Nehemiah 1; Nehemiah 2; Nehemiah 3; Acts 2:1-21

1 These are the words of Nehemiah, son of Hacaliah: During the month of Chislev, in Artaxerxes' twentieth year as king, while I was in the fortress at Susa,

2 one of my brothers, Hanani, arrived with some men from Judah. I asked them about the Jews who had survived captivity and about Jerusalem.

3 They told me, "Those who survived captivity are in the province. They are enduring serious troubles and being insulted. The wall of Jerusalem has been broken down, and its gates have been destroyed by fire."

4 When I heard this, I sat down and cried. I mourned for days. I continued to fast and pray to the God of heaven.

5 I said, "LORD God of heaven, great and awe-inspiring God, you faithfully keep your promise and show mercy to those who love you and obey your commandments.

6 Open your eyes, and pay close attention with your ears to what I, your servant, am praying. I am praying to you day and night about your servants the Israelites. I confess the sins that we Israelites have committed against you as well as the sins that my father's family and I have committed.

7 We have done you a great wrong. We haven't obeyed the commandments, laws, or regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses.

8 Please remember what you told us through your servant Moses: 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations.

9 But if you return to me and continue to obey my commandments, though your people may be driven to the most distant point on the horizon, I will come and get you from there and bring you to the place where I chose to put my name.'

10 These are your servants and your people whom you have saved by your great power and your strong hand.

11 Lord, please pay attention to my prayer and to the prayers of all your other servants who want to worship your name. Please give me success today and make this man, King Artaxerxes, show me compassion." I was cupbearer to the king at this time.

1 In the month of Nisan, in Artaxerxes' twentieth year as king, after some wine was brought for the king, I picked up the cup of wine and gave it to the king. I had never been sad in his presence before.

2 The king asked me, "Why do you look so sad? You aren't sick, are you? You must be troubled about something." (I was really afraid.)

3 "May the king live forever!" I said to the king. "Why shouldn't I look sad when the city, the place where my ancestors are buried, is in ruins and its gates are burned down?"

4 "What do you want?" the king asked me. So I prayed to the God of heaven,

5 and I asked the king, "If it pleases Your Majesty, and you are willing to grant my request, let me go to Judah, to the city where my ancestors are buried, so that I can rebuild it."

6 Then, while the queen was sitting beside him, the king asked me, "How long will you be gone, and when will you come back?" When I gave him a specific date, he was willing to let me go.

7 I also asked the king, "If it pleases Your Majesty, let me have letters addressed to the governors [of the province] west of the Euphrates River. In the letters tell them to grant me safe conduct until I arrive in Judah.

8 Also, let me have a letter addressed to Asaph, the supervisor of Your Majesty's forest. In the letter order him to give me wood for the gates of the fortress near the temple, for the city wall, and for the house I'll move into." (The king let me have the letters, because God was guiding me.)

9 I went to the governors [of the province] west of the Euphrates River and gave them the king's letters. (The king had sent army officers and cavalry to be with me.)

10 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, they were very upset that someone had come to give the people of Israel so much assistance.

11 I went to Jerusalem and was there for three days.

12 During the night I went out with a few men without telling anyone what my God had inspired me to do for Jerusalem. The only animal I had was the one I was riding.

13 I went through Valley Gate that night toward Snake Fountain and Dung Gate and examined the places where the walls of Jerusalem were broken down and where its gates had been burned.

14 Passing through Fountain Gate, I arrived at King's Pool, but the animal I was riding couldn't get through.

15 So I went through the valley that night and examined the wall. Then I turned back, entered Valley Gate, and returned.

16 The officials didn't know where I had gone or what I had done. I hadn't yet told the Jews, the priests, the leaders, the other officials, or any of the rest who would be doing the work.

17 Then I told them, "You see the trouble we're in. Jerusalem is in ruins, and its gates are burned down. Let's rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be insulted."

18 Then I told them that my God had been guiding me and what the king had told me. They replied, "Let's begin to rebuild." So they encouraged one another to begin this God-pleasing work.

19 When Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite servant, and Geshem the Arab heard about this, they made fun of us and ridiculed us. They asked, "What are you doing? Are you going to rebel against the king?"

20 "The God of heaven will give us success," I answered them. "We, his servants, are going to rebuild. You have no property or claim or historic right in Jerusalem."

1 The chief priest Eliashib and his relatives, the priests, started by rebuilding Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set its doors in place. They rebuilt as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated, and then as far as the Tower of Hananel.

2 The men from Jericho were rebuilding next to Eliashib. Zaccur, son of Imri, was next to them.

3 The sons of Hassenaah rebuilt Fish Gate. They laid its beams and set its doors, locks, and bars in place.

4 Next to them Meremoth, son of Uriah and grandson of Hakkoz, made repairs. Next to them Meshullam, son of Berechiah and grandson of Meshezabel, made repairs. Next to them Zadok, son of Baana, made repairs.

5 Next to them the men from Tekoa made repairs. However, the nobles wouldn't lower themselves to work under supervisors.

6 Joiada, Paseah's son, and Meshullam, Besodeiah's son, made repairs on Old Gate. They laid its beams and set its doors, locks, and bars in place.

7 Next to them Melatiah from Gibeon and Jadon from Meronoth, with men from Gibeon and Mizpah, made repairs on the wall. They did this under the authority of the governor [from the province] west of the Euphrates River.

