Nehemiah 1:1-6:15

New American Bible (Revised Edition)

I. The Deeds of Nehemiah

Chapter 1

Nehemiah Hears Bad News. ^1 [a]The words of Nehemiah, son of Hacaliah.

In the month Kislev of the twentieth year, I was in the citadel of Susa ² when Hanani, one of my brothers, came with other men from Judah. I asked them about the Jews, the remnant preserved after the captivity, and about Jerusalem. ³ They answered me: “The survivors of the captivity there in the province are in great distress and under reproach. The wall of Jerusalem has been breached, its gates gutted by fire.” ⁴ When I heard this report, I began to weep and continued mourning for several days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

^5 [b](A)I prayed: “Lord, God of heaven, great and awesome God, you preserve your covenant of mercy with those who love you and keep your commandments. ^6 (B)May your ears be attentive, and your eyes open, to hear the prayer that I, your servant, now offer in your presence day and night for your servants the Israelites, confessing the sins we have committed against you, I and my ancestral house included. ^7 (C)We have greatly offended you, not keeping the commandments, the statutes, and the ordinances you entrusted to your servant Moses. ^8 (D)But remember the admonition which you addressed to Moses, your servant, when you said: If you prove faithless, I will scatter you among the peoples; ⁹ but if you return to me and carefully keep my commandments, even though your outcasts have been driven to the farthest corner of the world, I will gather them from there, and bring them back to the place I have chosen as the dwelling place for my name. ^10 (E)They are your servants, your people, whom you freed by your great might and strong hand. ^11 (F)Lord, may your ears be attentive to the prayer of your servant and that of all your servants who willingly revere your name. Grant success to your servant this day, and let him find favor with this man”—for I was cupbearer to the king.^[c]

Chapter 2

Appointment by the King. ¹ In the month Nisan of the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when the wine was in my charge, I took some and offered it to the king. Because I had never before been sad in his presence, ² the king asked me, “Why do you look sad? If you are not sick, you must be sad at heart.” Though I was seized with great fear, ³ I answered the king: “May the king live forever! How could I not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates consumed by fire?” ⁴ The king asked me, “What is it, then, that you wish?” I prayed to the God of heaven ⁵ and then answered the king: “If it please the king, and if your servant is deserving of your favor, send me to Judah, to the city where my ancestors are buried, that I may rebuild it.” ⁶ Then the king, with the queen seated beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take and when will you return?” My answer was acceptable to the king and he agreed to let me go; I set a date for my return.

⁷ I asked the king further: “If it please the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of West-of-Euphrates, that they may give me safe-conduct till I arrive in Judah; ^8 (G)also a letter for Asaph, the keeper of the royal woods, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the temple citadel, for the city wall and the house that I will occupy.” Since I enjoyed the good favor of my God, the king granted my requests. ^9 (H)Thus I proceeded to the governors of West-of-Euphrates and presented the king’s letters to them. The king also sent with me army officers and cavalry.

¹⁰ When Sanballat the Horonite^[d] and Tobiah the Ammonite official had heard of this, they were very much displeased that someone had come to improve the lot of the Israelites.

Circuit of the City. ^11 (I)When I arrived in Jerusalem, and had been there three days, ¹² I set out by night with only a few other men and with no other animals but my own mount (for I had not told anyone what my God had inspired me to do for Jerusalem). ^13 [e]I rode out at night by the Valley Gate, passed by the Dragon Spring, and came to the Dung Gate, observing how the walls of Jerusalem were breached and its gates consumed by fire. ¹⁴ Then I passed over to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool. Since there was no room here for my mount to pass with me astride, ¹⁵ I continued on foot up the wadi by night, inspecting the wall all the while, until I once more reached the Valley Gate, by which I went back in. ¹⁶ The magistrates knew nothing of where I had gone or what I was doing, for as yet I had disclosed nothing to the Jews, neither to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the magistrates, nor to the others who were to do the work.

Decision to Rebuild the City Wall. ¹⁷ Afterward I said to them: “You see the trouble we are in: how Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates have been gutted by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we may no longer be a reproach!” ^18 (J)Then I explained to them how God had shown his gracious favor to me, and what the king had said to me. They replied, “Let us begin building!” And they undertook the work with vigor.

