Loading…

Nehemiah 2:3–4

but I said to the king, “May the king live forever!w Why should my face not look sad when the cityx where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?y

The king said to me, “What is it you want?”

Then I prayed to the God of heaven,

Read more Explain verse



Nehemiah 2:3–4 — English Standard Version (ESV)

I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.

Nehemiah 2:3–4 — King James Version (KJV 1900)

And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire? Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.

Nehemiah 2:3–4 — New Living Translation (NLT)

but I replied, “Long live the king! How can I not be sad? For the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.”

The king asked, “Well, how can I help you?”

With a prayer to the God of heaven,

Nehemiah 2:3–4 — The New King James Version (NKJV)

and said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?”

Then the king said to me, “What do you request?”

So I prayed to the God of heaven.

Nehemiah 2:3–4 — New Century Version (NCV)

I said to the king, “May the king live forever! My face is sad because the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire.”

Then the king said to me, “What do you want?”

First I prayed to the God of heaven.

Nehemiah 2:3–4 — American Standard Version (ASV)

And I said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire? Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.

Nehemiah 2:3–4 — 1890 Darby Bible (DARBY)

And I said to the king, Let the king live for ever! Why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ sepulchres, lies waste, and its gates are consumed with fire? And the king said to me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of the heavens.

Nehemiah 2:3–4 — GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

“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?” 

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

So I prayed to the God of heaven,

Nehemiah 2:3–4 — The Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

and replied to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should I not be sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”

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

So I prayed to the God of heaven

Nehemiah 2:3–4 — The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my ancestors’ graves, lies waste, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” Then the king said to me, “What do you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.

Nehemiah 2:3–4 — The Lexham English Bible (LEB)

I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad when the city of my ancestors’ burial site is ruined and her gates are consumed by fire?” Then the king said to me, “What is your request?” So I prayed to the God of the heavens.

Nehemiah 2:3–4 — New International Reader’s Version (1998) (NIrV)

But I said to the king, “May you live forever! Why shouldn’t I look sad? The city where my people of long ago are buried has been destroyed. And fire has burned up its gates.”

The king said to me, “What do you want?”

I prayed to the God of heaven.

Nehemiah 2:3–4 — New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (NASB95)

I said to the king, “Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?”

Then the king said to me, “What would you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.


A service of Logos Bible Software