< Nehemiah 1 >
1 These are the words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: In the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa,
λόγοι Νεεμια υἱοῦ Αχαλια καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν μηνὶ Χασεηλου ἔτους εἰκοστοῦ καὶ ἐγὼ ἤμην ἐν Σουσαν αβιρα
2 Hanani, one of my brothers, arrived with men from Judah. So I questioned them about the remnant of the Jews who had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.
καὶ ἦλθεν Ανανι εἷς ἀπὸ ἀδελφῶν μου αὐτὸς καὶ ἄνδρες Ιουδα καὶ ἠρώτησα αὐτοὺς περὶ τῶν σωθέντων οἳ κατελείφθησαν ἀπὸ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας καὶ περὶ Ιερουσαλημ
3 And they told me, “The remnant who survived the exile are there in the province, in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”
καὶ εἴποσαν πρός με οἱ καταλειπόμενοι οἱ καταλειφθέντες ἀπὸ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἐκεῖ ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ ἐν πονηρίᾳ μεγάλῃ καὶ ἐν ὀνειδισμῷ καὶ τείχη Ιερουσαλημ καθῃρημένα καὶ αἱ πύλαι αὐτῆς ἐνεπρήσθησαν ἐν πυρί
4 When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ ἀκοῦσαί με τοὺς λόγους τούτους ἐκάθισα καὶ ἔκλαυσα καὶ ἐπένθησα ἡμέρας καὶ ἤμην νηστεύων καὶ προσευχόμενος ἐνώπιον θεοῦ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ
5 Then I said: “O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps His covenant of loving devotion with those who love Him and keep His commandments,
καὶ εἶπα μὴ δή κύριε ὁ θεὸς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ὁ ἰσχυρὸς ὁ μέγας καὶ ὁ φοβερός φυλάσσων τὴν διαθήκην καὶ τὸ ἔλεος τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτὸν καὶ τοῖς φυλάσσουσιν τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ
6 let Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to hear the prayer that I, Your servant, now pray before You day and night for Your servants, the Israelites. I confess the sins that we Israelites have committed against You. Both I and my father’s house have sinned.
ἔστω δὴ τὸ οὖς σου προσέχον καὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου ἀνεῳγμένοι τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι προσευχὴν δούλου σου ἣν ἐγὼ προσεύχομαι ἐνώπιόν σου σήμερον ἡμέραν καὶ νύκτα περὶ υἱῶν Ισραηλ δούλων σου καὶ ἐξαγορεύω ἐπὶ ἁμαρτίαις υἱῶν Ισραηλ ἃς ἡμάρτομέν σοι καὶ ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ οἶκος πατρός μου ἡμάρτομεν
7 We have behaved corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, statutes, and ordinances that You gave Your servant Moses.
διαλύσει διελύσαμεν πρὸς σὲ καὶ οὐκ ἐφυλάξαμεν τὰς ἐντολὰς καὶ τὰ προστάγματα καὶ τὰ κρίματα ἃ ἐνετείλω τῷ Μωυσῇ παιδί σου
8 Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses when You said, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations,
μνήσθητι δὴ τὸν λόγον ὃν ἐνετείλω τῷ Μωυσῇ παιδί σου λέγων ὑμεῖς ἐὰν ἀσυνθετήσητε ἐγὼ διασκορπιῶ ὑμᾶς ἐν τοῖς λαοῖς
9 but if you return to Me and keep and practice My commandments, then even if your exiles have been banished to the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for My Name.’
καὶ ἐὰν ἐπιστρέψητε πρός με καὶ φυλάξητε τὰς ἐντολάς μου καὶ ποιήσητε αὐτάς ἐὰν ᾖ ἡ διασπορὰ ὑμῶν ἀπ’ ἄκρου τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐκεῖθεν συνάξω αὐτοὺς καὶ εἰσάξω αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸν τόπον ὃν ἐξελεξάμην κατασκηνῶσαι τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐκεῖ
10 They are Your servants and Your people. You redeemed them by Your great power and mighty hand.
καὶ αὐτοὶ παῖδές σου καὶ λαός σου οὓς ἐλυτρώσω ἐν δυνάμει σου τῇ μεγάλῃ καὶ ἐν τῇ χειρί σου τῇ κραταιᾷ
11 O Lord, may Your ear be attentive to my prayer and to the prayers of Your servants who delight to revere Your name. Give Your servant success this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” (At that time I was the cupbearer to the king.)
μὴ δή κύριε ἀλλ’ ἔστω τὸ οὖς σου προσέχον εἰς τὴν προσευχὴν τοῦ δούλου σου καὶ εἰς τὴν προσευχὴν παίδων σου τῶν θελόντων φοβεῖσθαι τὸ ὄνομά σου καὶ εὐόδωσον δὴ τῷ παιδί σου σήμερον καὶ δὸς αὐτὸν εἰς οἰκτιρμοὺς ἐνώπιον τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τούτου καὶ ἐγὼ ἤμην οἰνοχόος τῷ βασιλεῖ