They said to me, “The remnant in the province, who survived the exile, are in great trouble and disgrace. Jerusalem’s wall has been broken down, and its gates have been burned down.”

let Your eyes be open and Your ears be attentive to hear Your servant’s prayer that I now pray to You day and night for Your servants, the Israelites. I confess the sins we have committed against You. Both I and my father’s house have sinned.

Please, Lord, let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and to that of Your servants who delight to revere Your name. Give Your servant success today, and have compassion on him in the presence of this man.

At the time, I was the king’s cupbearer.

so the king said to me, “Why are you sad, when you aren’t sick? This is nothing but depression.”

I was overwhelmed with fear

Then the king asked me, “What is your request?”

So I prayed to the God of heaven

and answered the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor with you, send me to Judah and to the city where my ancestors are buried, so that I may rebuild it.”

The king, with the queen seated beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you return?” So I gave him a definite time, and it pleased the king to send me.

I also said to the king: “If it pleases the king, let me have letters written to the governors of the region west of the Euphrates River, so that they will grant me safe passage until I reach Judah.

And let me have a letter written to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so that he will give me timber to rebuild the gates of the temple’s fortress, the city wall, and the home where I will live.” The king granted my requests, for I was graciously strengthened by my God.

I went to the governors of the region west of the Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent officers of the infantry and cavalry with me.

I went out at night through the Valley Gate toward the Serpent’s Well and the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that had been broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire.

I went on to the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but farther down it became too narrow for my animal to go through.

So I went up at night by way of the valley and inspected the wall. Then heading back, I entered through the Valley Gate and returned.

So I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates have been burned down. Come, let’s rebuild Jerusalem’s wall, so that we will no longer be a disgrace.”

I told them how the gracious hand of my God had been on me, and what the king had said to me.

They said, “Let’s start rebuilding,” and they were encouraged to do this good work.

Shallun son of Col-hozeh, ruler over the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate. He rebuilt it and roofed it. Then he installed its doors, bolts, and bars. He also made repairs to the wall of the Pool of Shelah near the king’s garden, as far as the stairs that descend from the city of David.

Beside him Meremoth son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz, made repairs to another section, from the door of Eliashib’s house to the end of his house.

So we rebuilt the wall until the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had the will to keep working.

So we prayed to our God and stationed a guard because of them day and night.

In Judah, it was said:

The strength of the laborer fails,
since there is so much rubble.
We will never be able
to rebuild the wall.

And our enemies said, “They won’t know or see anything until we’re among them and can kill them and stop the work.”

So I stationed people behind the lowest sections of the wall, at the vulnerable areas. I stationed them by families with their swords, spears, and bows.

So we continued the work, while half of the men were holding spears from daybreak until the stars came out.

At that time, I also said to the people, “Let everyone and his servant spend the night inside Jerusalem, so that they can stand guard by night and work by day.”

Some were saying, “We, our sons, and our daughters are numerous. Let us get grain so that we can eat and live.”

Still others were saying, “We have borrowed money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards.

After seriously considering the matter, I accused the nobles and officials, saying to them, “Each of you is charging his countrymen interest.” So I called a large assembly against them

and said, “We have done our best to buy back our Jewish countrymen who were sold to foreigners, but now you sell your own countrymen, and we have to buy them back.” They remained silent and could not say a word.

They responded: “We will return these things and require nothing more from them. We will do as you say.”

So I summoned the priests and made everyone take an oath to do this.

Each day, one ox, six choice sheep, and some fowl were prepared for me. An abundance of all kinds of wine was provided every 10 days. But I didn’t demand the food allotted to the governor, because the burden on the people was so heavy.

Sanballat and Geshem sent me a message: “Come, let’s meet together in the villages of the Ono Valley.” But they were planning to harm me.

So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?”

and have even set up the prophets in Jerusalem to proclaim on your behalf: “There is a king in Judah.” These rumors will be heard by the king. So come, let’s confer together.

He was hired, so that I would be intimidated, do as he suggested, sin, and get a bad reputation, in order that they could discredit me.

During those days, the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them.

These nobles kept mentioning Tobiah’s good deeds to me, and they reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.

