Nehemiah 2:10–16

¹⁰When Sanballat the Horonite^am and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard that someone had come to pursue the prosperity of the Israelites, they were greatly displeased.^a

PREPARING TO REBUILD THE WALLS

¹¹After I arrived in Jerusalem and had been there three days,^{b 12}I got up at night and took a few men with me. I didn’t tell anyone what my God had laid on my heart to do for Jerusalem. The only animal I took^D was the one I was riding. ¹³I went out at night through the Valley Gate toward the Serpent’s^E Well and the Dung Gate,^c and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that had been broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire.^{d 14}I went on to the Fountain Gate^e and the King’s Pool,^f but farther down it became too narrow for my animal to go through. ¹⁵So I went up at night by way of the valley and inspected the wall. Then heading back, I entered through the Valley Gate^g and returned. ¹⁶The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, for I had not yet told the Jews, priests, nobles, officials, or the rest of those who would be doing the work.