definite time.

7 And I said to the king, “If it please the king, let letters be given me afor the governors of the provinces beyond the River, that they may allow me to pass through until I come to Judah,

8 and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s aforest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of bthe fortress which is by the 1temple, for the wall of the city and for the house to which I will go.” And the king granted them to me because cthe good hand of my God was on me.

9 Then I came to athe governors of the provinces beyond the River and gave them the king’s letters. Now bthe king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen.

10 When aSanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite 1official heard about it, it was very displeasing to them that someone had come to seek the welfare of the sons of Israel.

Nehemiah Inspects Jerusalem’s Walls

11 So I acame to Jerusalem and was there three days.

12 And I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. I did not tell anyone what my God was putting into my 1mind to do for Jerusalem and there was no animal with me except the animal on which I was riding.

13 So I went out at night by athe Valley Gate in the direction of the Dragon’s Well and on to the 1Refuse Gate, inspecting the walls of Jerusalem bwhich were broken down and its cgates which were consumed by fire.

14 Then I passed on to athe Fountain Gate and bthe King’s Pool, but there was no place for 1my mount to pass.

15 So I went up at night by the aravine and inspected the wall. Then I entered the Valley Gate again and returned.

16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I had done; nor had I as yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials or the rest who did the work.

17 Then I said to them, “You see the bad situation we are in, that aJerusalem is desolate and its gates burned by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that we will no longer be a reproach.”

18 I told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me and also about the king’s words which he had spoken to me. Then they said, “Let us arise and build.” aSo they put their hands to the good work.

19 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite 1official, and aGeshem the Arab heard it, bthey mocked us and despised us and said, “What is this thing you are doing? aAre you rebelling against the king?”

20 So I answered them and said to them, “aThe God of heaven will give us success; therefore we His servants will arise and build, bbut you have no portion, right or memorial in Jerusalem.”

Chapter 3

Builders of the Walls

1 Then aEliashib the high priest arose with his brothers the priests and built bthe Sheep Gate; they consecrated it and chung its doors. They consecrated 1the wall to dthe Tower of the Hundred and ethe Tower of Hananel.

2 Next to him athe men of Jericho built, and next to 1them Zaccur the son of Imri built.

3 Now the sons of Hassenaah built athe Fish Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors with its bolts and bars.

4 Next to them Meremoth the son of Uriah the son of Hakkoz made repairs. And next to him Meshullam the son of Berechiah the son of Meshezabel made repairs. And next to 1him Zadok the son of Baana also made repairs.

5 Moreover, next to 1him the Tekoites made repairs, but their nobles did not 2support the work of their masters.

6 Joiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired athe Old Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors with its bolts and its bars.

7 Next to them Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and of Mizpah, 1also made repairs for the official seat of the agovernor of the province beyond the River.

8 Next to him Uzziel the son of Harhaiah of the agoldsmiths made repairs. And next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, made repairs, and they restored Jerusalem as far as bthe Broad Wall.

9 Next to them Rephaiah the son of Hur, athe official of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs.

10 Next to them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph made repairs opposite his house. And next to him Hattush the son of Hashabneiah made repairs.

11 Malchijah the son of Harim and Hasshub the son of Pahath-moab repaired another section and athe Tower of Furnaces.

12 Next to him Shallum the son of Hallohesh, athe official of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs, he and his daughters.

13 Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired athe Valley Gate. They built it and hung its doors with its bolts and its bars, and a thousand cubits of the wall to the 1Refuse Gate.

14 Malchijah the son of Rechab, the official of the district of aBeth-haccherem repaired the 1bRefuse Gate. He built it and hung its doors with its bolts and its bars.

15 Shallum the son of Col-hozeh, the official of the district of Mizpah, arepaired the Fountain Gate. He built it, covered it and hung its doors with its bolts and its bars, and the wall of the Pool of Shelah at bthe king’s garden as far as cthe steps that descend from the city of David.

16 After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, aofficial of half the district of Beth-zur, made repairs as far as a point opposite the tombs of David, and as far as bthe artificial pool and the house of the mighty men.

17 After him the Levites carried out repairs under Rehum the son of Bani. Next to him Hashabiah, the official of half the district of Keilah, carried out repairs for his district.

