1
The
words of
Nehemiah the
son of
Hacaliah. Now it
happened in the
month Chislev, in the
twentieth year, while I was in
Susa the
capitol,
wel.siK -v,d{x.b yih.y;w h'y.l;k]x -n,B h'y.m,x.n yer.biD ? h'ryiB;h !;v.Wv.B yityIy'h yin]a;w ~yir.f,[ t;n.v
2
that
Hanani,
one of my
brothers, and some
men from
Judah came; and I
asked them
concerning the
Jews who had
escaped and had
survived the
captivity, and
about Jerusalem.
h'd.Whyim ~yiv'n]a;w a.Wh y;x;aem d'x,a yin'n]x a{b'Y;w ? .Wr]a.vin -r,v]a h'jyel.P;h ~yid.Wh.Y;h -l;[ ~el'a.v,a'w ? ~i'l'v.Wr.y -l;[.w yib,V;h -nim
3
They
said to me, "The
remnant there in the
province who survived the
captivity are in
great distress and
reproach, and the
wall of
Jerusalem is
broken down and its
gates are
burned with
fire."
yib.V;h -nim .Wr]a.vin -r,v]a ~yir'a.viN;h yil .Wr.ma{Y;w ? t;mw{x.w h'P.r,x.b.W h'l{d.g h'['r.B h'nyid.M;B ~'v ? vea'b .Wt.Cin 'hy,r'[.v.W t,c'r{p.m ~i;l'v.Wr.y
4
When I
heard these words, I
sat down and
wept and
mourned for
days; and I was
fasting and
praying before the
God of
heaven.
yiT.b;v'y h,Lea'h ~yir'b.D;h -t,a yi[.m'v.K yih.y;w ? leL;P.tim.W ~'c yih/a'w ~yim'y h'l.B;a.t,a'w h,K.b,a'w ? ~Iy'm'V;h yeh{l/a yen.pil
5
I
said, "I
beseech You, O
LORD God of
heaven, the
great and
awesome God, who
preserves the
covenant and
lovingkindness for those who
love Him and
keep His
commandments,
lw{d'G;h lea'h ~Iy;m'V;h yeh{l/a h'wh.y a'N'a r;m{a'w ? yer.m{v.l.W wy'b]h{a.l d,s,x'w tyir.B;h rem{v a'rw{N;h.w ? wy't{w.cim
6
let Your
ear now be
attentive and Your
eyes open to
hear the
prayer of Your
servant which I am
praying before You
now,
day and
night, on
behalf of the
sons of
Israel Your
servants,
confessing the
sins of the
sons of
Israel which we have
sinned against You; I and my
father's house have
sinned.
]tw{x.WUt.p '$y,nye[.w t,b,V;q -'k.n.z'a a'n yih.T ? leL;P.tim yik{n'a r,v]a '$.D.b;[ t;Lip.T -l,a ;[{m.vil ? lea'r.fIy yen.B -l;[ h'l.y;l'w ~'mw{y ~w{Y;h '$y,n'p.l ? lea'r.fIy -yen.B twa{J;x -l;[ h,D;w.tim.W '$y,d'b][ ? .Wna'j'x yib'a -tyeb.W yin]a;w .$'l .Wna'j'x r,v]a
7
"We have
acted very corruptly against You and have not
kept the
commandments,
nor the
statutes,
nor the
ordinances which You
commanded Your
servant Moses.
t{w.ciM;h -t,a .Wn.r;m'v -a{l.w .$'l .Wn.l;b'x l{b]x ? 'tyi.Wic r,v]a ~yij'P.viM;h -t,a.w ~yiQUx;h -t,a.w ? '$,D.b;[ h,v{m -t,a
8
"Remember the
word which You
commanded Your
servant Moses,
saying, 'If you are
unfaithful I will
scatter you among the
peoples;
h,v{m -t,a 'tyi.Wic r,v]a r'b'D;h -t,a a'n -r'k.z ? ~,k.t,a #yip'a yin]a .Wl'[.miT ~,T;a r{mael '$.D.b;[ ? ~yiM;['B
9
but if you
return to Me and
keep My
commandments and
do them,
though those of you who have been
scattered were in the
most remote part of the
heavens, I will
gather them from
there and will
bring them to the
place where * I have
chosen to cause My
name to
dwell.'
~'t{a ~,tyif][;w y;t{w.cim ~,T.r;m.v.W y;lea ~,T.b;v.w ? ~ec.B;q]a ~'Vim ~Iy;m'V;h hec.qiB ~,k]x;Din h,y.hIy -mia ? !eK;v.l yiT.r;x'B r,v]a ~w{q'M;h -l,a ~yit{aw{b]h;w ? ~'v yim.v -t,a
10
"They are Your
servants and Your
people whom You
redeemed by Your
great power and by Your
strong hand.
lw{d'G;h '$]x{k.B 'tyid'P r,v]a '$,M;[.w '$y,d'b][ ~eh.w ? h'q'z]x;h '$.d'y.b.W
11
"O Lord, I
beseech You, may Your
ear be
attentive to the
prayer of Your
servant and the
prayer of Your
servants who
delight to
revere Your
name, and
make Your
servant successful today and
grant him
compassion before this man." Now I was the
cupbearer to the
king.
t;Lip.T -l,a t,b,V;q -'k.n.z'a a'n yih.T y'n{d]a a'N'a ? h'a.rIy.l ~yicep]x;h '$y,d'b][ t;Lip.T -l,a.w '$.D.b;[ ? ~w{Y;h '$.D.b;[.l a'N -h'xyil.c;h.w '$,m.v -t,a ? yin]a;w h,Z;h vyia'h yen.pil ~yim]x;r.l .When.t.W ? .$,l,M;l h,q.v;m yityIy'h