< Nehemiah 2 >

1 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.
And it came to pass in the month Nissan, in the twentieth year of king Artaxerxes, that wine [stood] before him; and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. But I had never been sad in his presence.
2 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.
Then said the king unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing but an illness of heart. Then was I very greatly afraid.
3 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.
And I said unto the king, May the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth ruined, and her gates are consumed by fire?
4 And he said to me the king on what? this [are] you requesting and I prayed to [the] God of the heavens.
Then said the king unto me, For what then dost thou make request? Then did I pray to the God of heaven.
5 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.
And I said unto the king, If it seem good to the king, and if thy servant might be pleasing in thy presence, [I desire] that thou wouldst send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.
6 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.
And the king said unto me, while the queen was sitting beside him, When is thy journey to be undertaken? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to let me go; and I indicated to him a time.
7 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.
And I said unto the king, If it seem good to the king, let letters be given unto me for the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till the time that I come into Judah;
8 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.
Also a letter unto Assaph the keeper of the king's forests, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress which appertaineth to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall move into. And the king gave [them] to me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.
9 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.
And [so] came I to the governors beyond the river, and I gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent with me captains of the army and horsemen.
10 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.
When Sanballat the Choronite, and Tobiyah the servant, the 'Ammonite, heard of it, it displeased them exceedingly, that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.
11 And I came to Jerusalem and I was there days three.
So came I to Jerusalem, and remained there three days.
12 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.
Then arose I in the night, I and some few men with me; but I had not told any man what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem: nor was there any beast with me, save the beast on which I rode.
13 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.
And I went out through the gate of the valley by night, even toward the direction of the dragon-well, and to the dung-gate; and I was viewing the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates whereof were consumed by fire.
14 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.
Then passed I on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king's pool; but there was no space for the beast that was under me to pass through.
15 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.
Then went I up through the valley in the night, and I was viewing the wall, and I returned and entered through the gate of the valley, and so returned home.
16 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.
And the rulers knew not whither I was gone, or what I was doing: nor had I as yet told it to the Jews, and to the priests, and to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the superintendents of the work.
17 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.
Then said I unto them, Ye see the misery in which we are, how Jerusalem lieth in ruins, and its gates are burnt with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no more be for a reproach.
18 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.
And I told them of the hand of my God, which was good upon me, as also the king's words which he had spoken unto me. And they said, We will rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
19 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.
But when Sanballat the Choronite, and Tobiyah the servant, the 'Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye are doing? are ye rebelling against the king?
20 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.
And I returned them an answer, and said unto them, The God of heaven will indeed give us prosperity, and we his servants will truly rise up and build; but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.

< Nehemiah 2 >