Nehemiah 2

All 20 verses in the Clear Bible Translation. Tap a verse to compare the KJV and read what it means.

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1. 1In the month of Nisan, during the 20th year of King Artaxerxes' reign, I was serving wine to the king as usual. I picked up the wine and handed it to him. I had never looked sad in his presence before.
2. 2The king asked me, "Why do you look so sad? You're not sick, so this must be something weighing on your heart." When he said that, I became very afraid.
3. 3I answered, "Long live the king! How could I not look sad? The city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire."
4. 4The king asked me, "What are you requesting?" So I prayed to the God of heaven.
5. 5Then I said, "If it pleases the king, and if I have found favor with you, please send me to Judah — to the city where my ancestors are buried — so I can rebuild it."
6. 6The king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked, "How long will you be gone? When will you return?" He was willing to send me, so I gave him a specific timeframe.
7. 7I also asked, "If it pleases the king, give me letters for the governors of the province beyond the River, so they'll grant me safe passage on my way to Judah.
8. 8Also, a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the royal forest, so he'll provide me timber for beams — for the gates of the citadel near the temple, for the city wall, and for the house I'll live in." The king granted everything I asked, because the good hand of my God was on me.
9. 9When I arrived in the province beyond the River, I presented the king's letters to the governors there. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry to escort me.
10. 10When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard about this, they were deeply upset that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel.
11. 11I arrived in Jerusalem and stayed there for 3 days.
12. 12Then I got up during the night and took a few men with me. I didn't tell anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. The only animal with us was the one I was riding.
13. 13I went out at night through the Valley Gate, past the Dragon Well, and on to the Dung Gate, inspecting the walls of Jerusalem. They were broken down, and the gates had been destroyed by fire.
14. 14I continued on to the Fountain Gate and the King's Pool, but the rubble was so thick that my animal couldn't get through.
15. 15So I went up at night by the brook, examining the wall. Then I turned back and entered through the Valley Gate, and returned.
16. 16None of the officials knew where I had gone or what I had been doing. Up to that point, I hadn't told anyone my plans — not the Jewish leaders, the priests, the nobles, the officials, or any of the workers.
17. 17Then I said to them, "You can see the terrible shape we're in. Jerusalem is in ruins, and its gates have been burned down. Come on — let's rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so we're no longer living in disgrace."
18. 18I told them how the good hand of my God had been on me, and I shared what the king had said to me. They responded, "Let's get up and start building!" And they committed themselves wholeheartedly to the work.
19. 19But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite servant, and Geshem the Arabian heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. They said, "What is this thing you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?"
20. 20I answered them and said, "The God of heaven will give us success. We are his servants, and we will arise and build. But you have no share, no claim, and no memorial in Jerusalem."