Nehemiah
1:1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the
month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,
1:2 That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and
I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of
the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
1:3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there
in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of
Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with
fire.
1:4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept,
and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of
heaven,
1:5 And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible
God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe
his commandments:
1:6 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest
hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and
night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of
the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my
father's house have sinned.
1:7 We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the
commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou
commandedst thy servant Moses.
1:8 Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant
Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the
nations:
1:9 But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though
there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet
will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that
I have chosen to set my name there.
1:10 Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by
thy great power, and by thy strong hand.
1:11 O LORD, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of
thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy
name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him
mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer.
