Nehemiah, starting at chapter 1
{1:1} The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in
the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the
palace, {1:2} that Hanani, one of my brothers, came, he and certain
men out of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had
escaped, who were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
{1:3} They said to me, The remnant who are left of the captivity there
in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of
Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates of it are burned with
fire. {1:4} It happened, when I heard these words, that I sat down and
wept, and mourned certain days; and I fasted and prayed before the God
of heaven, {1:5} and said, I beg you, Yahweh, the God of heaven, the
great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and loving kindness with
those who love him and keep his commandments: {1:6} Let your ear now
be attentive, and your eyes open, that you may listen to the prayer of
your servant, which I pray before you at this time, day and night, for
the children of Israel your servants while I confess the sins of the
children of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Yes, I and my
father's house have sinned: {1:7} we have dealt very corruptly against
you, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the
ordinances, which you commanded your servant Moses. {1:8} Remember, I
beg you, the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, If
you trespass, I will scatter you abroad among the peoples: {1:9} but
if you return to me, and keep my commandments and do them, though your
outcasts were in the uttermost part of the heavens, yet will I gather
them from there, and will bring them to the place that I have chosen,
to cause my name to dwell there. {1:10} Now these are your servants
and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power, and by
your strong hand. {1:11} Lord, I beg you, let now your ear be
attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your
servants, who delight to fear your name; and please prosper your
servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. Now I
was cup bearer to the king.
{2:1} It happened in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of
Artaxerxes the king, when wine was before him, that I took up the
wine, and gave it to the king. Now I had not been [before] sad in his
presence. {2:2} The king said to me, Why is your face sad, seeing you
are not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was
very sore afraid. {2:3} 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'
tombs, lies waste, and the gates of it are consumed with fire? {2:4}
Then the king said to me, For what do you make request? So I prayed to
the God of heaven. {2:5} I said to the king, If it please the king,
and if your servant have found favor in your sight, that you would
send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' tombs, that I may build
it. {2:6} The king said to me (the queen also sitting by him), For how
long shall your journey be? and when will you return? So it pleased
the king to send me; and I set him a time. {2:7} Moreover I said to
the king, If it please 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; {2:8} 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
castle which appertains to the house, and for the wall of the city,
and for the house that I shall enter into. The king granted me,
according to the good hand of my God on me. {2:9} Then I came to the
governors beyond the River, and gave them the king's letters. Now the
king had sent with me captains of the army and horsemen. {2:10} When
Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of
it, it grieved them exceedingly, because a man had come to seek the
welfare of the children of Israel. {2:11} So I came to Jerusalem, and
was there three days. {2:12} I arose in the night, I and some few men
with me; neither told I any man what my God put into my heart to do
for Jerusalem; neither was there any animal with me, except the animal
that I rode on. {2:13} I went out by night by the valley gate, even
toward the jackal's well, and to the dung gate, and viewed the walls
of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates of it were
consumed with fire. {2:14} 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. {2:15} Then went I up in the night by the brook, and
viewed the wall; and I turned back, and entered by the valley gate,
and so returned. {2:16} The rulers didn't know where I went, or what I
did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor
to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest who did the work.
{2:17} Then said I to them, You see the evil case that we are in, how
Jerusalem lies waste, and the gates of it are burned with fire: come,
and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a
reproach. {2:18} I told them of the hand of my God which was good on
me, as also of the king's words that he had spoken to me. They said,
Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for the
good [work]. {2:19} But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the
servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they
ridiculed us, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that you
do? will you rebel against the king? {2:20} Then answered I them, and
said to them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his
servants will arise and build: but you have no portion, nor right, nor
memorial, in Jerusalem.
