Nehemiah 1:6-11

1:6 may your ear be attentive and your eyes be open to hear the prayer of your servant that I am praying to you today throughout both day and night on behalf of your servants the Israelites. I am confessing the sins of the Israelites that we have committed ¹  against you – both I myself and my family ²  have sinned. 1:7 We have behaved corruptly against you, not obeying the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments that you commanded your servant Moses. 1:8 Please recall the word you commanded your servant Moses: ‘If you act unfaithfully, I will scatter you among the nations. ³  1:9 But if you repent ⁴  and obey ⁵  my commandments and do them, then even if your dispersed people are in the most remote location, ⁶  I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen for my name to reside.’ 1:10 They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your mighty strength and by your powerful hand. 1:11 Please, ⁷  O Lord, listen attentively ⁸  to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who take pleasure in showing respect ⁹  to your name. Grant your servant success today and show compassion to me ¹⁰  in the presence of this man.”

Now ¹¹  I was cupbearer for the king.

¹ tn Heb “have sinned.” For stylistic reasons – to avoid redundancy in English – this was translated as “committed.”

² tn Heb “the house of my father.”

³ tn Heb “peoples.”

⁴ tn Heb “turn to me.”

⁵ tn Heb “keep.” See the note on the word “obey” in Neh 1:5.

⁶ tn Heb “at the end of the heavens.”

⁷ tn The interjection אָנָּא (’anna’) is an emphatic term of entreaty: “please!” (BDB 58 s.v.; HALOT 69-70 s.v.). This term is normally reserved for pleas for mercy from God in life-and-death situations (2 Kgs 20:3 = Isa 38:3; Pss 116:4; 118:25; Jonah 1:14; 4:2) and for forgiveness of heinous sins that would result or have resulted in severe judgment from God (Exod 32:31; Dan 9:4; Neh 1:5, 11).

⁸ tn Heb “let your ear be attentive.”

⁹ tn Heb “fear.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “grant compassion.” The words “to me” are supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness and style in English.

¹¹ tn The vav (ו) on וַאֲנִי (va’ani, “Now, I”) introduces a disjunctive parenthetical clause that provides background information to the reader.