¹⁹ When they heard about this, Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab^[f] mocked and ridiculed us. “What are you doing?” they asked. “Are you rebelling against the king?” ²⁰ My answer to them was this: “It is the God of heaven who will grant us success. We, his servants, shall set about the rebuilding; but you have neither share nor claim nor memorial^[g] in Jerusalem.”

Chapter 3

List of Workers. ^1 [h](K)Eliashib the high priest and his priestly kinsmen took up the task of rebuilding the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars, then continued the rebuilding to the Tower of the Hundred, the Tower of Hananel. ² At their side the men of Jericho were rebuilding, and next to them was Zaccur, son of Imri. ^3 (L)The Fish Gate was rebuilt by the people of Hassenaah; they timbered it and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars. ⁴ At their side Meremoth, son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz, carried out the work of repair; next to him was Meshullam, son of Berechiah, son of Meshezabel; and next to him was Zadok, son of Baana. ⁵ Next to him the Tekoites carried out the work of repair; however, some of their most powerful men would not submit to the labor asked by their masters. ⁶ The Mishneh Gate^[i] was repaired by Joiada, son of Paseah; and Meshullam, son of Besodeiah; they timbered it and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars. ⁷ At their side Melatiah the Gibeonite did the repairing, together with Jadon the Meronothite, and the men of Gibeon and of Mizpah, who were under the jurisdiction of the governor of West-of-Euphrates. ⁸ Next to them the work of repair was carried out by Uzziel, son of Harhaiah, a member of the goldsmiths’ guild, and at his side was Hananiah, one of the perfumers’ guild. They restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.^{[j] 9} Next to them the work of repair was carried out by Rephaiah, son of Hur, administrator of half the district of Jerusalem, ¹⁰ and at his side was Jedaiah, son of Harumaph, who repaired opposite his own house. Next to him Hattush, son of Hashabneiah, carried out the work of repair. ¹¹ The adjoining sector, as far as the Oven Tower, was repaired by Malchijah, son of Harim, and Hasshub, son of Pahath-moab. ¹² At their side the work of repair was carried out by Shallum, son of Hallohesh, administrator of half the district of Jerusalem, together with his daughters. ¹³ The Valley Gate was repaired by Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah; they rebuilt it and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars. They also repaired a thousand cubits of the wall up to the Dung Gate. ¹⁴ The Dung Gate was repaired by Malchijah, son of Rechab, administrator of the district of Beth-haccherem; he rebuilt it and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars. ¹⁵ The Fountain Gate was repaired by Shallum, son of Colhozeh, administrator of the district of Mizpah; he rebuilt it, roofed it, and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars. He also repaired the wall of the Aqueduct Pool near the King’s Garden as far as the steps that lead down from the City of David. ¹⁶ After him, the work of repair was carried out by Nehemiah, son of Azbuk, administrator of half the district of Beth-zur, to a place opposite the tombs of David, as far as the Artificial Pool and the barracks.

¹⁷ After him, these Levites carried out the work of repair: Rehum, son of Bani, and next to him, for his own district, was Hashabiah, administrator of half the district of Keilah. ¹⁸ After him, their kinsmen carried out the work of repair: Binnui, son of Henadad, administrator of half the district of Keilah; ¹⁹ next to him Ezer, son of Jeshua, administrator of Mizpah, who repaired the adjoining sector, the Corner, opposite the ascent to the arsenal. ²⁰ After him, Baruch, son of Zabbai, repaired the adjoining sector from the Corner to the entrance of the house of Eliashib, the high priest. ²¹ After him, Meremoth, son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz, repaired the adjoining sector from the entrance of Eliashib’s house to its end.

²² After him, the work of repair was carried out by the priests, men of the surrounding country. ²³ After them, Benjamin and Hasshub carried out the repair in front of their houses; after them, Azariah, son of Maaseiah, son of Ananiah, made the repairs alongside his house. ²⁴ After him, Binnui, son of Henadad, repaired the adjoining sector from the house of Azariah to the Corner (that is, to the Angle). ²⁵ After him, Palal, son of Uzai, carried out the work of repair opposite the Corner and the tower projecting from the Upper Palace at the quarters of the guard. After him, Pedaiah, son of Parosh, carried out the work of repair ²⁶ to a point opposite the Water Gate on the east, and the projecting tower. ²⁷ After him, the Tekoites repaired the adjoining sector opposite the great projecting tower, to the wall of Ophel.

