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Text -- Nehemiah 2:1-19 (NET)
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Strongs On/Off
Context
Nehemiah Is Permitted to Go to Jerusalem
2:1 Then in the month of Nisan , in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes , when wine was brought to me, I took the wine and gave it to the king . Previously I had not been depressed in the king’s presence .
2:2 So the king said to me, “Why do you appear to be depressed when you aren’t sick ? What can this be other than sadness of heart ?” This made me very fearful .
2:3 I replied to the king , “O king , live forever ! Why would I not appear dejected when the city with the graves of my ancestors lies desolate and its gates destroyed by fire ?”
2:4 The king responded , “What is it you are seeking ?” Then I quickly prayed to the God of heaven
2:5 and said to the king , “If the king is so inclined and if your servant has found favor in your sight , dispatch me to Judah , to the city with the graves of my ancestors , so that I can rebuild it.”
2:6 Then the king , with his consort sitting beside him, replied , “How long would your trip take , and when would you return ?” Since the king was amenable to dispatching me, I gave him a time .
2:7 I said to the king , “If the king is so inclined , let him give me letters for the governors of Trans-Euphrates that will enable me to travel safely until I reach Judah ,
2:8 and a letter for Asaph the keeper of the king’s nature preserve , so that he will give me timber for beams for the gates of the fortress adjacent to the temple and for the city wall and for the house to which I go .” So the king granted me these requests, for the good hand of my God was on me.
2:9 Then I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates , and I presented to them the letters from the king . The king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen .
2:10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard all this, they were very displeased that someone had come to seek benefit for the Israelites .
Nehemiah Arrives in Jerusalem
2:11 So I came to Jerusalem . When I had been there for three days ,
2:12 I got up during the night , along with a few men who were with me. But I did not tell anyone what my God was putting on my heart to do for Jerusalem . There were no animals with me, except for the one I was riding .
2:13 I proceeded through the Valley Gate by night , in the direction of the Well of the Dragons and the Dung Gate , inspecting the walls of Jerusalem that had been breached and its gates that had been destroyed by fire .
2:14 I passed on to the Gate of the Well and the King’s Pool , where there was not enough room for my animal to pass with me.
2:15 I continued up the valley during the night , inspecting the wall . Then I turned back and came to the Valley Gate , and so returned .
2:16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I had been doing , for up to this point I had not told any of the Jews or the priests or the nobles or the officials or the rest of the workers .
2:17 Then I said to them, “You see the problem that we have: Jerusalem is desolate and its gates are burned . Come on ! Let’s rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that this reproach will not continue .”
2:18 Then I related to them how the good hand of my God was on me and what the king had said to me. Then they replied , “Let’s begin rebuilding right away !” So they readied themselves for this good project.
2:19 But when Sanballat the Horonite , Tobiah the Ammonite official , and Geshem the Arab heard all this, they derided us and expressed contempt toward us. They said , “What is this you are doing ? Are you rebelling against the king ?”
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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics
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expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes: Neh 2:1 This expression is either to be inferred from the context, or perhaps one should read לְפָנָיו (lÿ...
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NET Notes: Neh 2:8 The Hebrew text does not include the expression “these requests,” but it is implied.
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NET Notes: Neh 2:10 Heb “servant” (so KJV, ASV; NAB “slave”; NCV “officer.” This phrase also occurs in v. 19.
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NET Notes: Neh 2:11 For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
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