Nehemías 1:1-8

1 Estas son las memorias de Nehemías, hijo de Hacalías.
Preocupación de Nehemías por Jerusalén
A finales del otoño, en el mes de
del año veinte del reinado del rey Artajerjes,
me encontraba en la fortaleza de Susa.

2 Hananí, uno de mis hermanos, vino a visitarme con algunos hombres que acababan de llegar de Judá. Les pregunté por los judíos que habían regresado del cautiverio y sobre la situación en Jerusalén.

3 Me dijeron: «Las cosas no andan bien. Los que regresaron a la provincia de Judá tienen grandes dificultades y viven en desgracia. La muralla de Jerusalén fue derribada, y las puertas fueron consumidas por el fuego».

4 Cuando oí esto, me senté a llorar. De hecho, durante varios días estuve de duelo, ayuné y oré al Dios del cielo,

5 y dije:
«Oh Señor
, Dios del cielo, Dios grande y temible que cumples tu pacto de amor inagotable con los que te aman y obedecen tus mandatos,

6 ¡escucha mi oración! Mírame y verás que oro día y noche por tu pueblo Israel. Confieso que hemos pecado contra ti. ¡Es cierto, incluso mi propia familia y yo hemos pecado!

7 Hemos pecado terriblemente al no haber obedecido los mandatos, los decretos y las ordenanzas que nos diste por medio de tu siervo Moisés.

8 »Te suplico que recuerdes lo que le dijiste a tu siervo Moisés: “Si me son infieles los dispersaré entre las naciones;

Nehemías 1:1-8 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH

This book is, by the authors of the Vulgate Latin and Arabic versions, called the "Second" Book of Ezra, it being a continuation of the same history, and was by the Jews reckoned as one book with Ezra; Kimchi on Isa 9:7, calls it Ezra, so the Talmud {a}; and it has been quoted by Christian writers under his name; see the argument of the book of Ezra; but not as if it was written by him; for it is a clear case it was written by Nehemiah, whose name it bears, as appears from Ne 1:1 and throughout Nehemiah speaks of himself under the first person; and the style also is very different from that of Ezra, being plainer and easier than his. It has always had a place in the canon of Scriptures, both with Jews and Christians; and is of use to show the fulfilment of the prophecy of Zechariah, and especially of Daniel concerning the building of the wall of Jerusalem in troublesome times; to carry on the history of the Jews, and describe the state of the church in those times, what opposition was made to it, and what enemies it had, and what must be expected when any work of God is set about; it is the last of the historical books that was written, as is thought, and contains an history of the space of about twelve years, from the twentieth of Artaxerxes to the thirty second of his reign, see \Ne 1:1 2:1 13:6\.

{a} T. Bab. Succah, fol. 37. 1. & Gloss. in ib. fol. 12. 1.

\\INTRODUCTION NEHEMIAH 1\\

This chapter relates how that Nehemiah, being at Shushan in Persia, and meeting with some Jews, inquired of the state of Jerusalem, of which having a melancholy account, he betook to mourning, fasting, and prayer, Ne 1:1-4, and his prayer is recorded, Ne 1:5-11.