Nehemiah 2:1-10 - Nehemiah Sent
1 In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, when wine was before him. I served the wine to the king. Never before had I been sad when the king was present. 2 The king said to me: Why is your face sad, seeing that you are not ill? This is nothing but sorrow of heart. Then I was full of fear. 3 I said to the king: May the king live a very long time. My face should look sad for the town where my fathers are buried is devastated. It has been destroyed by fire.
4 The king asked: What is your desire? So I made prayer to the God of heaven. 5 I said to the king: If it is the king's will, and if your servant has your approval, send me to Judah, to the town where the bodies of my fathers are buried, so that I may rebuild it.
6 The queen sat by him when the king said: How long will your journey take? When will you come back? So the king was pleased to send me, and I gave him a fixed time.
7 Further, I said to the king: If it is the king's pleasure, let letters be given to me for the rulers across the river so that they may let me go through till I come to Judah. 8 I need a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's park, so that he may give me wood to make boards for the doors of the tower of the house, and for the wall of the town, and for the house which is to be mine. The king gave me this, for the hand of my God was on me.
9 Then I came to the rulers of the lands across the river and gave them the king's letters. Now the king sent with me captains of the army and horsemen. 10 Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard I was coming. They were greatly troubled because a man came to help from the children of Israel.