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Nehemiah 1
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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,
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.
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 its gates are burned
with fire.”
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,
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:
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.
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.
“Remember, I beg you, the word that you commanded your servant
Moses, saying, ‘If you trespass, I will scatter you abroad among
the peoples;
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.’
“Now these are your servants and your people, whom you have
redeemed by your great power, and by your strong hand.
Lord, I beg you, let your ear be attentive now
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.
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1:4 The Hebrew word rendered
“God” is “Elohim.”
1:5 “Yahweh” is God’s proper
Name, sometimes rendered “LORD” (all caps) in other
translations.
1:11 The word translated
“Lord” is “Adonai.”
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Nehemiah 2 |
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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.
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.
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?”
Then the king said to me, “For what do you make request?”
So I prayed to the God of heaven.
I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your
servant has found favor in your sight, that you would send me
to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may build
it.”
The king said to me (the queen was 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.
Moreover I said to the king, “If it 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;
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 shall enter into.”
The king granted my requests, because of the good hand of
my God on me.
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.
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.
So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.
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.
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 its gates were consumed
with fire.
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.
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.
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.
Then I said to them, “You see the evil case that we are in,
how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire.
Come, let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we won’t be
disgraced.”
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’s rise up and build.” So they strengthened
their hands for the good work.
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 are
doing? Will you rebel against the king?”
Then answered I 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.”
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Nehemiah 3 |
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Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the
priests, and they built the sheep gate; they sanctified it,
and set up its doors; even to the tower of Hammeah they
sanctified it, to the tower of Hananel.
Next to him built the men of Jericho. Next to them built
Zaccur the son of Imri.
The fish gate did the sons of Hassenaah build; they laid its
beams, and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars.
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.
Next to them the Tekoites repaired; but their nobles didn’t
put their necks to the work of their lord.
The old gate repaired Joiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam
the son of Besodeiah; they laid its beams, and set up its
doors, and its bolts, and its bars.
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.
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.
Next to them repaired Rephaiah the son of Hur, the ruler of
half the district of Jerusalem.
Next to them repaired Jedaiah the son of Harumaph, over
against his house. Next to him repaired Hattush the son of
Hashabneiah.
Malchijah the son of Harim, and Hasshub the son of Pahathmoab,
repaired another portion, and the tower of the furnaces.
Next to him repaired Shallum the son of Hallohesh, the ruler
of half the district of Jerusalem, he and his daughters.
The valley gate repaired Hanun, and the inhabitants of Zanoah;
they built it, and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars,
and one thousand cubits of the wall to the dung gate.
The dung gate repaired Malchijah the son of Rechab, the ruler
of the district of Beth Haccherem; he built it, and set up its
doors, its bolts, and its bars.
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 its doors, its bolts, and its bars, 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.
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.
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.
After him repaired their brothers, Bavvai the son of Henadad,
the ruler of half the district of Keilah.
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.
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.
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.
After him repaired the priests, the men of the Plain.
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.
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.
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.
(Now the Nethinim lived in Ophel, to the place over against
the water gate toward the east, and the tower that stands
out.)
After him the Tekoites repaired another portion, over against
the great tower that stands out, and to the wall of Ophel.
Above the horse gate repaired the priests, everyone over
against his own house.
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.
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 room.
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.
Between the ascent of the corner and the sheep gate repaired
the goldsmiths and the merchants. |
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Nehemiah 4 |
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But it happened that when Sanballat heard that we were
building the wall, he was angry, and took great indignation,
and mocked the Jews.
He spoke before his brothers and the army of Samaria, and
said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify
themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish in a day?
Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, since
they are burned?”
Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, “What they
are building, if a fox climbed up it, he would break down
their stone wall.”
“Hear, our God; for we are despised; and turn back their
reproach on their own head, give them up for a spoil in a land
of captivity;
don’t cover their iniquity, and don’t let their sin be blotted
out from before you; for they have insulted the builders.”
So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together to
half the height of it: for the people had a mind to
work.
But it happened that when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabians, the
Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the
walls of Jerusalem went forward, and that the breaches
began to be stopped, then they were very angry;
and they conspired all of them together to come and fight
against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion therein.