²⁸ Above the Horse Gate the priests carried out the work of repair, each opposite his own house. ^29 (M)After them Zadok, son of Immer, carried out the repair opposite his house, and after him the repair was carried out by Shemaiah, son of Shecaniah, keeper of the East Gate. ³⁰ After him, Hananiah, son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired the adjoining sector; after them, Meshullam, son of Berechiah, repaired the place opposite his own lodging. ³¹ After him, Malchijah, a member of the goldsmiths’ guild, carried out the work of repair as far as the quarters of the temple servants and the merchants, in front of the Gate of Inspection and as far as the upper chamber of the Angle. ³² Between the upper chamber of the Angle and the Sheep Gate, the goldsmiths and the merchants carried out the work of repair.

Opposition from Judah’s Enemies. ³³ When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and very much incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, ³⁴ saying in the presence of his associates and the troops of Samaria: “What are these miserable Jews trying to do? Will they complete their restoration in a single day? Will they recover these stones, burnt as they are, from the heaps of dust?” ³⁵ Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said: “Whatever they are building—if a fox attacks it, it will breach their wall of stones!” ³⁶ Hear, our God, how we were mocked! Turn back their reproach upon their own heads and deliver them up as plunder in a land of captivity! ^37 (N)Do not hide their crime and do not let their sin be blotted out in your sight, for they insulted the builders to their faces! ³⁸ We, however, continued to build the wall, and soon it was completed up to half its height. The people worked enthusiastically.

Chapter 4

¹ When Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the restoration of the walls of Jerusalem was progressing—for the gaps were beginning to be closed up—they became extremely angry. ² They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to throw us into confusion. ³ We prayed to our God and posted a watch against them day and night for fear of what they might do. ⁴ Meanwhile the Judahites were saying:

⁵ Our enemies thought, “Before they are aware of it or see us, we will come into their midst, kill them, and put an end to the work.”

⁶ When the Jews who lived near them had come to us from one place after another, and had told us ten times over that they were about to attack us, ⁷ I stationed guards down below, behind the wall, near the exposed points, assigning them by family groups with their swords, spears, and bows. ⁸ I made an inspection, then addressed these words to the nobles, the magistrates, and the rest of the people: “Do not fear them! Keep in mind the Lord, who is great and to be feared, and fight for your kindred, your sons and daughters, your wives and your homes.” ⁹ When our enemies realized that we had been warned and that God had upset their plan, we all went back, each to our own task at the wall.

^10 (O)From that time on, however, only half my work force took a hand in the work, while the other half, armed with spears, bucklers, bows, and breastplates, stood guard behind the whole house of Judah ¹¹ as they rebuilt the wall. The load carriers, too, were armed; each worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other. ¹² Every builder, while working, had a sword tied at his side. A trumpeter stood beside me, ¹³ for I had said to the nobles, the magistrates, and the rest of the people: “Our work is scattered and extensive, and we are widely separated from one another along the wall; ¹⁴ wherever you hear the trumpet sound, join us there; our God will fight with us.” ¹⁵ Thus we went on with the work, half with spears in hand, from daybreak till the stars came out.

¹⁶ At the same time I told the people to spend the nights inside Jerusalem, each with an attendant, so that they might serve as a guard by night and a working force by day. ¹⁷ Neither I, nor my kindred, nor any of my attendants, nor any of the bodyguard that accompanied me took off our clothes; everyone kept a weapon at hand.

Chapter 5

Social and Economic Problems. ^1 (P)Then there rose a great outcry of the people and their wives against certain of their Jewish kindred.^{[k] 2} Some said: “We are forced to pawn our sons and daughters in order to get grain to eat that we may live.” ³ Others said: “We are forced to pawn our fields, our vineyards, and our houses, that we may have grain during the famine.” ⁴ Still others said: “To pay the king’s tax we have borrowed money on our fields and vineyards. ^5 (Q)And though these are our own kindred, and our children are as good as theirs, we have had to reduce our sons and daughters to slavery, and violence has been done to some of our daughters! Yet we can do nothing about it, for our fields and vineyards belong to others.”