18 After him their brothers carried out repairs under Bavvai the son of Henadad, official of the other half of the district of Keilah.

19 Next to him Ezer the son of Jeshua, athe official of Mizpah, repaired 1another section in front of the ascent of the armory bat the Angle.

20 After him Baruch the son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section, from the Angle to the doorway of the house of aEliashib the high priest.

21 After him Meremoth the son of Uriah the son of Hakkoz repaired another section, from the doorway of Eliashib’s house even as far as the end of 1his house.

22 After him the priests, athe men of the 1valley, carried out repairs.

23 After 1them Benjamin and Hasshub carried out repairs in front of their house. After 1them Azariah the son of Maaseiah, son of Ananiah, carried out repairs beside his house.

24 After him Binnui the son of Henadad repaired another section, from the house of Azariah as far as athe Angle and as far as the corner.

25 Palal the son of Uzai made repairs in front of the Angle and the tower projecting from the upper house of the king, which is by athe court of the guard. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh made repairs.

26 aThe temple servants living in bOphel made repairs as far as the front of cthe Water Gate toward the east and the projecting tower.

27 After 1them athe Tekoites repaired another section in front of the great projecting tower and as far as the wall of Ophel.

28 Above athe Horse Gate the priests carried out repairs, each in front of his house.

29 After 1them Zadok the son of Immer carried out repairs in front of his house. And after him Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, carried out repairs.

30 After him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another section. After him Meshullam the son of Berechiah carried out repairs in front of his own 1quarters.

31 After him Malchijah, 1one of athe goldsmiths, carried out repairs as far as the house of the temple servants and of the merchants, in front of the 2Inspection Gate and as far as the upper room of the corner.

32 Between the upper room of the corner and athe Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and the merchants carried out repairs.

Chapter 4

Work Is Ridiculed

1 1Now it came about that when aSanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious and very angry and mocked the Jews.

2 He spoke in the presence of his brothers and athe 1wealthy men of Samaria and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Are they going to restore it for themselves? Can they offer sacrifices? Can they finish in a day? Can they revive the stones from the 2bdusty rubble even the burned ones?”

3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was near him and he said, “Even what they are building—aif a fox should 1jump on it, he would break their stone wall down!”

4 aHear, O our God, how we are despised! bReturn their reproach on their own heads and give them up for plunder in a land of captivity.

5 Do not 1aforgive their iniquity and let not their sin be blotted out before You, for they have 2demoralized the builders.

6 So we built the wall and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a 1mind to work.

7 1Now when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the 2repair of the walls of Jerusalem went on, and that the breaches began to be closed, they were very angry.

8 All of them aconspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause a disturbance in it.

Discouragement Overcome

9 But we prayed to our God, and because of them we aset up a guard against them day and night.

10 Thus 1in Judah it was said,

“The strength of the burden bearers is failing,

Yet there is much 2rubbish;

And we ourselves are unable

To rebuild the wall.”

11 Our enemies said, “They will not know or see until we come among them, kill them and put a stop to the work.”

12 When the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times, “1They will come up against us from every place where you may turn,”

13 then I stationed men in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, the 1exposed places, and I astationed the people in families with their swords, spears and bows.

14 When I saw their fear, I rose and spoke to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people: “aDo not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and bfight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your houses.”

15 When our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that aGod had frustrated their plan, then all of us returned to the wall, each one to his work.

16 From that day on, half of my servants carried on the work while half of them held the spears, the shields, the bows and the breastplates; and the captains were behind the whole house of Judah.

17 Those who were rebuilding the wall and those who carried burdens took their load with one hand doing the work and the other holding a weapon.

18 As for the builders, each wore his sword girded at his side as he built, while 1the trumpeter stood near me.

19 I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is great and extensive, and we are separated on the wall far from one another.

20 “At whatever place you hear the sound of the trumpet, 1rally to us there. aOur God will fight for us.”

21 So we carried on the work with half of them holding spears from 1dawn until the stars 2appeared.

22 At that time I also said to the people, “Let each man with his servant spend the night within Jerusalem so that they may be a guard for us by night and a laborer by day.”

23 So neither I, my brothers, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us removed our clothes, each took his weapon even to the water.