Nehemiah 11:20

11:20 And the rest of the Israelites, with the priests and the Levites, were in all the cities of Judah, each on his own property.

Nehemiah 11:1

The Population of Jerusalem

11:1 So the leaders of the people settled in Jerusalem, ¹  while the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of every ten to settle in Jerusalem, the holy city, while the other nine ²  remained in other cities.

Nehemiah 1:4

1:4 When I heard these things I sat down abruptly, ³  crying and mourning for several days. I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

Nehemiah 1:1

A Prayer of Nehemiah

1:1 ⁴ These are the words of Nehemiah ⁵  son of Hacaliah:

It so happened that in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year, ⁶  I was in Susa ⁷  the citadel.

Nehemiah 1:6

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 ⁸  against you – both I myself and my family ⁹  have sinned.

Nehemiah 1:1-2

A Prayer of Nehemiah

1:1 ¹⁰ These are the words of Nehemiah ¹¹  son of Hacaliah:

It so happened that in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year, ¹²  I was in Susa ¹³  the citadel. 1:2 Hanani, who was one of my relatives, ¹⁴  along with some of the men from Judah, came to me, ¹⁵  and I asked them about the Jews who had escaped and had survived the exile, and about Jerusalem. ¹⁶ 

Nehemiah 5:13

5:13 I also shook out my garment, ¹⁷  and I said, “In this way may God shake out from his house and his property every person who does not carry out ¹⁸  this matter. In this way may he be shaken out and emptied!” All the assembly replied, “So be it!” and they praised the LORD. Then the people did as they had promised. ¹⁹ 

Nehemiah 1:4-11

1:4 When I heard these things I sat down abruptly, ²⁰  crying and mourning for several days. I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 1:5 Then I said, “Please, O LORD God of heaven, great and awesome God, who keeps his loving covenant ²¹  with those who love him and obey ²²  his commandments, 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 ²³  against you – both I myself and my family ²⁴  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. ²⁵  1:9 But if you repent ²⁶  and obey ²⁷  my commandments and do them, then even if your dispersed people are in the most remote location, ²⁸  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, ²⁹  O Lord, listen attentively ³⁰  to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who take pleasure in showing respect ³¹  to your name. Grant your servant success today and show compassion to me ³²  in the presence of this man.”

Now ³³  I was cupbearer for the king.

Nehemiah 1:1

A Prayer of Nehemiah

1:1 ³⁴ These are the words of Nehemiah ³⁵  son of Hacaliah:

It so happened that in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year, ³⁶  I was in Susa ³⁷  the citadel.

Ezra 8:15-20

The Exiles Travel to Jerusalem

8:15 I had them assemble ³⁸  at the canal ³⁹  that flows toward Ahava, and we camped there for three days. I observed that the people and the priests were present, but I found no Levites there. 8:16 So I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, ⁴⁰  Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, who were leaders, and Joiarib and Elnathan, who were teachers. 8:17 I sent them to Iddo, who was the leader in the place called Casiphia. I told them ⁴¹  what to say to Iddo and his relatives, ⁴²  who were the temple servants in ⁴³  Casiphia, so they would bring us attendants for the temple of our God.

8:18 Due to the fact that the good hand of our God was on us, they brought us a skilled man, from the descendants of Mahli the son of Levi son of Israel. This man was Sherebiah, ⁴⁴  who was accompanied by his sons and brothers, ⁴⁵  18 men, 8:19 and Hashabiah, along with Jeshaiah from the descendants of Merari, with his brothers and their sons, 20 men, 8:20 and some of the temple servants that David and his officials had established for the work of the Levites – 220 of them. They were all designated by name.

[11:1]  ¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[11:1]  ² tn Heb “nine of the hands.” The word “hand” is used here in the sense or a part or portion.

[1:4]  ³ 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.

[1:1]  ⁴ sn In ancient Judaism Ezra and Nehemiah were regarded as a single book with dual authorship. According to the Talmud, “Ezra wrote his book” (b. Bava Batra 15a). The Gemara then asks and answers, “And who finished it? Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah.” Accordingly, the two are joined in the Leningrad Codex (ca. A.D. 1008), the manuscript upon which modern printed editions of the Hebrew Bible (e.g., BHK and BHS) are based.

[1:1]  ⁵ sn The name Nehemiah in Hebrew (נְחֶמְיָה, nÿkhemyah) means “the LORD comforts.”

[1:1]  ⁶ tn That is, the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign (cf. 2:1).

[1:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “Shushan.”

