1 *The words of aNehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month bChisleu, in cthe twentieth year, as I was in dShushan ethe palace, 2 That fHanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also gis broken down, and hthe gates thereof are burned with fire.

4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that iI sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, 5 And said, I beseech thee, O Lord God of heaven, kthe great and terrible God, lthat keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments: 6 Let mthine ear now be attentive, and mnthine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and oconfess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: pboth I and my father’s house have sinned. 7 We have qdealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, rwhich thou commandedst thy servant Moses. 8 Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, sIf ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations: 9 tBut if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; uthough there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them xunto the place that I have chosen to set my name there. 10 yNow these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand. 11 O Lord, I beseech thee, zlet now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, awho desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king’s bcupbearer.