During the month of Chislev, in Artaxerxes’ twentieth year as king, while I was in the fortress at Susa, ²one of my brothers, Hanani, arrived with some men from Judah. I asked them about the Jews who had survived captivity and about Jerusalem. ³They told me, “Those who survived captivity are in the province. They are enduring serious troubles and being insulted. The wall of Jerusalem has been broken down, and its gates have been destroyed by fire.”

Nehemiah’s Prayer

⁴When I heard this, I sat down and cried. I mourned for days. I continued to fast and pray to the God of heaven. ⁵I said,

“Lord God of heaven, great and awe-inspiring God, you faithfully keep your promise^aand show mercy to those who love you and obey your commandments. ⁶Open your eyes, and pay close attention with your ears to what I, your servant, am praying. I am praying to you day and night about your servants the Israelites. I confess the sins that we Israelites have committed against you as well as the sins that my father’s family and I have committed. ⁷We have done you a great wrong. We haven’t obeyed the commandments, laws, or regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses. ⁸Please remember what you told us through your servant Moses: ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations. ⁹But if you return to me and continue to obey my commandments, though your people may be driven to the most distant point on the horizon, I will come and get you from there and bring you to the place where I chose to put my name.’ ¹⁰These are your servants and your people whom you have saved by your great power and your strong hand. ¹¹Lord, please pay attention to my prayer and to the prayers of all your other servants who want to worship your name. Please give me success today and make this man, King Artaxerxes, show me compassion.”

I was cupbearer^bto the king at this time.

2ND CHAPTER

The King Shows Compassion to Nehemiah

¹In the month of Nisan, in Artaxerxes’ twentieth year as king, after some wine was brought for the king, I picked up the cup of wine and gave it to the king. I had never been sad in his presence before.

²The king asked me, “Why do you look so sad? You aren’t sick, are you? You must be troubled about something.” (I was really afraid).

³“May the king live forever!” I said to the king. “Why shouldn’t I look sad when the city, the place where my ancestors are buried, is in ruins and its gates are burned down?”

⁴“What do you want?” the king asked me.

So I prayed to the God of heaven, ⁵and I asked the king, “If it pleases Your Majesty, and you are willing to grant my request, let me go to Judah, to the city where my ancestors are buried, so that I can rebuild it.”

⁶Then, while the queen was sitting beside him, the king asked me, “How long will you be gone, and when will you come back?” When I gave him a specific date, he was willing to let me go.

⁷I also asked the king, “If it pleases Your Majesty, let me have letters addressed to the governors ⸤of the province⸥ west of the Euphrates River. In the letters tell them to grant me safe conduct until I arrive in Judah. ⁸Also, let me have a letter addressed to Asaph, the supervisor of Your Majesty’s forest. In the letter order him to give me wood for the gates of the fortress near the temple, for the city wall, and for the house I’ll move into.” (The king let me have the letters, because God was guiding me.)

Nehemiah Goes to Jerusalem

⁹I went to the governors ⸤of the province⸥ west of the Euphrates River and gave them the king’s letters. (The king had sent army officers and cavalry to be with me.) ¹⁰But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, they were very upset that someone had come to give the people of Israel so much assistance.

Nehemiah Surveys the Damage to Jerusalem’s Walls

¹¹I went to Jerusalem and was there for three days. ¹²During the night I went out with a few men without telling anyone what my God had inspired me to do for Jerusalem. The only animal I had was the one I was riding. ¹³I went through Valley Gate that night toward Snake Fountain and Dung Gate and examined the places where the walls of Jerusalem were broken down and where its gates had been burned. ¹⁴Passing through Fountain Gate, I arrived at King’s Pool, but the animal I was riding couldn’t get through. ¹⁵So I went through the valley that night and examined the wall. Then I turned back, entered Valley Gate, and returned.

¹⁶The officials didn’t know where I had gone or what I had done. I hadn’t yet told the Jews, the priests, the leaders, the other officials, or any of the rest who would be doing the work. ¹⁷Then I told them, “You see the trouble we’re in. Jerusalem is in ruins, and its gates are burned down. Let’s rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be insulted.” ¹⁸Then I told them that my God had been guiding me and what the king had told me.

They replied, “Let’s begin to rebuild.” So they encouraged one another to begin this God-pleasing work.

¹⁹When Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite servant, and Geshem the Arab heard about this, they made fun of us and ridiculed us. They asked, “What are you doing? Are you going to rebel against the king?”

²⁰“The God of heaven will give us success,” I answered them. “We, his servants, are going to rebuild. You have no property or claim or historic right in Jerusalem.”

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Footnotes

a 1:5 Or “covenant.”
b 1:11 A cupbearer was a trusted official who ensured that the king’s drink was not poisoned.