Nehemiah 2

¹ In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had never been sad in his presence before,

² so the king said to me, "Why does your face look sad, since you are not ill? This must be nothing but sadness of heart." Then I was very afraid.

³ I said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins and its gates have been consumed by fire?"

⁴ The king said to me, "What is it you are requesting?" So I prayed to the God of heaven

⁵ and said to the king, "If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' graves, so that I may rebuild it."

⁶ The king, with the queen sitting beside him, said to me, "How long will your journey be, and when will you return?" It pleased the king to send me, so I set a time.

⁷ I also said to the king, "If it pleases the king, let letters be given me for the governors of the province Beyond the River, so that they will grant me safe passage until I arrive in Judah,

⁸ and 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 by the temple, for the city wall, and for the house I will occupy." The king granted my requests, because the good hand of my God was on me.

⁹ I went to the governors of the province Beyond the River and gave them the king's letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.

¹⁰ When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, it deeply displeased them that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel.

¹¹ I arrived in Jerusalem and was there three days.

¹² Then I got up during the night—I and a few men with me. I told no one what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me except the one I was riding.

¹³ I went out by night through the Valley Gate toward the Dragon Spring and to the Dung Gate, inspecting the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates that had been consumed by fire.

¹⁴ Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King's Pool, but there was no room for the animal under me to pass.

¹⁵ So I went up by way of the valley during the night, inspecting the wall. Then I turned back and entered through the Valley Gate, and returned.

¹⁶ The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing. I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, or the rest who would be doing the work.

¹⁷ Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in—Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we will no longer be a disgrace."

¹⁸ I told them about the hand of my God, which had been gracious to me, and also about the king's words that he had spoken to me. They said, "Let us start building!" And they strengthened their hands for the good work.

¹⁹ But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and despised us. They said, "What is this you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?"

²⁰ I answered them and said, "The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will rise up and build, but you have no portion, no right, and no claim in Jerusalem."