So the king said to me, “Why do you look sad when you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart.” Then I was very frightened,

Then I got up in the night, I and a few men with me. I did not tell anyone what my God was putting in my heart to do for Jerusalem, and there was no animal with me except the one on which I was riding [so as not to attract attention].

So we built the wall and the entire wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a heart to work.

I sent a message to him, saying, “Such things as you are saying have not been done; you are inventing them in your own mind.”

Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials, and the people to be registered by genealogy. Then I found the register of the genealogy of those who came [from Babylon] first, and I found the following record:

“You found his heart to be faithful before You,And You made a covenant with himTo give him the land of the Canaanite,Of the Hittite, of the Amorite,Of the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite—To give it to his descendants.And You have fulfilled Your promise,For You are righteous and just.

and I provided for the wood offering at appointed times and for the first fruits. O my God, [please] remember me for good [and imprint me on Your heart].