And they said unto me, "The remnant of the captivity are there in the land in great misfortune and rebuke. The walls of Jerusalem are broken down, and the gates thereof are burnt with fire."

and said, "O LORD God of heaven, thou great and terrible God, thou that keepest covenant and mercy for them that love thee and observe thy commandments:

Then said the king unto me, "Why lookest thou so sadly? Thou art not sick, that is not the matter, but thou art heavy hearted."

Nevertheless I was sore afraid and said unto the king, "God save the king's life forever, should I not look sadly? The city of my fathers' burial lieth waste and the gates thereof are consumed with fire."

Then said the king unto me, "What, then, is thy request?" Then made I my prayer to the God of heaven,

and said unto the king, "If it please the king, and if thy servant be favoured in thy sight, I beseech thee: send me in to Judah unto the city of my fathers' burial, that I may build it."

And the king said unto me, the queen his wife sitting by him, "How long shall thy journey continue, and when wilt thou come again?" And it pleased the king to send me, and I set him a time,

and said unto the king, "If it please the king, let him give me letters to the captains beyond the water, that they may convey me over, till I come into Judah:

And I said unto them, "Ye see the misery that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and how the gates thereof are burnt with fire. Come, let us build up the walls of Jerusalem, that we be no more a rebuke."

And I told them of the good hand of my God which was upon me; and the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, "Then let us get up and build," and strengthened their hands to good.

But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant of the Ammonites, and Geshem the Arabian heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, "What is this that ye do? Will ye fall away again from the king?"

Then answered I them, and said, "The God of heaven, he it is that causeth us to prosper: and we be his servants. Let us get up and build. As for you: ye have no portion, nor right, nor remembrance in Jerusalem."

and said before his brethren and the soldiers of Samaria, "What do these impotent Jews? Shall they be thus suffered? Shall they offer? Shall they perform it in one day? Shall they make the stones whole again that are brought to dust, and burnt?"

And Tobiah the Ammonite beside him said, "Let them build on: if a fox go up, he shall break down their stony wall."

And Judah said, "The strength of the bearers is too feeble, and there is too much dust, we are not able to build on the wall."

and looked, and gat me up, and said unto the chief men and rulers, and to the other people, "Be not ye afraid of them, but think rather upon the great LORD, which ought to be feared; and fight for your brethren, sons, daughters, wives, and houses."

And I said unto the principal men, and rulers, and to the other people, "The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another.

And at the same time said I unto the people, "Every one abide with his servant at Jerusalem, that in the night season we may give attendance to the watch, and to labour on the daytime."

For there were some that said, "Our sons and daughters and we are too many, let us take corn for them to eat, that we may live."

Some said, "Let us set our lands, vineyards, and houses, to pledge, and take up corn in the dearth."

But some said, "Let us borrow money of the king's tribute for our lands and vineyards.

and I advised so in my mind, that I rebuked the councilors and the rulers, and said unto them, "Will ye require usury one of another?" And I brought a great congregation against them,

and said unto them, "We, after our ability, have bought our brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the Heathen. And will ye sell your brethren, whom we have bought unto us?" Then held they their peace, and could find nothing to answer.

Also I said, "It is not good, that ye do. Ought ye not to walk in the fear of God because of the rebuke of the Heathen our enemies?

Then said they, "We will restore them again and will require nothing of them and will do as thou hast spoken." And I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do so.

And I shook my lap, and said, "God shake out every man after the same manner from his house and labour, that maintaineth not this word: even thus be he shaken out, and void." And all the congregation said, "Amen," and praised the LORD. And the people did so.

wherein was written, "It is told the Heathen, and Geshem hath said it, that thou and the Jews think to rebel: for the which cause thou buildest the wall, and wilt be their king in these matters;

And I came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabel, and he had shut himself within, and said, "Let us come together in to the house of God, even unto the midst of the temple, and shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee, yea even in the night will they come to put thee to death."

But I said, "Should any such man as I flee? Who is that, being as I am, that will go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in."

and I said unto them, "Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot; and while they are yet standing in the watch, the doors shall be shut and barred." And there were certain citizens of Jerusalem appointed to be watchmen every one in his watch, and about his house.

And Hathirsatha said unto them that they should not eat of the most holy, till there came up a Priest with light and perfectness.

Now when the seventh month drew nigh, and the children of Israel were in their cities, all the people gathered themselves together as one man upon the street before the Watergate, and said unto Ezra the scribe that he should fetch the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD commanded to Israel.

And Nehemiah - which is Hathirsatha - and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites that caused the people to take heed, said unto all the people, "This day is holy unto the LORD your God: be not ye sorry therefore, and weep not." For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law.

Therefore said he unto them, "Go your way, and eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send part unto them also that have not prepared themselves: for this day is holy unto our LORD. Be not ye sorry therefore: for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

And the Levites stilled all the people, and said, "Hold your peace, for the day is holy: vex not ye yourselves."

And the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, "Stand up praise the LORD your God forever: and let thanks be given unto the name of thy glory, which exceedeth all thanksgiving and praise.

And though they made a molten calf, and said 'This is thy God, that brought thee out of the land of Egypt,' and did great blasphemies,

Then reproved I the rulers, and said, "Why forsake we the house of God?" But I gathered them together, and set them in their place.

Then reproved I the rulers in Judah, and said unto them, "What evil thing is this that ye do, and break the Sabbath day?

Then reproved I them sore, and said unto them, "Why tarry ye all night about the wall? If ye do it once again, I will lay hands upon you." From that time forth came they no more on the Sabbath.

And I said unto the Levites which were clean, that they should come and keep the gates, to hallow the Sabbath day. Think upon me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to thy great mercy!