1 Nehemiah bewaileth the calamitie of Ieruſalem. 5 He confeſſeth the ſinnes of the people, & prayeth God for them

1.The wordes of Nehemiáh the ſonne of Hachaliáh, in the moneth ^aChiſléu, in the twentieth yere, as I was in the palace of Shuſhán,

2.Came Hanani, one of my ^bbrethren, he & the men of Iudáh, and I aſked them concerning the Iewes that were deliuered, which were of the reſidue of y^e captiuitie, and concerning Ieruſalém.

3.And they ſaid vnto me, The reſidue that are left of the captiuitie there in the ^cprouince, are in great affliction and in reproche, and the wall of Ieruſalém is broken downe, & the gates thereof are burnt with fyre.

4.And when I heard theſe wordes, I ſate downe and wept, and mourned certeine dayes, and I faſted and prayed before the God of heauen,

5.And ſaid, ^*O Lord God of heauen, the great and terrible God, that kepeth couenant and mercie for them that loue him, and obſerue his commandements,

6.I pray thee, let thine eares be attent, and thine eyes open, to heare the prayer of thy ſeruant, which I pray before thee dayly, day & night for the children of Iſraél thy ſeruants, & confeſſe the ſinnes of the children of Iſrael, which we haue ſinned againſt thee, bothe I & my fathers houſe haue ſinned:

7.We haue ^"grieuouſly ſinned agaĩſt thee, and haue not kept the commandements, nor the ſtatutes, nor the iudgements, w^c thou commandedſt thy ſeruant Moſés.

8.I beſeche thee, remember the worde that thou commandedſt thy ſeruant Moſés, ſaying, ^*Ye wil tranſgreſſe, and I wil ſcattre you abroade among the people.

9.But if ye turne vnto me, and kepe my cõmandements, and do them, thogh your ſcattering were to the vttermoſt parte of the heauẽ, yet wil I gather you from thẽce and wil bring you vnto the place that I haue choſen, to place my Name there.

10.Now theſe are thy ſeruants & thy people, whome thou haſt redemed by thy great power, and by thy mighty hand.

11.O Lord, I beſeche thee, let thine eare now hearken to the prayer of thy ſeruant, and to the prayer of thy ſeruãts, who deſire to ^dfeare thy Name, and, I pray thee, cauſe thy ſeruant to proſper this day, and giue him fauour in the preſence of ^ethis man: for I was the Kings butler.

Nehemiah 1

Notes