Nehemiah 1:1–2:8

A Prayer of Nehemiah

1:1 1 These are the words of Nehemiah2 son of Hacaliah:

It so happened that in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year,3 I was in Susa4 the citadel. 1:2 Hanani, who was one of my relatives,5 along with some of the men from Judah, came to me,6 and I asked them about the Jews who had escaped and had survived the exile, and about Jerusalem.7

1:3 They said to me, “The remnant that remains from the exile there in the province are experiencing considerable8 adversity and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem lies breached, and its gates have been burned down!”9

1:4 When I heard these things I sat down abruptly,10 crying and mourning for several days. I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 1:5 Then I said, “Please, O LORD God of heaven, great and awesome God, who keeps his loving covenant11 with those who love him and obey12 his commandments, 1:6 may your ear be attentive and your eyes be open to hear the prayer of your servant that I am praying to you today throughout both day and night on behalf of your servants the Israelites. I am confessing the sins of the Israelites that we have committed13 against you—both I myself and my family14 have sinned. 1:7 We have behaved corruptly against you, not obeying the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments that you commanded your servant Moses. 1:8 Please recall the word you commanded your servant Moses: ‘If you act unfaithfully, I will scatter you among the nations.15 1:9 But if you repent16 and obey17 my commandments and do them, then even if your dispersed people are in the most remote location,18 I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen for my name to reside.’ 1:10 They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your mighty strength and by your powerful hand. 1:11 Please,19 O Lord, listen attentively20 to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who take pleasure in showing respect21 to your name. Grant your servant success today and show compassion to me22 in the presence of this man.”

Now23 I was cupbearer for the king.

Nehemiah Is Permitted to Go to Jerusalem

2:1 Then in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought to me,1 I took the wine and gave it to the king. Previously2 I had not been depressed3 in the king’s presence.4 2:2 So the king said to me, “Why do you appear to be depressed when you aren’t sick? What can this be other than sadness of heart?” This made me very fearful.

2:3 I replied to the king, “O king, live forever! Why would I not appear dejected when the city with the graves of my ancestors5 lies desolate and its gates destroyed6 by fire?” 2:4 The king responded,7 “What is it you are seeking?” Then I quickly prayed to the God of heaven 2:5 and said to the king, “If the king is so inclined8 and if your servant has found favor in your sight, dispatch me to Judah, to the city with the graves of my ancestors, so that I can rebuild it.” 2:6 Then the king, with his consort9 sitting beside him, replied, “How long would your trip take, and when would you return?” Since the king was amenable to dispatching me,10 I gave him a time. 2:7 I said to the king, “If the king is so inclined, let him give me letters for the governors of Trans-Euphrates11 that will enable me to travel safely until I reach Judah, 2:8 and a letter for Asaph the keeper of the king’s nature preserve,12 so that he will give me timber for beams for the gates of the fortress adjacent to the temple and for the city wall13 and for the house to which I go.” So the king granted me these requests,14 for the good hand of my God was on me.