Parosh’s descendants2,172

Shephatiah’s descendants372

Arah’s descendants652

Pahath-moab’s descendants: Jeshua’s and Joab’s descendants 2,818

Elam’s descendants1,254

Zattu’s descendants845

Zaccai’s descendants760

Binnui’s descendants648

Bebai’s descendants628

Azgad’s descendants2,322

Adonikam’s descendants667

Bigvai’s descendants2,067

Adin’s descendants655

Ater’s descendants: of Hezekiah98

Hashum’s descendants328

Bezai’s descendants324

Hariph’s descendants112

Gibeon’s descendants95

Bethlehem’s and Netophah’s men188

Anathoth’s men128

Beth-azmaveth’s men42

Kiriath-jearim’s, Chephirah’s, and Beeroth’s men743

Ramah’s and Geba’s men621

Michmas’s men122

Bethel’s and Ai’s men123

the other Nebo’s men52

the other Elam’s people1,254

Harim’s people320

Jericho’s people345

Lod’s, Hadid’s, and Ono’s people721

Senaah’s people3,930.

The priests included:

Jedaiah’s descendants of the house of Jeshua 973

Immer’s descendants1,052

Pashhur’s descendants1,247

Harim’s descendants1,017.

The Levites included:

Jeshua’s descendants: of Kadmiel Hodevah’s descendants 74.

The singers included:

Asaph’s descendants 148.

The gatekeepers included:

Shallum’s descendants, Ater’s descendants, Talmon’s descendants, Akkub’s descendants, Hatita’s descendants, Shobai’s descendants 138.

The temple servants included:

Ziha’s descendants, Hasupha’s descendants,
Tabbaoth’s descendants,

Keros’s descendants,
Sia’s descendants, Padon’s descendants,

Lebanah’s descendants, Hagabah’s descendants,
Shalmai’s descendants,

Hanan’s descendants,
Giddel’s descendants, Gahar’s descendants,

Reaiah’s descendants, Rezin’s descendants,
Nekoda’s descendants,

Gazzam’s descendants,
Uzza’s descendants, Paseah’s descendants,

Besai’s descendants, Meunim’s descendants,
Nephishesim’s descendants,

Bakbuk’s descendants,
Hakupha’s descendants, Harhur’s descendants,

Bazlith’s descendants, Mehida’s descendants,
Harsha’s descendants,

Barkos’s descendants,
Sisera’s descendants, Temah’s descendants,

Neziah’s descendants, Hatipha’s descendants.

The descendants of Solomon’s servants included:

Sotai’s descendants, Sophereth’s descendants,
Perida’s descendants,

Jaala’s descendants,
Darkon’s descendants, Giddel’s descendants,

Shephatiah’s descendants, Hattil’s descendants,
Pochereth-hazzebaim’s descendants, Amon’s descendants.

All the temple servants and the descendants of Solomon’s servants 392.

Delaiah’s descendants, Tobiah’s descendants, and Nekoda’s descendants 642

These searched for their entries in the genealogical records, but they could not be found, so they were disqualified from the priesthood.

So the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, temple singers, some of the people, temple servants, and all Israel settled in their towns.

When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns,

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They read out of the book of the law of God, translating and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was read.

So they proclaimed and spread this news throughout their towns and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the hill country and bring back branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, just as it is written.”

You saw the oppression of our ancestors in Egypt
and heard their cry at the Red Sea.

You divided the sea before them,
and they crossed through it on dry ground.
You hurled their pursuers into the depths
like a stone into churning waters.

So their descendants went in and possessed the land:
You subdued the Canaanites who inhabited the land before them
and handed their kings and the surrounding peoples over to them,
to do as they pleased with them.

So You handed them over to their enemies,
who oppressed them.
In their time of distress, they cried out to You,
and You heard from heaven.
In Your abundant compassion
You gave them deliverers, who rescued them
from the power of their enemies.

But as soon as they had relief,
they again did what was evil in Your sight.
So You abandoned them to the power of their enemies,
who dominated them.
When they cried out to You again,
You heard from heaven and rescued them
many times in Your compassion.

So now, our God—the great, mighty,
and awe-inspiring God who keeps His gracious covenant—
do not view lightly all the hardships that have afflicted us,
our kings and leaders,
our priests and prophets,
our ancestors and all Your people,
from the days of the Assyrian kings until today.