< Nehemiah 2 >

1 And it came about 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 never before been sad when the king was present.
And it was - in [the] month of Nisan year twenty of Artaxerxes the king wine [was] before him and I took the wine and I gave [it]! to the king and not I had been sad before him.
2 And the king said to me, Why is your face sad, seeing that you are not ill? this is nothing but sorrow of heart. Then I was full of fear;
And he said to me the king why? - [is] face your sad and you not you [are] sick [is] nothing this that except sadness of heart and I was afraid greatly very.
3 And said to the king, May the king be living for ever: is it not natural for my face to be sad, when the town, the place where the bodies of my fathers are at rest, has been made waste and its doorways burned with fire?
And I said to the king the king for ever may he live why? not will they be sad face my that the city [the] house of [the] tombs of ancestors my [is] desolate and gates its they have been consumed by fire.
4 Then the king said to me, What is your desire? So I made prayer to the God of heaven.
And he said to me the king on what? this [are] you requesting and I prayed to [the] God of the heavens.
5 And I said to the king, If it is the king's pleasure, and if your servant has your approval, send me to Judah, to the town where the bodies of my fathers are at rest, so that I may take in hand the building of it.
And I said to the king if [is] on the king good and if he is good servant your before you that you will send me to Judah to [the] city of [the] tombs of ancestors my and I will rebuild it.
6 And the king said to me (the queen being seated by his side), How long will your journey take, and when will you come back? So the king was pleased to send me, and I gave him a fixed time.
And he said to me the king and the queen-consort - [was] sitting beside him until when? will it be journey your and when? will you return and it was good before the king and he sent me and I gave! to him a time.
7 Further, I said to the king, If it is the king's pleasure, let letters be given to me for the rulers across the river, so that they may let me go through till I come to Judah;
And I said to the king if [is] on the king good letters let people give to me to [the] governors of beyond the River that they will allow to pass through me until that I will come to Judah.
8 And a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's park, so that he may give me wood to make boards for the doors of the tower of the house, and for the wall of the town, and for the house which is to be mine. And the king gave me this, for the hand of my God was on me.
And a letter to Asaph [the] keeper of the forest which [belongs] to the king that he will give to me wood to make beams for [the] gates of the citadel which [belongs] to the house and for [the] wall of the city and for the house which I will go into it and he gave [them] to me the king according to [the] hand of God my good on me.
9 Then I came to the rulers of the lands across the river and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent with me captains of the army and horsemen.
And I went to [the] governors of beyond the River and I gave! to them [the] letters of the king and he had sent with me the king commanders of [the] army and horsemen.
10 And Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, hearing of it, were greatly troubled because a man had come to the help of the children of Israel.
And he heard Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the servant the Ammonite and it was displeasing to them displeasure great that he had come someone to seek good for [the] people of Israel.
11 So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days.
And I came to Jerusalem and I was there days three.
12 And in the night I got up, taking with me a small band of men; I said nothing to any man of what God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem: and I had no beast with me but the one on which I was seated.
And I arose - night I and men - a few with me and not I had told to anyone what? [was] God my putting into heart my to do for Jerusalem and an animal there not [was] with me that except the animal which I [was] riding on it.
13 And I went out by night, through the doorway of the valley, and past the dragon's water-spring as far as the place where waste material was put, viewing the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down, and the doorways which had been burned with fire.
And I went out! by [the] gate of the valley night and to [the] face [the] Spring of [the] Dragons and to [the] gate of the dung and I was examining [the] walls of Jerusalem which (they - [were] broken down *Q(K)*) and gates its they had been consumed by fire.
14 Then I went on to the door of the fountain and to the king's pool: but there was no room for my beast to get through.
And I passed on to [the] gate of the spring and to [the] pool of the king and there not [was] room for the animal to pass through under me.
15 Then in the night, I went up by the stream, viewing the wall; then turning back, I went in by the door in the valley, and so came back.
And I was going up in the wadi night and I was examining the wall and I turned back and I went in [the] gate of the valley and I returned.
16 And the chiefs had no knowledge of where I had been or what I was doing; and I had not then said anything to the Jews or to the priests or the great ones or the chiefs or the rest of those who were doing the work.
And the officials not they knew where? had I gone and what? [was] I doing and to the Jews and to the priests and to the nobles and to the officials and to [the] rest [who was] doing the work until thus not I had told.
17 Then I said to them, You see what a bad condition we are in; how Jerusalem is a waste, and its doorways burned with fire: come, let us get to work, building up the wall of Jerusalem, so that we may no longer be put to shame.
And I said to them you [are] seeing the trouble which we [are] in it that Jerusalem [is] desolate and gates its they have been burned with fire come so we may rebuild [the] wall of Jerusalem and not we will be again a reproach.
18 Then I gave them an account of how the hand of my God was on me, helping me; and of the king's words which he had said to me. And they said, Let us get to work on the building. So they made their hands strong for the good work.
And I told to them [about] [the] hand of God my that it [was] good on me and also [the] words of the king which he had spoken to me and they said let us arise and we will rebuild and they strengthened hands their for good.
19 But Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, hearing of it, made sport of us, laughing at us and saying, What are you doing? will you go against the king?
And he heard Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah - the servant the Ammonite and Geshem the Arab and they mocked us and they despised us and they said what? [is] the thing this which you [are] doing ¿ on the king [are] you rebelling.
20 Then answering them I said, The God of heaven, he will be our help; so we his servants will go on with our building: but you have no part or right or any name in Jerusalem.
And I brought back them word and I said to them [the] God of the heavens he he will grant success to us and we servants his we will arise and we will rebuild and [belongs] to you not a share and a right and a memorial in Jerusalem.

< Nehemiah 2 >