Nehemiah 1

Index Next chapter
1 Words of Nehemiah, the son of Ahaliina. In the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace.
2 Hanani, one of my brethren, he and [some] men of Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews that are left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity, [are] there in [her] in great affliction and reproach; and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.
4 Hearing these words, I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven

5 and he said: O Lord God of heaven, great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and observe his commandments:
6 Let thine ears be attentive and thine eyes open, to hear the prayer of thy servant which I now pray day and night before thee for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee, sinned - and I and my father's house.
7 We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, which thou hast commanded thy servant Moses.
8 But Remember the word which thou hast commanded thy servant Moses, saying, [If] ye transgress, I will scatter you among the nations;
9 [When] you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, then at least you have been banished to the edge of the sky, and from there I will gather you and bring you to the place that I have chosen to set my name there.
10 They are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power and by thy strong hand.
eleven I beseech Thee, O Lord! Yes your ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name. And thy servant now and grant him mercy before this man. I was the king's cupbearer.

Index Next chapter