Nehemiah 1

Report from Jerusalem

1 The words of a Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month of b Chislev, c in the twentieth year, as I was in d Susa the capital, 1 2 that e Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said to me, "The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and f shame. g The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, h and its gates are destroyed by fire."

Nehemiah's Prayer

4 As soon as I heard these words I i sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the j God of heaven. 5 And I said, "O Lord God of heaven, k the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 l let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, m confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even n I and my father's house have sinned. 7 o We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules p that you commanded your servant Moses. 8 Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, q I will scatter you among the peoples, 9 r but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, s though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them t to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.' 10 u They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand.

11 O Lord, l let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man." Now I was v cupbearer to the king.

  1. Cross References
    Nehemiah 10:1
    On the seals are the names of Nehemiah the governor, the son of Hacaliah, Zedekiah.
  2. Cross References
    Zechariah 7:1
    In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Chislev.
  3. Cross References
    Nehemiah 2:1
    In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence.
  4. Cross References
    Esther 1:2
    In those days when King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in Susa, the capital.
    Esther 1:5
    And when these days were completed, the king gave for all the people present in Susa, the citadel, both great and small, a feast lasting for seven days in the court of the garden of the king's palace.
    Esther 2:3
    And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the harem in Susa the capital, under custody of Hegai, the king's eunuch, who is in charge of the women. Let their cosmetics be given them.
    Esther 2:5
    Now there was a Jew in Susa the citadel whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite.
  5. Cross References
    Nehemiah 7:2
    I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah the governor of the castle charge over Jerusalem, for he was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many.
  6. Cross References
    Nehemiah 2:17
    Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.
  7. Cross References
    Nehemiah 2:13
    I went out by night by the Valley Gate to the Dragon Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire.
    2 Kings 25:10
    And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down the walls around Jerusalem.
  8. Cross References
    Nehemiah 2:3
    I said to the king, "Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?
    Nehemiah 2:13
    I went out by night by the Valley Gate to the Dragon Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire.
    Nehemiah 2:17
    Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.
  9. Cross References
    Ezra 9:3
    As soon as I heard this, I tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and sat appalled.
  10. Cross References
    Nehemiah 2:4
    Then the king said to me, "What are you requesting?" So I prayed to the God of heaven.
  11. Cross References
    Nehemiah 9:32
    Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to you that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day.
    Daniel 9:4
    I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, "O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments.
    Deuteronomy 7:21
    You shall not be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God.
  12. Cross References
    Daniel 9:18
    O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.
    1 Kings 8:29
    That your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which you have said, 'My name shall be there,' that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers toward this place.
    2 Chronicles 6:40
    Now, O my God, let your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayer of this place.
  13. Cross References
    Ezra 10:1
    While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly of men, women, and children, gathered to him out of Israel, for the people wept bitterly.
    Daniel 9:20
    While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the Lord my God for the holy hill of my God.
  14. Cross References
    Psalms 106:6
    Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness.
  15. Cross References
    Daniel 9:5
    We have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules.
  16. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 28:15
    But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you.
  17. Cross References
    Leviticus 26:33
    And I will scatter you among the nations, and I will unsheathe the sword after you, and your land shall be a desolation, and your cities shall be a waste.
    Deuteronomy 28:64
    And the Lord will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known.
    Deuteronomy 4:25 - 27
    When you father children and children's children, and have grown old in the land, if you act corruptly by making a carved image in the form of anything, and by doing what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, so as to provoke him to anger.
  18. Cross References
    Leviticus 26:39 - 42
    And those of you who are left shall rot away in your enemies' lands because of their iniquity, and also because of the iniquities of their fathers they shall rot away like them.
    Deuteronomy 4:29 - 31
    But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.
    Deuteronomy 30:2 - 3
    And return to the Lord your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul.
  19. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 30:4
    If your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there he will take you.
  20. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 12:5
    But you shall seek the place that the Lord your God will choose out of all your tribes to put his name and make his habitation there. There you shall go.
  21. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 9:29
    For they are your people and your heritage, whom you brought out by your great power and by your outstretched arm.
  22. Cross References
    Nehemiah 1:6
    Let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father's house have sinned.
  23. Cross References
    Nehemiah 2:1
    In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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