Nehemiah 2

Nehemiah Sent to Jerusalem

2During the month of Nisan ^ein the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, ^fwhen wine was set before him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had never been sad in his presence, ²so the king said to me, “Why are you ^gsad, when you aren’t sick? This is nothing but depression.” ^hi

I was overwhelmed with fear ³and replied to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should I ^jnot be sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” ^k

⁴Then the king asked me, “What is your request?”

So I prayed to the God of heaven ^l5and answered the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor with you, send me to Judah and to the city where my ancestors are buried, ^mnso that I may rebuild it.” ^o

⁶The king, with the queen seated beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you return?” So I gave him a definite time, ^pand it pleased the king to send me.

⁷I also said to the king: “If it pleases the king, let me have letters written to the governors of the region west of the Euphrates River, ^qso that they will grant me safe passage until I reach Judah. ^r8And let me have a letter written to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so that he will give me timber to rebuild the gates of the temple’s fortress, ^sthe city wall, and the home where I will live.” ^tuThe king granted my requests, for I was graciously strengthened by my God. ^vw

⁹I went to the governors of the region west of the Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. ^xThe king had also sent officers of the infantry and cavalry with me. ¹⁰When Sanballat the Horonite ^yand Tobiah the Ammonite official heard that someone had come to seek the well-being of the Israelites, they were greatly displeased. ^z

Preparing to Rebuild the Walls

¹¹After I arrived in Jerusalem and had been there three days, ^a12I 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 ^bwas the one I was riding. ¹³I went out at night through the Valley Gate toward the Serpent’s ^cWell and the Dung Gate, ^dand I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that had been broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire. ^e14I went on to the Fountain Gate ^fand the King’s Pool, ^gbut 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 ^hand 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. ¹⁷So I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates have been burned down. ⁱCome, let’s rebuild Jerusalem’s wall, ^jso that we will no longer be a disgrace.” ¹⁸I told them how the gracious hand of my God had been on me, ^kand what the king had said to me.

They said, “Let’s start rebuilding,” and they were encouraged ^lto do this good work.

¹⁹When Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, ^mand Geshem the Arab ⁿheard about this, they mocked and despised us, and said, “What is this you’re doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”

²⁰I gave them this reply, “The God of heaven is the One who will grant us success. We, His servants, will start building, but you have no share, right, or historic claim in Jerusalem.” ^o