| 2:1 | Then in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought to me,* I took the wine and gave it to the king. Previously* I had not been depressed* in the king’s presence.* |
| 2:2 | So the king said to me, “Why do you appear to be depressed when you aren’t sick? What can this be other than sadness of heart?” This made me very fearful. |
| 2:3 | I replied to the king, “O king, live forever! Why would I not appear dejected when the city with the graves of my ancestors* lies desolate and its gates destroyed* by fire?” |
| 2:4 | The king responded,* “What is it you are seeking?” Then I quickly prayed to the God of heaven |
| 2:5 | and said to the king, “If the king is so inclined* and if your servant has found favor in your sight, dispatch me to Judah, to the city with the graves of my ancestors, so that I can rebuild it.” |
| 2:6 | Then the king, with his consort* sitting beside him, replied, “How long would your trip take, and when would you return?” Since the king was amenable to dispatching me,* I gave him a time. |
| 2:7 | I said to the king, “If the king is so inclined, let him give me letters for the governors of Trans-Euphrates* that will enable me to travel safely until I reach Judah, |
| 2:8 | and a letter for Asaph the keeper of the king’s nature preserve,* so that he will give me timber for beams for the gates of the fortress adjacent to the temple and for the city wall* and for the house to which I go.” So the king granted me these requests,* for the good hand of my God was on me. |
| 2:9 | Then I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, and I presented to them the letters from the king. The king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen. |
| 2:10 | When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official* heard all this, they were very displeased that someone had come to seek benefit for the Israelites. |
| 2:11 | So I came to Jerusalem.* When I had been there for three days, |
| 2:12 | I got up during the night, along with a few men who were with me. But I did not tell anyone what my God was putting on my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no animals with me, except for the one* I was riding. |
| 2:13 | I proceeded through the Valley Gate by night, in the direction of the Well of the Dragons* and the Dung Gate,* inspecting* the walls of Jerusalem that had been breached and its gates that had been destroyed by fire. |
| 2:14 | I passed on to the Gate of the Well and the King’s Pool, where there was not enough room for my animal to pass with me. |
| 2:15 | I continued up the valley during the night, inspecting the wall. Then I turned back and came to the Valley Gate, and so returned. |
| 2:16 | The officials did not know where I had gone or what I had been doing, for up to this point I had not told any of the Jews or the priests or the nobles or the officials or the rest of the workers. |
| 2:17 | Then I said to them, “You see the problem that we have: Jerusalem is desolate and its gates are burned. Come on! Let’s rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that this reproach will not continue.” |
| 2:18 | Then I related to them how the good hand of my God was on me and what* the king had said to me. Then they replied, “Let’s begin rebuilding right away!”* So they readied themselves* for this good project. |
| 2:19 | But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard all this,* they derided us and expressed contempt toward us. They said, “What is this you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” |
| 2:20 | I responded to them by saying, “The God of heaven will prosper us. We his servants will start the rebuilding.* But you have no just or ancient right in Jerusalem.”* |
Nehemiah 2 - NET Bible [draft]
