Nehemiah 1

English TL (The Living Bible) (1971)

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1The autobiography of Nehemiah, the son of Hecaliah: In December of the twentieth year of the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia, when I was at the palace at Shushan,

2one of my fellow Jews named Hanani came to visit me with some men who had arrived from Judah. I took the opportunity to inquire about how things were going in Jerusalem. “How are they getting along—,“ I asked, “the Jews who returned to Jerusalem from their exile here?“

3“Well,“ they replied, “things are not good; the wall of Jerusalem is still torn down, and the gates are burned.“

4When I heard this, I sat down and cried. In fact, I refused to eat for several days, for I spent the time in prayer to the God of heaven.

5“O Lord God,“ I cried out; “O great and awesome God who keeps his promises and is so loving and kind to those who love and obey him! Hear my prayer!

6Listen carefully to what I say! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you;

7yes, I and my people have committed the horrible sin of not obeying the commandments you gave us through your servant Moses.

8Oh, please remember what you told Moses! You said, 'If you sin, I will scatter you among the nations;

9but if you return to me and obey my laws, even though you are exiled to the farthest corners of the universe, I will bring you back to Jerusalem. For Jerusalem is the place in which I have chosen to live.'

10“We are your servants, the people you rescued by your great power.

11O Lord, please hear my prayer! Heed the prayers of those of us who delight to honor you. Please help me now as I go in and ask the king for a great favor—put it into his heart to be kind to me.“ (I was the king's cupbearer.)

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