⁶ I was extremely angry when I heard the reasons for their complaint. ^7 (R)After some deliberation, I called the nobles and magistrates to account, saying to them, “You are exacting interest from your own kindred!”^[l] I then rebuked them severely, ^8 (S)saying to them: “As far as we were able, we bought back our Jewish kindred who had been sold to Gentiles; you, however, are selling your own kindred, to have them bought back by us.” They remained silent, for they could find no answer. ⁹ I continued: “What you are doing is not good. Should you not conduct yourselves out of fear of our God rather than fear of the reproach of our Gentile enemies? ¹⁰ I myself, my kindred, and my attendants have lent the people money and grain without charge. Let us put an end to this usury! ¹¹ Return to them this very day their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses, together with the interest on the money, the grain, the wine, and the oil that you have lent them.” ¹² They answered: “We will return everything and exact nothing further from them. We will do just what you ask.” Then I called for the priests to administer an oath to them that they would do as they had promised. ¹³ I shook out the folds of my garment, saying, “Thus may God shake from home and fortune every man who fails to keep this promise, and may he thus be shaken out and emptied!” And the whole assembly answered, “Amen,” and praised the Lord. Then the people did as they had promised.

Nehemiah’s Record. ¹⁴ Moreover, from the time that King Artaxerxes appointed me governor in the land of Judah, from his twentieth to his thirty-second year—during these twelve years neither I nor my kindred lived off the governor’s food allowance. ¹⁵ The earlier governors,^[m] my predecessors, had laid a heavy burden on the people, taking from them each day forty silver shekels for their food; then, too, their attendants oppressed the people. But I, because I feared God, did not do this. ¹⁶ In addition, though I had acquired no land of my own, I did my part in this work on the wall, and all my attendants were gathered there for the work. ¹⁷ Though I set my table for a hundred and fifty persons, Jews and magistrates, as well as the neighboring Gentiles who came to us, ¹⁸ and though the daily preparations were made at my expense—one ox, six choice sheep, poultry—besides all kinds of wine in abundance every ten days, despite this I did not claim the governor’s allowance, for the labor lay heavy upon this people. ¹⁹ Keep in mind, my God, to my credit all that I did for this people.

Chapter 6

Plots Against Nehemiah. ¹ When it had been reported to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and our other enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and that there was no breach left in it (though up to that time I had not yet set up the doors in the gates), ² Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us hold council together at Chephirim in the plain of Ono.” They were planning to do me harm. ³ I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am engaged in a great enterprise and am unable to come down. Why should the work stop, while I leave it to come down to you?” ⁴ Four times they sent me this same proposal, and each time I gave the same reply. ⁵ Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent me the same message by one of his servants, who bore an unsealed letter ⁶ containing this text: “Among the nations it has been reported—Gashmu^[n] is witness to this—that you and the Jews are planning a rebellion; that for this reason you are rebuilding the wall; and that you are to be their king. ⁷ Also, that you have set up prophets in Jerusalem to proclaim you king of Judah. Now, since matters like these will reach the ear of the king, come, let us hold council together.” ⁸ I sent him this answer: “Nothing of what you report is happening; rather, it is the invention of your own mind.” ⁹ They were all trying to intimidate us, thinking, “They will be discouraged from continuing with the work, and it will never be completed.” But instead, I then redoubled my efforts.

¹⁰ I went to the house of Shemaiah, son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his house, and he said: “Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple building; let us lock the doors of the temple. For they are coming to kill you—by night they are coming to kill you.” ¹¹ My answer was: “A man like me take flight? Should a man like me enter the temple to save his life? I will not go!” ¹² For on consideration, it was plain to me that God had not sent him; rather, because Tobiah and Sanballat had bribed him, he voiced this prophecy concerning me, ¹³ that I might act on it out of fear and commit this sin. Then they would have had a shameful story with which to discredit me. ^14 (T)Keep in mind Tobiah and Sanballat, my God, because of these things they did; keep in mind as well Noadiah the woman prophet and the other prophets who were trying to intimidate me.

Completion of the Work. ¹⁵ The wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul;^[o] the work had taken fifty-two days.