Verse
BSB
Berean Standard Bible
KJV
King James Version
Now
in the month of
Nisan, in the twentieth year of King
Artaxerxes, when
wine was set
before him ,
I took the wine and gave it to
the king. I had never
been sad in his presence ,
And
it
came
to
pass
in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the
king
, that
wine was before him :
and
I took up
the wine ,
and gave it unto
the king. Now
I had not
been beforetime
sad in his presence .
so
the king said to
me, “
Why is your
face
sad, though
you
are
not ill
? This could
only
be
sadness
of the
heart. ”
I was overwhelmed
with
fear
Wherefore
the king said unto
me, Why is thy
countenance
sad, seeing
thou
art
not sick
? this is
nothing
else
but
sorrow
of heart. Then
I was very
sore
afraid,
and replied
to
the king, “May
the king live forever!
Why should I
not be sad when the city where
my fathers are
buried
lies
in
ruins
, and its
gates have
been
destroyed
by
fire? ”
And said
unto
the king, Let
the king live for
ever:
why should not my
countenance
be sad ,
when the city ,
the
place
of
my fathers '
sepulchres
, lieth
waste,
and the
gates thereof
are
consumed
with
fire?
“
What is
your
request? ”
replied
the
king.
So I prayed to the God of heaven
Then
the
king
said
unto
me,
For
what dost
thou
make
request? So I prayed to the God of heaven .
and answered
the king, “
If it pleases
the king, and if your
servant has
found favor
in your
sight, I
ask
that you
send me to
Judah, to
the city where
my fathers are
buried
, so
that I may rebuild
it. ”
And I
said
unto
the king, If it please
the king, and if thy
servant have
found favour
in thy
sight, that thou
wouldest
send me unto
Judah, unto
the city of
my fathers '
sepulchres
, that I may build
it.
Then
the king, with
the queen seated
beside
him, asked
me,
“
How long will
your
journey take,
and when will
you
return? ”
So it pleased the king to send me ,
and I set a time.
And
the king said
unto
me
, (
the queen also
sitting
by
him, )
For
how long shall
thy
journey be?
and when wilt
thou
return? So it pleased the king to send me ;
and I set him
a time.
I also
said to
him
, “
If it pleases
the king, may
letters be given to
me for
the governors west
of
the Euphrates
, so
that they will
grant
me safe
passage
until
I reach
Judah .
Moreover
I said unto
the
king
, If it please
the king, let
letters be given me to
the governors beyond
the river
, that they may
convey
me over
till
I come
into
Judah ;
And may
I
have
a letter to
Asaph ,
keeper of the king’s
forest, so
that he will
give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel
to the temple
, for the city
wall, and for the house I will
occupy
. ”
And because
the gracious
hand of my God was
upon me ,
the
king
granted
my
requests
.
And a letter unto
Asaph the
keeper of the king's
forest, that he may
give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace
which
appertained
to the house
, and
for the wall of
the
city
, and for the house that
I shall
enter
into
. And the king
granted
me,
according
to
the
good
hand of my God upon me.
Then I went
to the governors west
of
the Euphrates
and gave them the king’s
letters. The king had also
sent army officers
and cavalry
with me.
Then I came
to the governors beyond
the river,
and gave them the king's
letters. Now
the king had sent captains
of
the
army and horsemen
with me.
But
when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official
heard about
this
, they
were
deeply
disturbed
that someone
had
come to seek the well-being
of the Israelites
.
When Sanballat the Horonite ,
and Tobiah the servant,
the
Ammonite ,
heard of
it
, it
grieved
them
exceedingly
that there
was
come a
man
to seek the welfare
of the children
of
Israel
.
After
I had
arrived
in
Jerusalem and had
been
there three days ,
So
I came
to
Jerusalem ,
and was
there three days .
I set
out
at
night with
a
few men .
I did
not
tell
anyone
what my God had laid
on
my heart to do for
Jerusalem .
The
only
animal
with me was
the one
on
which
I was
riding
.
And
I arose
in
the
night ,
I
and
some
few men with
me;
neither
told
I any
man
what my God had put
in
my heart to do at
Jerusalem :
neither
was
there
any
beast
with me ,
save
the beast
that
I rode
upon
.
So
I went out at
night through
the Valley
Gate toward
the
Well
of the Serpent
and the Dung Gate
, and I
inspected
the walls of Jerusalem that
had
been
broken down and the gates that
had
been
destroyed
by
fire.
And
I went out by
night by
the gate of the valley,
even
before
the
dragon
well,
and to
the dung port
, and viewed
the walls of Jerusalem ,
which
were
broken down ,
and the gates thereof
were
consumed
with
fire.
Then I went on to the Fountain
Gate and the King’s
Pool ,
but there was no room
for the animal
under me to get
through;
Then I went on to the gate of
the
fountain,
and to
the king's
pool :
but there was no place
for the beast
that
was
under me to pass.
so
I
went up the valley
by
night and inspected
the wall .
Then
I
headed
back and reentered
through
the Valley
Gate.
Then
went I
up in
the night by
the
brook,
and viewed
the wall ,
and
turned
back ,
and entered
by
the gate of
the
valley,
and
so
returned
.
The officials
did
not know
where
I had
gone
or what I was
doing,
for
I
had not
yet told the Jews or
priests or
nobles or
officials
or
any
other
workers
.
And
the rulers
knew
not whither
I went,
or what I did;
neither
had I
as
yet told it
to
the Jews ,
nor
to
the
priests ,
nor
to
the
nobles ,
nor
to
the
rulers,
nor
to
the
rest
that
did
the
work
.
Then I
said to
them, “You
see the trouble
we are in .
Jerusalem lies
in
ruins
, and its
gates have
been
burned down.
Come, let us rebuild
the wall of Jerusalem, so
that we will
no
longer
be a disgrace
. ”
Then said I
unto
them, Ye
see the distress
that
we are in ,
how
Jerusalem lieth
waste
, and the
gates thereof
are
burned with
fire:
come, and
let us build
up
the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no
more
a reproach
.
I also
told them about
the gracious
hand of my God upon me ,
and
what
the king
had said
to
me. “Let
us
start
rebuilding,”
they replied
, and they set
their hands to
this good work.
Then
I told them of
the hand of my God which
was
good
upon me ;
as
also
the king's
words
that
he
had spoken
unto
me. And
they said
, Let
us
rise
up
and build.
So
they strengthened
their hands for
this good work.
But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official
, and Geshem the Arab
heard about
this
, they mocked
us and ridiculed
us, saying
, “
What is this you
are
doing
? Are
you
rebelling
against the king? ”
But when Sanballat the Horonite, and
Tobiah the servant,
the
Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian,
heard it
, they laughed
us to
scorn,
and despised
us, and
said
, What is this thing
that
ye
do
? will
ye
rebel
against the king?
So
I
answered them and said, “
The God of heaven is
the
One
who
will grant
us success.
We ,
His servants ,
will start
rebuilding,
but you
have no portion, right, or
claim
in Jerusalem. ”
Then
answered I
them ,
and said unto
them
, The God of heaven ,
he
will prosper
us ;
therefore
we his servants will arise
and
build:
but ye
have no portion, nor
right, nor
memorial,
in Jerusalem.
Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible and King James Version. Public domain; source text distributed by BSB Publishing, LLC.; UK publication rights are administered by the Crown's patentee; public domain in most other jurisdictions..