Nehemiah 1:5–11

⁵And I said: “I pray, ⁱLord God of heaven, O great and ^jawesome God, ^kYou who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love ³You and observe ⁴Your commandments, ⁶please let Your ear be attentive and ^lYour eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and ^mconfess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. ⁷ⁿWe have acted very corruptly against You, and have ^onot kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. ⁸Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ^p‘If you ⁵are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; ^9qbut if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, ^rthough some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’ ^10sNow these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. ¹¹O Lord, I pray, please ^tlet Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who ^udesire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”

For I was the king’s ^vcupbearer.