< 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.
In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, he selected wine, and I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never before 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.
But the king said to me, “Why is your face so sad? You do not appear to be ill. This must be sadness of heart.” Then I became very much 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.
I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad? The city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed 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 the king said to me, “What do you want me to do?” So I prayed 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.
I replied to the king, “If it seems good to the king, and if your servant has done well in your sight, you could send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' tombs, that I may rebuild 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.
The king replied to me (and the queen was also sitting beside him), “How long shall you be away and when will you return?” The king was glad to send me when I gave him the dates.
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.
Then I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, may letters be given to me for the governors in the Province Beyond the River so that they may permit me to pass through their territories on my way to 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.
May there also be a letter for Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, so that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress next to the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house in which I will live.” So because the good hand of God was on me, the king granted me my requests.
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.
I came to the governors in the Province Beyond the River and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent with me officers 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 Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, they were greatly displeased that someone had come who was seeking to help the people of Israel.
11 And I came to Jerusalem and I was there days three.
So I came to Jerusalem and was 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.
I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. I did not tell anyone what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me, other than the one I was riding.
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.
I went out by night by the Valley Gate, toward the Jackal's Well and to the Dung Gate, and inspected the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken open, and the wooden gates were destroyed 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 I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King's Pool. The place was too narrow for the animal I was riding 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.
So I went up that night by the valley and inspected the wall, and I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned.
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.
The rulers did not know where I went or what I did, and I had not yet informed the Jews, nor the priests, nor the nobles, nor the rulers, nor the rest who did 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.
I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so we will no longer be in disgrace.”
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.
I told them that the good hand of my God was on me and also about the king's words that he had spoken to me. They said, “Let us 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 Horonite, and Tobiah the Ammonite servant, and Geshem the Arabian heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us, and they said, “What are you doing? Are you 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.
Then I answered them, “The God of heaven will give us success. We are his servants and we will arise and build. But you have no share, no right, and no historic claim in Jerusalem.”

< Nehemiah 2 >