Nehemiah 1:4

1:4 When I heard these things I sat down abruptly, ¹  crying and mourning for several days. I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

Nehemiah 2:1

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, ²  I took the wine and gave it to the king. Previously ³  I had not been depressed ⁴  in the king’s presence. ⁵ 

Nehemiah 2:9

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.

Nehemiah 4:1

Opposition to the Work Continues

4:1 (3:33) ⁶  Now when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall he became angry and was quite upset. He derided the Jews,

Nehemiah 4:6

4:6 So we rebuilt the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height. ⁷  The people were enthusiastic in their work. ⁸ 

Nehemiah 4:11

4:11 Our adversaries also boasted, ⁹  “Before they are aware or anticipate ¹⁰  anything, we will come in among them and kill them, and we will bring this work to a halt!”

Nehemiah 4:13

4:13 So I stationed people at the lower places behind the wall in the exposed places. ¹¹  I stationed the people by families, with their swords, spears, and bows.

Nehemiah 4:20

4:20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, gather there with us. Our God will fight for us!”

Nehemiah 5:10

5:10 Even I and my relatives ¹²  and my associates ¹³  are lending them money and grain. But let us abandon this practice of seizing collateral! ¹⁴ 

Nehemiah 5:12

5:12 They replied, “We will return these things, ¹⁵  and we will no longer demand anything from them. We will do just as you say.” Then I called the priests and made the wealthy and the officials ¹⁶  swear to do what had been promised. ¹⁷ 

Nehemiah 6:9

6:9 All of them were wanting ¹⁸  to scare us, supposing, “Their hands will grow slack from the work, and it won’t get done.”

So now, strengthen my hands! ¹⁹ 

Nehemiah 8:2

8:2 So Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly which included men and women and all those able to understand what they heard. (This happened on the first day of the seventh month.)

Nehemiah 8:6

8:6 Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people replied “Amen! Amen!” as they lifted their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

Nehemiah 9:12

9:12 You guided them with a pillar of cloud by day and with a pillar of fire by night to illumine for them the path they were to travel.

Nehemiah 9:36

9:36 “So today we are slaves! In the very land you gave to our ancestors to eat its fruit and to enjoy ²⁰  its good things – we are slaves!

Nehemiah 10:35

10:35 We also accept responsibility for ²¹  bringing the first fruits of our land and the first fruits of every fruit tree year by year to the temple of the LORD.

Nehemiah 12:27

The Wall of Jerusalem is Dedicated

12:27 At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, ²²  they sought out the Levites from all the places they lived ²³  to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication joyfully with songs of thanksgiving and songs accompanied by cymbals, harps, and lyres.

Nehemiah 12:31

12:31 I brought the leaders of Judah up on top of the wall, and I appointed two large choirs to give thanks. One was to proceed ²⁴  on the top of the wall southward toward the Dung Gate.

Nehemiah 13:27

13:27 Should we then in your case hear that you do all this great evil, thereby being unfaithful to our God by marrying ²⁵  foreign wives?”

[1:4]  ¹ tn Heb “sat down.” Context suggests that this was a rather sudden action, resulting from the emotional shock of the unpleasant news, so “abruptly” has been supplied in the present translation.

[2:1]  ² tc The translation reads with the LXX וְיַיִן לְפָנַי (vÿyayin lÿfanay, “and wine before me”) rather than יַיִן לְפָנָיו (yayin lÿfanayv, “wine before him”) of the MT. The initial vav (ו) on original וְיַיִן probably dropped out due to haplograpy or orthographic confusion with the two yods (י) which follow. The final vav on לְפָנָיו in the MT was probably added due to dittography with the vav on the immediately following word.

[2:1]  ³ tc The translation reads לְפָנֵים (lÿfanim, “formerly”) rather than לְפָנָיו (lÿfanayv, “to his face”) of the MT. The MT seems to suggest that Nehemiah was not sad before the king, which is contrary to what follows.

[2:1]  ⁴ tn Or “showed him a sullen face.” See HALOT 1251 s.v. רַע, רָע 9.

[2:1]  ⁵ tn This expression is either to be inferred from the context, or perhaps one should read לְפָנָיו (lÿfanayv, “before him”; cf. the MT) in addition to לְפָנִים (lÿfanim, “formerly”). See preceding note on the word “previously.”

[4:1]  ³ sn Beginning with 4:1, the verse numbers through 4:23 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 4:1 ET = 3:33 HT, 4:2 ET = 3:34 HT, 4:3 ET = 3:35 HT, 4:4 ET = 3:36 HT, 4:5 ET = 3:37 HT, 4:6 ET = 3:38 HT, 4:7 ET = 4:1 HT, etc., through 4:23 ET = 4:17 HT. Thus in the Hebrew Bible chap. 3 of the Book of Nehemiah has 38 verses, while chap. 4 has only 17 verses.

[4:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “up to its half.”

[4:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “the people had a heart to work.”

[4:11]  ⁵ tn Heb “said.”

[4:11]  ⁶ tn Heb “see.”

[4:13]  ⁶ tc The MT preserves the anomalous Kethib form צְחִחִיִּים (tsÿkhikhiyyim); the Qere reads צְחִיחִים (tsÿkhikhim) which is preferred (BDB 850 s.v. צָהִיחַ; HALOT 1018 s.v. *צָהִיחַ).

[5:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “brothers.”

[5:10]  ⁸ tn Heb “lads.”

[5:10]  ⁹ tn Heb “this debt.” This expression is a metonymy of association: “debt” refers to the seizure of the collateral of the debt.

[5:12]  ⁸ tn The words “these things” are not included in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[5:12]  ⁹ tn Heb “took an oath from them”; the referents (the wealthy and the officials, cf. v. 7) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:12]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “according to this word.”

[6:9]  ⁹ tn The participle has a desiderative nuance here, describing the desire of the subject and not necessarily the actual outcome. See also v. 14.

[6:9]  ¹⁰ tn The statement “So now, strengthen my hands” is frequently understood as an implied prayer, but is taken differently by NAB (“But instead, I now redoubled my efforts”).

[9:36]  ¹⁰ tn The expression “to enjoy” is not included in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[10:35]  ¹¹ tn The words “we accept responsibility” are not included in the Hebrew text, but are inferred from v. 33 (so also in v. 37).

[12:27]  ¹² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[12:27]  ¹³ tn Heb “from all their places.” The words “they lived” are implied.

[12:31]  ¹³ tc The translation reads וְהָאַחַת הֹלֶכֶת (vÿha’akhat holekhet, “and one was proceeding”) rather than the MT reading וְתַהֲלֻכֹת (vÿtahalukhot, “and processions”).

[13:27]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “give a dwelling to.”