Nehemiah 6:6

6:6 Written in it were the following words:

“Among the nations it is rumored ¹  (and Geshem ²  has substantiated ³  this) that you and the Jews have intentions of revolting, and for this reason you are building the wall. Furthermore, according to these rumors ⁴  you are going to become their king.

Nehemiah 9:6

9:6 You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, ⁵  along with all their multitude of stars, ⁶  the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You impart life to them all, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.

Nehemiah 9:17

9:17 They refused to obey and did not recall your miracles that you had performed among them. Instead, they rebelled and appointed a leader to return to their bondage in Egypt. ⁷  But you are a God of forgiveness, merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and unfailing in your loyal love. ⁸  You did not abandon them,

Nehemiah 9:19

9:19 “Due to your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. The pillar of cloud did not stop guiding them in the path by day, ⁹  nor did the pillar of fire stop illuminating for them by night the path on which they should travel.

Nehemiah 9:27-28

9:27 Therefore you delivered them into the hand of their adversaries, who oppressed them. But in the time of their distress they called to you, and you heard from heaven. In your abundant compassion you provided them with deliverers to rescue them from ¹⁰  their adversaries.

9:28 “Then, when they were at rest again, they went back to doing evil before you. Then you abandoned them to ¹¹  their enemies, and they gained dominion over them. When they again cried out to you, in your compassion you heard from heaven and rescued them time and again.

¹ tn Heb “heard.”

² tn Heb “Gashmu”; in Neh 2:19 this name appears as Geshem. Since it is important for the modern reader to recognize that this is the same individual, the form of the name used here in the translation is the same as that in v. 19.

³ tn Heb “is saying.”

⁴ tn Heb “words.” So also in v. 7.

⁵ tn Heb “the heavens of the heavens.”

⁶ tn Heb “all their host.”

⁹ tc The present translation follows a few medieval Hebrew MSS and the LXX in reading בְּמִצְרָיִם (bÿmitsrayim, “in Egypt”; so also NAB, NASB, NRSV, TEV, NLT) rather than the MT reading בְּמִרְיָם (bÿmiryam, “in their rebellion”).

¹⁰ tc The translation follows the Qere reading חֶסֶד (khesed, “loyal love”) rather than the Kethib reading וְחֶסֶד (vÿkhesed, “and loyal love”) of the MT.

¹³ tn Heb “did not turn from them by day to guide them in the path.”

¹⁷ tn Heb “from the hand of” (so NASB, NIV); NAB “from the power of.”

²¹ tn Heb “in the hand of” (so KJV, ASV); NAB “to the power of.”