8 Next to them Uzziel, Harhaiah's son, a goldsmith, made repairs. Next to him Hananiah, a perfume maker, made repairs. They left out part of Jerusalem as far as Broad Wall.

9 Next to them Rephaiah, Hur's son, an official in charge of half a district of Jerusalem, made repairs.

10 Next to them Jedaiah, Harumaph's son, made repairs across from his own home. Next to them Hattush, Hashabneiah's son, made repairs.

11 Malchiah, Harim's son, and Hasshub, Pahath Moab's son, made repairs on a section that included the Tower of the Ovens.

12 Next to them Shallum, Hallohesh's son, an official in charge of half a district of Jerusalem, made repairs with the help of his daughters.

13 Hanun and the people of Zanoah repaired Valley Gate. They rebuilt it and set its doors, locks, and bars in place, and they repaired 1,500 feet of the wall, as far as Dung Gate.

14 Dung Gate itself was repaired by Malchiah, Rechab's son, the official in charge of the district of Beth Hakkerem. He rebuilt it and set its doors, locks, and bars in place.

15 Shallun, Col Hozeh's son, the official in charge of the district of Mizpah, repaired Fountain Gate. He rebuilt it, put a roof over it, and set its doors, locks, and bars in place. He also made repairs on the wall of the Pool of Shelah by the King's Garden as far as the stairs going down from the City of David.

16 After him Nehemiah, Azbuk's son, the official in charge of half the district of Beth Zur, made repairs all the way to a point across from the tombs of David as far as the pool and the soldiers' barracks.

17 After him the Levites, including Rehum (Bani's son), made repairs. Next to him Hashabiah, the official in charge of half the district of Keilah, made repairs for his district.

18 After him their relatives made repairs. This included Binnui, Henadad's son, the official in charge of half the district of Keilah.

19 Next to him Ezer, Jeshua's son, the official in charge of Mizpah, repaired a section across from the ascent to the Armory at the Angle.

20 After him Baruch, Zabbai's son, made repairs on a section from the Angle to the door of the house of the chief priest Eliashib.

21 After him Meremoth, son of Uriah and grandson of Hakkoz, made repairs on a section from the door of Eliashib's house to the end of Eliashib's house.

22 After him the priests who lived in that area made repairs.

23 After them Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs across from their own homes. After them Azariah, son of Maaseiah and grandson of Ananiah, made repairs next to his home.

24 After him Binnui, Henadad's son, made repairs on a section from Azariah's home to the Angle and to the corner of the wall.

25 Palal, Uzai's son, made repairs across from the Angle and the upper tower that projects from the king's palace to the guards' courtyard. After him Pedaiah, Parosh's son,

26 and the temple servants who were living on the Ophel made repairs on the wall as far as a point across from Water Gate toward the east and the projecting tower.

27 After him the men from Tekoa repaired a section across from the large projecting tower as far as the Wall of the Ophel.

28 Above Horse Gate the priests made repairs. Each priest made repairs across from his own home.

29 After them Zadok, Immer's son, made repairs across from his own home. After him Shemaiah, Shecaniah's son, the guard at East Gate, made repairs.

30 After him Hananiah, Shelemiah's son, and Hanun, Zalaph's sixth son, repaired another section. After him Meshullam, Berechiah's son, made repairs across from his living quarters.

31 After him Malchiah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the building that housed the temple servants and merchants across from Inspection Gate and as far as the upper room at the corner.

32 The goldsmiths and merchants made repairs between the upper room at the corner and Sheep Gate.

1 When Pentecost, the fiftieth day after Passover, came, all the believers were together in one place.

2 Suddenly, a sound like a violently blowing wind came from the sky and filled the whole house where they were staying.

3 Tongues that looked like fire appeared to them. The tongues arranged themselves so that one came to rest on each believer.

4 All the believers were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak.

5 Devout Jewish men from every nation were living in Jerusalem.

6 They gathered when they heard the wind. Each person was startled to recognize his own dialect when the disciples spoke.

7 Stunned and amazed, the people in the crowd said, "All of these men who are speaking are Galileans.

8 Why do we hear them speaking in our native dialects?

9 We're Parthians, Medes, and Elamites. We're people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia,

10 Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the country near Cyrene in Libya. We're Jewish people, converts to Judaism, and visitors from Rome,

11 Crete, and Arabia. We hear these men in our own languages as they tell about the miracles that God has done."

12 All of these devout men were stunned and puzzled. They asked each other, "What can this mean?"

13 Others said jokingly, "They're drunk on sweet wine."

14 Then Peter stood up with the eleven apostles. In a loud voice he said to them, "Men of Judea and everyone living in Jerusalem! You must understand this, so pay attention to what I say.

15 These men are not drunk as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning.

16 Rather, this is what the prophet Joel spoke about:

17 'In the last days, God says, I will pour my Spirit on everyone. Your sons and daughters will speak what God has revealed. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams.

18 In those days I will pour my Spirit on my servants, on both men and women. They will speak what God has revealed.

19 I will work miracles in the sky and give signs on the earth: blood, fire, and clouds of smoke.

20 The sun will become dark, and the moon will become as red as blood before the terrifying day of the Lord comes.

21 Then whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'