Nehemiah 1

1 The history of Nehemiah, the son of Hacaliah. Now it came about, in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, when I was in Shushan, the king's town,

The wordis of Neemye, the sone of Helchie. And it was doon in the monethe Casleu, in the twentithe yeer, and Y was in the castel Susis;

2 That Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah; and in answer to my request for news of the Jews who had been prisoners and had got away, and of Jerusalem,

and Ananye, oon of my britheren, cam to me, he and men of Juda; and Y axide hem of the Jewis, that weren left, and weren alyue of the caitifte, and of Jerusalem.

3 They said to me, The small band of Jews now living there in the land are in great trouble and shame: the wall of Jerusalem has been broken down, and its doorways burned with fire.

And thei seiden to me, Thei that `dwelliden, and ben left of the caitifte there in the prouynce, ben in greet turment, and in schenship; and the wal of Jerusalem is destried, and the yatis therof ben brent with fier.

4 Then, after hearing these words, for some days I gave myself up to weeping and sorrow, seated on the earth; and taking no food I made prayer to the God of heaven,

And whanne Y hadde herd siche wordis, Y sat and wepte, and morenede many daies, and Y fastide, and preiede bifor the face of God of heuene;

5 And said, O Lord, the God of heaven, the great God, greatly to be feared, keeping faith and mercy with those who have love for him and are true to his laws:

and Y seide, Y biseche, Lord God of heuene, strong, greet, and ferdful, which kepist couenaunt and merci with hem, that louen thee, and kepen thin heestis;

6 Let your ear now take note and let your eyes be open, so that you may give ear to the prayer of your servant, which I make before you at this time, day and night, for the children of Israel, your servants, while I put before you the sins of the children of Israel, which we have done against you: truly, I and my father's people are sinners.

thin eere be maad herknynge, and thin iyen openyd, that thou here the preier of thi seruaunt, bi which Y preie bifor thee `to dai, bi nyyt and dai, for the sones of Israel, thi seruauntis, and `Y knouleche for the synnes of the sones of Israel, bi which thei han synned to thee; bothe Y and the hows of my fadir han synned; we weren disseyued bi vanyte,

7 We have done great wrong against you, and have not kept the orders, the rules, and the decisions, which you gave to your servant Moses.

and we `kepten not `thi comaundement, and cerymonyes, and domes, which thou comaundidist to Moises, thi seruaunt.

8 Keep in mind, O Lord, the order you gave your servant Moses, saying, If you do wrong I will send you wandering among the peoples:

Haue mynde of the word, which thou comaundidist to thi seruaunt Moises, and seidist, Whanne ye han trespassid, Y schal scatere you in to puplis;

9 But if you come back to me and keep my orders and do them, even if those of you who have been forced out are living in the farthest parts of heaven, I will get them from there, and take them back to the place marked out by me for the resting-place of my name.

and if ye turnen ayen to me, that ye kepe myn heestis, and do tho, yhe, thouy ye ben led awei to the fertheste thingis of heuene, fro thennus Y schal gadere you togidere, and Y schal brynge you in to the place, which Y chees, that my name schulde dwelle there.

10 Now these are your servants and your people, whom you have made yours by your great power and by your strong hand.

And we ben thi seruauntis, and thi puple, whiche thou `ayen bouytist in thi greet strengthe, and in thi strong hond.

11 O Lord, let your ear take note of the prayer of your servant, and of the prayers of your servants, who take delight in worshipping your name: give help, O Lord, to your servant this day, and let him have mercy in the eyes of this man. (Now I was the king's wine-servant.)

Lord, Y biseche, `thin eere be ententif to the preier of thi seruaunt, and to the preier of thi seruauntis, that wolen drede thi name; and dresse thi seruaunt to dai, and yiue thou merci to him bifor this man. For Y was the boteler of the kyng.