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1	sn In ancient Judaism Ezra and Nehemiah were regarded as a single book with dual authorship. According to the Talmud, “Ezra wrote his book” (b. Bava Batra 15a). The Gemara then asks and answers, “And who finished it? Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah.” Accordingly, the two are joined in the Leningrad Codex (ca. A.D. 1008), the manuscript upon which modern printed editions of the Hebrew Bible (e.g., BHK and BHS) are based.
2	sn The name Nehemiah in Hebrew (נְחֶמְיָה, nékhemyah) means “the Lord comforts.”
3	tn That is, the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign (cf. 2:1).
4	tn Heb “Shushan.”
5	tn Heb “brothers.”
6	tn The Hebrew text does not include the words “to me”; these words were supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.
7	map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
8	tn Heb “great.”
9	tn Heb “have been burned with fire” (so also in Neh 2:17). The expression “burned with fire” is redundant in contemporary English; the translation uses “burned down” for stylistic reasons.
10	tn Heb “sat down.” Context suggests that this was a rather sudden action, resulting from the emotional shock of the unpleasant news, so “abruptly” has been supplied in the present translation.
11	tn Heb “the covenant and loyal love.” The phrase is a hendiadys: the first noun retains its full nominal sense, while the second noun functions adjectivally (“loyal love” = loving). Alternately, the first might function adjectivally and the second noun function as the noun: “covenant and loyal love” = covenant fidelity (see Neh 9:32).
12	tn Heb “keep.” The Hebrew verb שָׁמַר (shamar, “to observe; to keep”) is often used as an idiom that means “to obey” the commandments of God (e.g., Exod 20:6; Deut 5:16; 23:24; 29:8; Judg 2:22; 1 Kgs 2:43; 11:11; Ps 119:8, 17, 34; Jer 35:18; Ezek 17:14; Amos 2:4). See BDB 1036 s.v. 3.c.
13	tn Heb “have sinned.” For stylistic reasons—to avoid redundancy in English—this was translated as “committed.”
14	tn Heb “the house of my father.”
15	tn Heb “peoples.”
16	tn Heb “turn to me.”
17	tn Heb “keep.” See the note on the word “obey” in Neh 1:5.
18	tn Heb “at the end of the heavens.”
19	tn The interjection אָנָּא (’anna’) is an emphatic term of entreaty: “please!” (BDB 58 s.v.; HALOT 69–70 s.v.). This term is normally reserved for pleas for mercy from God in life-and-death situations (2 Kgs 20:3 = Isa 38:3; Pss 116:4; 118:25; Jonah 1:14; 4:2) and for forgiveness of heinous sins that would result or have resulted in severe judgment from God (Exod 32:31; Dan 9:4; Neh 1:5, 11).
20	tn Heb “let your ear be attentive.”
21	tn Heb “fear.”
22	tn Heb “grant compassion.” The words “to me” are supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness and style in English.
23	tn The vav (ו) on וַאֲנִי (va’ani, “Now, I”) introduces a disjunctive parenthetical clause that provides background information to the reader.
1	tc The translation reads with the LXX וְיַיִן לְפָנַי (véyayin léfanay, “and wine before me”) rather than יַיִן לְפָנָיו (yayin léfanayv, “wine before him”) of the MT. The initial vav (ו) on original וְיַיִן probably dropped out due to haplograpy or orthographic confusion with the two yods (י) which follow. The final vav on לְפָנָיו in the MT was probably added due to dittography with the vav on the immediately following word.
2	tc The translation reads לְפָנֵים (léfanim, “formerly”) rather than לְפָנָיו (léfanayv, “to his face”) of the MT. The MT seems to suggest that Nehemiah was not sad before the king, which is contrary to what follows.
3	tn Or “showed him a sullen face.” See HALOT 1251 s.v. רַע, רָע 9.
4	tn This expression is either to be inferred from the context, or perhaps one should read לְפָנָיו (léfanayv, “before him”; cf. the MT) in addition to לְפָנִים (léfanim, “formerly”). See preceding note on the word “previously.”
5	tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 5).
6	tn Heb “devoured” or “eaten” (so also in Neh 2:13).
7	tn Heb “said to me.”
8	tn Heb “If upon the king it is good.” So also in v. 7.
9	tn Or “queen,” so most English versions (cf. HALOT 1415 s.v. שֵׁגַל); TEV “empress.”
10	tn Heb “It was good before the king and he sent me.”
11	tn Heb “across the river,” here and often elsewhere in the Book of Nehemiah.
12	tn Or “forest.” So HALOT 963 s.v. פַּרְדֵּס 2.
13	tc One medieval Hebrew ms, the Syriac Peshitta, Vulgate, and the Arabic read here the plural וּלְחוֹמוֹת (ulékhomot, “walls”) against the singular וּלְחוֹמַת (ulékhomat) in the MT. The plural holem vav (וֹ) might have dropped out due to dittography or the plural form might have been written defectively.
14	tn The Hebrew text does not include the expression “these requests,” but it is implied.

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