{3:1} Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the
priests, and they built the sheep gate; they sanctified it, and set up
the doors of it; even to the tower of Hammeah they sanctified it, to
the tower of Hananel. {3:2} Next to him built the men of Jericho. Next
to them built Zaccur the son of Imri. {3:3} The fish gate did the sons
of Hassenaah build; they laid the beams of it, and set up the doors of
it, the bolts of it, and the bars of it. {3:4} Next to them repaired
Meremoth the son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz. Next to them repaired
Meshullam the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabel. Next to them
repaired Zadok the son of Baana. {3:5} Next to them the Tekoites
repaired; but their nobles didn't put their necks to the work of their
lord. {3:6} The old gate repaired Joiada the son of Paseah and
Meshullam the son of Besodeiah; they laid the beams of it, and set up
the doors of it, and the bolts of it, and the bars of it. {3:7} Next
to them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite,
the men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, [that appertained] to the throne of
the governor beyond the River. {3:8} Next to him repaired Uzziel the
son of Harhaiah, goldsmiths. Next to him repaired Hananiah one of the
perfumers, and they fortified Jerusalem even to the broad wall. {3:9}
Next to them repaired Rephaiah the son of Hur, the ruler of half the
district of Jerusalem. {3:10} Next to them repaired Jedaiah the son of
Harumaph, over against his house. Next to him repaired Hattush the son
of Hashabneiah. {3:11} Malchijah the son of Harim, and Hasshub the son
of Pahathmoab, repaired another portion, and the tower of the
furnaces. {3:12} Next to him repaired Shallum the son of Hallohesh,
the ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, he and his daughters.
{3:13} The valley gate repaired Hanun, and the inhabitants of Zanoah;
they built it, and set up the doors of it, the bolts of it, and the
bars of it, and one thousand cubits of the wall to the dung gate.
{3:14} The dung gate repaired Malchijah the son of Rechab, the ruler
of the district of Beth Haccherem; he built it, and set up the doors
of it, the bolts of it, and the bars of it. {3:15} The spring gate
repaired Shallun the son of Colhozeh, the ruler of the district of
Mizpah; he built it, and covered it, and set up the doors of it, the
bolts of it, and the bars of it, and the wall of the pool of Shelah by
the king's garden, even to the stairs that go down from the city of
David. {3:16} After him repaired Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler
of half the district of Beth Zur, to the place over against the tombs
of David, and to the pool that was made, and to the house of the
mighty men. {3:17} After him repaired the Levites, Rehum the son of
Bani. Next to him repaired Hashabiah, the ruler of half the district
of Keilah, for his district. {3:18} After him repaired their brothers,
Bavvai the son of Henadad, the ruler of half the district of Keilah.
{3:19} Next to him repaired Ezer the son of Jeshua, the ruler of
Mizpah, another portion, over against the ascent to the armory at the
turning [of the wall]. {3:20} After him Baruch the son of Zabbai
earnestly repaired another portion, from the turning [of the wall] to
the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest. {3:21} After him
repaired Meremoth the son of Uriah the son of Hakkoz another portion,
from the door of the house of Eliashib even to the end of the house of
Eliashib. {3:22} After him repaired the priests, the men of the Plain.
{3:23} After them repaired Benjamin and Hasshub over against their
house. After them repaired Azariah the son of Maaseiah the son of
Ananiah beside his own house. {3:24} After him repaired Binnui the son
of Henadad another portion, from the house of Azariah to the turning
[of the wall], and to the corner. {3:25} Palal the son of Uzai
[repaired] over against the turning [of the wall], and the tower that
stands out from the upper house of the king, which is by the court of
the guard. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh [repaired]. {3:26} (Now
the Nethinim lived in Ophel, to the place over against the water gate
toward the east, and the tower that stands out.) {3:27} After him the
Tekoites repaired another portion, over against the great tower that
stands out, and to the wall of Ophel. {3:28} Above the horse gate
repaired the priests, everyone over against his own house. {3:29}
After them repaired Zadok the son of Immer over against his own house.
After him repaired Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the
east gate. {3:30} After him repaired Hananiah the son of Shelemiah,
and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, another portion. After him repaired
Meshullam the son of Berechiah over against his chamber. {3:31} After
him repaired Malchijah one of the goldsmiths to the house of the
Nethinim, and of the merchants, over against the gate of Hammiphkad,
and to the ascent of the corner. {3:32} Between the ascent of the
corner and the sheep gate repaired the goldsmiths and the merchants.
___
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