And it came about in the month
Nisan
, ain the twentieth
year
of King
bArtaxerxes
, that wine
was before
him, and cI took
up the wine
and gave
it to the king
. Now I had not been
sad
in his presence
.
So the king said
to me, "Why
is your face
sad
though you are not sick
? aThis
is nothing
but sadness
of heart
." Then I was very
much
afraid
.
I said to the king
, " aLet the king
live
forever
. Why
should my face
not be sad
bwhen
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
?" aSo I prayed
to the God
of heaven
.
I said to the king
, "If
it please
the king
, and if
your servant
has found
favor
before
you, send
me to Judah
, to the city
of my fathers'
tombs
, that I may rebuild
it."
Then the king said
to me, the queen
sitting
beside
him, "How
long
will your journey
be, and when
will you return
?" So it pleased
the king
to send
me, and aI gave
him a definite
time
.
And I said to the king
, "If
it please
the king
, let letters
be given
me afor the governors
of the provinces beyond
the River
, that they may allow me to pass
through
until
I come
to Judah
,
and a letter to Asaph
the keeper
of the king's
aforest
, that he may give
me timber
to make
beams
for the gates
of bthe fortress
which
is by the 1temple
, for the wall
of the city
and for the house
to which
I will go
." And the king
granted
them to me because cthe good
hand
of my God
was on me.
Then I came to athe governors
of the provinces beyond
the River
and gave
them the king's
letters
. Now bthe king
had sent
with me officers
of the army
and horsemen
.
When aSanballat the Horonite
and Tobiah
the Ammonite
1official
heard
about it, it was very
displeasing
to them that someone
had come
to seek
the welfare
of the sons
of Israel
.
So I acame to Jerusalem
and was there
three
days
.
And I arose in the night
, I and a few
men
with me. I did not tell
anyone
what
my God
was putting
into my 1mind
to do
for Jerusalem
and there
was no
animal
with me except
the animal
on which
I was riding
.
So I went out at night
by athe Valley
Gate
in the direction
of the Dragon's
Well
and on to the 1Refuse
Gate
, inspecting
the walls
of Jerusalem
bwhich
were broken
down
and its cgates
which were consumed
by fire
.
Then I passed on to athe Fountain
Gate
and bthe King's
Pool
, but there
was no
place
for 1my mount
to pass
.
So I went up at night
by the aravine
and inspected
the wall
. Then I entered
the Valley
Gate
again and returned
.
The officials did not know
where
I had gone
or what
I had done
; nor
had I as yet
told
the Jews
, the priests
, the nobles
, the officials
or the rest
who did
the work
.
Then I said to them, "You see
the bad
situation
we are in, that aJerusalem
is desolate
and its gates
burned
by fire
. Come
, let us rebuild
the wall
of Jerusalem
so
that we will no
longer
be a reproach
."
I told them how
the hand
of my God
had been favorable
to me and also
about the king's
words
which
he had spoken
to me. Then they said
, "Let us arise
and build
." aSo they put
their hands
to the good
work.
But when Sanballat the Horonite
and Tobiah
the Ammonite
1official
, and aGeshem
the Arab
heard
it, bthey mocked
us and despised
us and said
, "What
is this
thing
you are doing
? aAre you rebelling
against
the king
?"
So I answered them and said
to them, " aThe God
of heaven
will give
us success
; therefore we His servants
will arise
and build
, bbut you have
no
portion
, right
or memorial
in Jerusalem
."