[1:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “have sinned.” For stylistic reasons – to avoid redundancy in English – this was translated as “committed.”

[1:6]  ⁹ tn Heb “the house of my father.”

[1:1]  ¹⁰ sn In ancient Judaism Ezra and Nehemiah were regarded as a single book with dual authorship. According to the Talmud, “Ezra wrote his book” (b. Bava Batra 15a). The Gemara then asks and answers, “And who finished it? Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah.” Accordingly, the two are joined in the Leningrad Codex (ca. A.D. 1008), the manuscript upon which modern printed editions of the Hebrew Bible (e.g., BHK and BHS) are based.

[1:1]  ¹¹ sn The name Nehemiah in Hebrew (נְחֶמְיָה, nÿkhemyah) means “the LORD comforts.”

[1:1]  ¹² tn That is, the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign (cf. 2:1).

[1:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “Shushan.”

[1:2]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “brothers.”

[1:2]  ¹⁵ tn The Hebrew text does not include the words “to me”; these words were supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[1:2]  ¹⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[5:13]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “my bosom.”

[5:13]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “cause to stand.”

[5:13]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “according to this word.”

[1:4]  ²⁰ 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.

[1:5]  ²¹ tn Heb “the covenant and loyal love.” The phrase is a hendiadys: the first noun retains its full nominal sense, while the second noun functions adjectivally (“loyal love” = loving). Alternately, the first might function adjectivally and the second noun function as the noun: “covenant and loyal love” = covenant fidelity (see Neh 9:32).

[1:5]  ²² tn Heb “keep.” The Hebrew verb שָׁמַר (shamar, “to observe; to keep”) is often used as an idiom that means “to obey” the commandments of God (e.g., Exod 20:6; Deut 5:16; 23:24; 29:8; Judg 2:22; 1 Kgs 2:43; 11:11; Ps 119:8, 17, 34; Jer 35:18; Ezek 17:14; Amos 2:4). See BDB 1036 s.v. 3.c.

[1:6]  ²³ tn Heb “have sinned.” For stylistic reasons – to avoid redundancy in English – this was translated as “committed.”

[1:6]  ²⁴ tn Heb “the house of my father.”

[1:8]  ²⁵ tn Heb “peoples.”

[1:9]  ²⁶ tn Heb “turn to me.”

[1:9]  ²⁷ tn Heb “keep.” See the note on the word “obey” in Neh 1:5.

[1:9]  ²⁸ tn Heb “at the end of the heavens.”

[1:11]  ²⁹ 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).

[1:11]  ³⁰ tn Heb “let your ear be attentive.”

[1:11]  ³¹ tn Heb “fear.”

[1:11]  ³² tn Heb “grant compassion.” The words “to me” are supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness and style in English.

[1:11]  ³³ tn The vav (ו) on וַאֲנִי (va’ani, “Now, I”) introduces a disjunctive parenthetical clause that provides background information to the reader.

[1:1]  ³⁴ sn In ancient Judaism Ezra and Nehemiah were regarded as a single book with dual authorship. According to the Talmud, “Ezra wrote his book” (b. Bava Batra 15a). The Gemara then asks and answers, “And who finished it? Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah.” Accordingly, the two are joined in the Leningrad Codex (ca. A.D. 1008), the manuscript upon which modern printed editions of the Hebrew Bible (e.g., BHK and BHS) are based.

[1:1]  ³⁵ sn The name Nehemiah in Hebrew (נְחֶמְיָה, nÿkhemyah) means “the LORD comforts.”

[1:1]  ³⁶ tn That is, the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign (cf. 2:1).

[1:1]  ³⁷ tn Heb “Shushan.”

[8:15]  ³⁸ tn Or “I gathered them.”

[8:15]  ³⁹ tn Heb “river.” So also in vv. 21, 31.

[8:16]  ⁴⁰ tc The name “Elnathan” occurs twice in this list. Some, assuming an accidental repetition, would include it only once (cf. NAB).

[8:17]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “I placed in their mouth words.”

[8:17]  ⁴² tc The translation reads with the LXX and Vulgate וְאֶחָיו (vÿ’ekhayv, “and his brethren” = “relatives”; so NCV, NLT) rather than the reading אָחִיו (’akhiyv, “his brother”) of the MT.

[8:17]  ⁴³ tn Heb “in the place called.” This phrase has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[8:18]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “and Sherebiah.” The words “this man was” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

[8:18]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “relatives” (so CEV; NRSV “kin”); also in v. 19.