2:1 And it came to pass in the month Nisan
of the twentieth year of king Arthasastha, that the wine was before me: and
I took the wine, and gave [it] to the king: and there was not another before
him.
2:2 And the king said to me, Why is thy countenance sad, and dost thou not
control thyself? and now this is nothing but sorrow of heart. Then I was
very much alarmed,
2:3 and I said to the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my
countenance be said, forasmuch as the city, even the home of the sepulchres
of my fathers, has been laid waste, and her gates have been devoured with
fire?
2:4 And the king said to me, For what dost thou ask thus? So I prayed to the
God of heaven.
2:5 And I said to the king, If [it seem] good to the king, and if thy
servant shall have found favour in thy sight, [I ask] that [thou] wouldest
send him into Juda, to the city of the sepulchres of my fathers; then will I
rebuild it.
2:6 And the king, and his concubine that sat next to him, said to me, For
how long will thy journey be, and when wilt thou return? and [the proposal]
was pleasing before the king, and he sent me away, and I appointed him a
time.
2:7 And I said to the king, If [it seem] good to the king, let him give me
letters to the governors beyond the river, so as to forward me till I come
to Juda;
2:8 and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the garden which belongs to the
king, that he may give me timber to cover the gates, and for the wall of the
city, and for the house into which I shall enter. And the king gave to me,
according as the good hand of God [was upon me].
2:9 And I came to the governors beyond the river, and I gave them the king's
letters. (Now the king had sent with me captains of the army and horsemen.)
2:10 And Sanaballat the Aronite heard [it], and Tobia the servant, the
Ammonite, and it was grievous to them that a man was come to seek good for
the children of Israel.
2:11 So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.
2:12 And I rose up by night, I and a few men with me; and I told no man what
God put into my heart to do with Israel; and there was no beast with me,
except the beast which I rode upon.
2:13 And I went forth by the gate of the valley by night, and to the mouth
of the well of fig trees, and to the dung-gate: and I mourned over the wall
of Jerusalem which they were destroying, and her gates were devoured with
fire.
2:14 And I passed on to the fountain gate, and to the king's pool; and there
was no room for the beast to pass under me.
2:15 And I went up by the wall of the brook by night, and mourned over the
wall, and passed through the gate of the valley, and returned.
2:16 And the sentinels knew not why I went, nor what I was doing; and until
that time I told [it] not to the Jews, or to the priests, or to the nobles,
or to the captains, or to the rest [of the men] who wrought the works.
2:17 Then I said to them, Ye see this evil, in which we are, how Jerusalem
is desolate, and her gates have been set on fie: come, and let us build
throughout the wall of Jerusalem, and we shall be no longer a reproach.
2:18 And I told them of the hand of God which was good upon me, also about
the words of the king which he spoke to me: and I said, Let us arise and
build. And their hands were strengthened for the good [work].
2:19 And Sanaballat the Aronite, and Tobia the servant, the Ammonite, and
Gesam the Arabian, heard [it], and they laughed us to scorn, and came to us,
and said, What [is] this thing that ye are doing? are ye revolting against
the king?
2:20 And I answered them, and said to them, The God of heaven, he shall
prosper us, and we his servants are pure, and we will build: but ye have no
part, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem. |
2:1 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.
2:2 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,
2:3 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?
2:4 Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed
to the God of heaven.
2:5 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.
2:6 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.
2:7 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;
2:8 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.
2:9 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.
2:10 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.
2:11 So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.
2:12 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.
2:13 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.
2:14 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.
2:15 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.
2:16 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.
2:17 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.
2:18 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.
2:19 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?
2:20 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. |