Nehemiah 2:3-5

Lexham English Bible

³ I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad when the city of my ancestors’^[a] burial site^[b] is ruined and her gates are consumed by fire?” ⁴ Then the king said to me, “What is your request?” So I prayed to the God of the heavens. ⁵ Then I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your presence, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my ancestors’^[c] burial sites, so that I may rebuild it.”