1
And it came about in the monthNisan, in the twentiethyear of KingArtaxerxes, that wine was before him, and I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not beensad in his presence.
3
I said to the king, "Let the kingliveforever. Why should my face not be sadwhen the city, the place of my fathers'tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?"
5
I said to the king, "If it please the king, and if your servant has foundfavorbefore you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers'tombs, that I may rebuild it."
6
Then the kingsaid to me, the queensittingbeside him, "Howlong* will your journey be, and when will you return?" So it pleased the king to send me, and I gave him a definitetime.
7
And I said to the king, "If it please the king, let letters be given me for the governors of the provinces beyond the River, that they may allow me to passthroughuntil* I come to Judah,
8
and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king'sforest, that he may give me timber to makebeams for the gates of the fortresswhich is by the temple, for the wall of the city and for the house to which I will go." And the kinggranted them to me because the goodhand of my God was on me.
9
Then I came to the governors of the provinces beyond the River and gave them the king'sletters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen.
10
When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammoniteofficialheard about it, it was very*displeasing to them that someone had come to seek the welfare of the sons of Israel.
12
And I arose in the night, I and a fewmen with me. I did not tellanyonewhat my God was putting into my mind to do for Jerusalem and there was noanimal with me except* the animal on which I was riding.
13
So I went out at night by the ValleyGate in the direction of the Dragon'sWell and on to the RefuseGate, inspecting the walls of Jerusalemwhich were brokendown and its gates which were consumed by fire.
16
The officials did not knowwhere I had gone or what I had done; nor had I as yettold the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials or the rest who did the work.
17
Then I said to them, "You see the badsituation we are in, that Jerusalem is desolate and its gatesburned by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalemso that we will nolonger be a reproach."
18
I told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me and also about the king'swordswhich he had spoken to me. Then they said, "Let us arise and build." So they put their hands to the good work.
19
But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammoniteofficial, and Geshem the Arabheard it, they mocked us and despised us and said, "What is thisthing you are doing? Are you rebellingagainst the king?"
20
So I answered them and said to them, "The God of heaven will give us success; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you havenoportion, right or memorial in Jerusalem."