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 6:2-3

6:2 Sanballat and Geshem sent word to me saying, “Come on! Let’s set up a time to meet together at Kephirim ¹  in the plain of Ono.” Now they intended to do me harm.

6:3 So I sent messengers to them saying, “I am engaged in ²  an important work, and I am unable to come down. Why should the work come to a halt when I leave it to come down to you?”

Nehemiah 6:8

6:8 I sent word back to him, “We are not engaged in these activities you are describing. ³  All of this is a figment of your imagination.” ⁴ 

Nehemiah 6:19

6:19 They were telling me about his good deeds and then taking back to him the things I said. ⁵  Tobiah, on the other hand, sent letters in order to scare ⁶  me.

Nehemiah 8:12

8:12 So all the people departed to eat and drink and to share their food ⁷  with others ⁸  and to enjoy tremendous joy, ⁹  for they had gained insight in the matters that had been made known to them.

[6:2]  ¹ tn It is not entirely clear whether the Hebrew word כְּפִירִים (kÿfirim) is a place-name not mentioned elsewhere in the OT (as indicated in the present translation; so also NAB, NASB) or whether it means “in [one of] the villages” (so, e.g., NIV, NRSV, NLT; see BDB 499 s.v.; HALOT 493 s.v.). The LXX and Vulgate understand it in the latter sense. Some scholars connect this term with the identically spelled word כּפירים (“lions”) as a figurative description of princes or warriors (e.g., Pss 34:11; 35:17; 58:7; Jer 2:15; Ezek 32:2, 13; Nah 2:14; see HALOT 493 s.v.): “let us meet together with the leaders in the plain of Ono.”

[6:3]  ¹ tn Heb “[am] doing.”

[6:8]  ¹ tn Heb “We are not according to these matters that you are saying.”

[6:8]  ² tn Heb “For from your heart you are inventing them.”

[6:19]  ¹ tn Heb “my words.”

[6:19]  ² tn Or “to intimidate” (so NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[8:12]  ¹ tn Heb “to send portions.”

[8:12]  ² tn The Hebrew text does not include the phrase “with others” but it has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[8:12]  ³ tn Heb “to make great joy.”