But we made our prayer to our God, and set a watch against
them day and night, because of them.
Judah said, “The strength of the bearers of burdens is fading,
and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build
the wall.”
Our adversaries said, “They shall not know, neither see, until
we come into the midst of them, and kill them, and cause the
work to cease.”
It happened that when the Jews who lived by them came, they
said to us ten times from all places, “Wherever you turn, they
will attack us.”
Therefore set I in the lowest parts of the space behind the
wall, in the open places, I set there the people after
their families with their swords, their spears, and their
bows.
I looked, and rose up, and said to the nobles, and to the
rulers, and to the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of
them! Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight
for your brothers, your sons, and your daughters, your wives,
and your houses.”
It happened, when our enemies heard that it was known to us,
and God had brought their counsel to nothing, that we returned
all of us to the wall, everyone to his work.
It happened from that time forth, that half of my servants
worked in the work, and half of them held the spears, the
shields, and the bows, and the coats of mail; and the rulers
were behind all the house of Judah.
They all built the wall and those who bore burdens loaded
themselves; everyone with one of his hands worked in the work,
and with the other held his weapon;
and the builders, everyone wore his sword at his side, and so
built. He who sounded the trumpet was by me.
I said to the nobles, and to the rulers and to the rest of the
people, “The work is great and large, and we are separated on
the wall, one far from another.
Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally there to us.
Our God will fight for us.”
So we worked in the work: and half of them held the spears
from the rising of the morning until the stars appeared.
Likewise at the same time said I to the people, “Let everyone
with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night
they may be a guard to us, and may labor in the day.”
So neither I, nor my brothers, nor my servants, nor the men of
the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes.
Everyone took his weapon to the water.
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Nehemiah 5 |
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Then there arose a great cry of the people and of their wives
against their brothers the Jews.
For there were that said, “We, our sons and our daughters, are
many. Let us get grain, that we may eat and live.”
Some also there were that said, “We are mortgaging our fields,
and our vineyards, and our houses. Let us get grain, because of
the famine.”
There were also some who said, “We have borrowed money for the
king’s tribute using our fields and our vineyards as collateral.
Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children
as their children. Behold, we bring into bondage our sons and
our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters have
been brought into bondage. Neither is it in our power to help
it; for other men have our fields and our vineyards.”
I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.
Then I consulted with myself, and contended with the nobles and
the rulers, and said to them, “You exact usury, everyone of his
brother.” I held a great assembly against them.
I said to them, “We, after our ability, have redeemed our
brothers the Jews that were sold to the nations; and would you
even sell your brothers, and should they be sold to us?” Then
they held their peace, and found never a word.
Also I said, “The thing that you do is not good. Ought you not
to walk in the fear of our God, because of the reproach of the
nations our enemies?
I likewise, my brothers and my servants, lend them money and
grain. Please let us stop this usury.
Please restore to them, even this day, their fields, their
vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, also the
hundredth part of the money, and of the grain, the new wine, and
the oil, that you are charging them.”
Then they said, “We will restore them, and will require nothing
of them; so will we do, even as you say.”
Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that
they would do according to this promise.
Also I shook out my lap, and said, “So may God shake out every
man from his house, and from his labor, that doesn’t perform
this promise; even thus be he shaken out, and emptied.”
All the assembly said, “Amen,” and praised Yahweh. The people
did according to this promise.
Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor
in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even to the two
and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is,
twelve years, I and my brothers have not eaten the bread of the
governor.
But the former governors who were before me were supported by
the people, and took bread and wine from them, besides forty
shekels of silver; yes, even their servants ruled over the
people: but I didn’t do so, because of the fear of God.
Yes, also I continued in the work of this wall, neither bought
we any land: and all my servants were gathered there to the
work.
Moreover there were at my table, of the Jews and the rulers, one
hundred fifty men, besides those who came to us from among the
nations that were around us.
Now that which was prepared for one day was one ox and six
choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten
days store of all sorts of wine: yet for all this I didn’t
demand the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy
on this people.
Remember to me, my God, for good, all that I have done for this
people.
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