The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Nehemiah 02
1 In the month Nisan, in the twentieth
year of Artaxerxes the king, when wine
was before him, I picked up the wine, and
gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad
before in his presence.
2 The king said to me, “Why is your face
sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing
else but sorrow of heart.”
Then I was very much afraid.
3 I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why shouldn’t my face be sad, when
the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies
waste, and its gates have been consumed
with fire?”
4 Then the king said to me, “What is your
request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.
5 I said to the king, “If it pleases the king,
and if your servanthas found favor inyour
sight, I ask that you would send me to
Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that
I may build it.”
6 The king said to me (the queen was
also sitting by him), “How long will your
journey be? When will you return?”
So it pleased the king to send me, and I
set a time for him.
7 Moreover I said to the king, “Ifit pleases
the king, let letters be given me to the
governors beyond the River, that they may
let me pass through until I come to Judah;
8 and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the
king’s forest, that he may give me timber to
make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple, for the wall of the city, and for
the house that I will occupy.”
The king granted my requests, because
of the good hand of my God on me.
9 Then I came to the governors beyond
the River, and gave them the king’s letters.
Now the kinghad sent captains ofthe army
and horsemen with me.
10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard of it, it
grieved them exceedingly, because a man
had come to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.
11 So I came to Jerusalem, and was there
three days.
12 I arose in the night, I and a few men
with me. I didn’t tell anyone what my
God put into my heart to do for Jerusalem.
There wasn’t any animal with me except
the animal that I rode on.
13 I went out by night by the valley
gate toward the jackal’s well, then to the
dung gate; and I inspected the walls of
Jerusalem, which were broken down, and
its gates were consumed with fire.
14 Then I went on to the spring gate and
to the king’s pool, but there was no place
for the animal that was under me to pass.
15 Then I went up in the night by the
brook and inspected the wall; and I turned
back, and entered by the valley gate, and
so returned.
16 The rulers didn’t know where I went,
or what I did. I had not as yet told it to the
Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles,
nor to the rulers, nor to the rest whodidthe
work.
17 Then I said to them, “You see the bad
situation that we are in, how Jerusalemlies
waste, and its gates are burned with fire.
Come, let’s build up the wall of Jerusalem,
that we won’t be disgraced.”
18 I told them about the hand of my God
which was good on me, and also about the
king’s words that he had spoken to me.
They said, “Let’s rise up and build.” So
they strengthened their hands for the good
work.
19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite servant, and Geshem
the Arabian, heard it, they ridiculed us and
despised us, and said, “What is this thing
that you are doing? Will you rebel against
the king?”
20 Then I answered them, and said to
them, “The God of heaven will prosper us.
Therefore we, his servants, will arise and
build; but you have no portion, nor right,
nor memorial in Jerusalem.”