Nehemiah 2
1 After King Artaxerxes [had been ruling the Persian Empire] for almost 20 years, (during the spring/before the hot season) of that year, when it was time to serve wine to him [during a feast], I took the wine and gave it to him. I had never looked sad when I was in front of him before, [but on that day he saw that I looked very sad].
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 So he asked me, “Why are you sad? [I know that] you are not sick. It must be that you are troubled about something.” Then I was very afraid, [because it was not proper to be sad when I came to the king] (OR, [because I was worried what the king would do to me if he refused to do what I was about to request him to do]).
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 I replied, “Your majesty, I hope you will live a very long time! But (how can I prevent myself from being sad, because the city where my ancestors are buried [has been destroyed] and is in ruins?/I cannot keep myself from looking sad, because the city where my ancestors are buried [has been destroyed and] is in ruins.) [RHQ] [Even] the city gates have been completely burned.”
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 The king replied, “What do you want me to do [for you]?” I prayed [silently] to our God [who is/rules] in heaven.
And he said to me the king on what? this [are] you requesting and I prayed to [the] God of the heavens.
5 Then I replied, “If you are willing [to do it], and if I have pleased you, send me to the city [of Jerusalem] in Judah [province] where my ancestors are buried, in order that I may [help people to] rebuild the city.”
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 While the queen was sitting beside the king, he asked, [“If I allow you to go, ] how long will you be gone? When will you return?” [I told the king how long I would be gone, and] the king gave me permission to go, and I told him what day [I wanted to leave].
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 I also said to the king, “If you are willing to do it, write letters for me to take to the governors of the province west of the [Euphrates] River. Tell them to allow me to travel safely [through their province] until I arrive in 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 Also, [please write] a letter to Asaph, the man who takes care of your forest [in that area], telling him to give me timber to make the beams to support the gates of the fortress that is near the temple, and timber for making the walls of the city, and for building the house in which I [will live].” The king did what I requested him to do, because my God was graciously/kindly (helping/acting for) 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 [After I got ready, I left to travel to Judah]. The king sent some army officers and soldiers riding on horses to accompany me, [to protect me]. When I came to where the governors of the provinces west of the [Euphrates] River lived, I gave them the letters that the king had written.
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 But when [two government officials, ] Sanballat from [a village near] Horon and Tobiah from the Ammon [people-group], heard that I had arrived, they were very angry that someone had come to help the Israeli people.
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 When I arrived in Jerusalem, I did not tell anyone what thoughts God had given to me about what I should do there. Three days after I arrived in Jerusalem, I went out of the city in the evening, taking a few other men with me. I was riding a donkey; we had no other animals with us.
And I came to Jerusalem and I was there days three.
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 We left the city, going out through the Valley Gate, then past the well called the Jackal (OR, Dragon’s) Well, and then past the gate called the Rubbish/Garbage Gate. We inspected all the walls that had been broken down and all the gates that had been burned down.
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 we went to the Fountain Gate and to the pool called the King’s Pool, but my donkey could not get through [the narrow opening] (OR, [the rubble]).
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 So we turned back and went along the [Kidron] Valley. We inspected the wall there before we turned back/around and entered the city again at the Valley Gate.
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 The [city] officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because I had not told anyone about what I planned to do. I had not said anything about it to the Jewish leaders or the officials or the priests or any of the others who would be helping me in the work [that I wanted to do].
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 But now I said to them, “You all know very well the terrible things [that have happened to] our city. The city is ruined; even the gates are burned down. So we should rebuild the city wall. If we do that, we will no longer feel humiliated/disgraced.”
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 told them about how God had kindly/graciously helped me [when I talked to the king], and what the king had said to me. They immediately replied, “Let’s start rebuilding!” So they started to do this 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 when Sanballat, Tobiah, and Gershom the Arab [king of the Kedar region] heard about what we planned to do, they made fun of us and ridiculed us. They said, “What is this work that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king [again]?” [RHQ]
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 But I replied, “Our God [who is/rules] in heaven will help our plans to succeed. But as for you, you have no right to decide anything about this city, because you have not participated in what has happened in this city in previous years.”
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.
