rd

Nehemiah 2

1 After Nehemiáh had obteined letters of Artaxerxes, 11 He came to Ieruſalém, 17 And buylded the walles.
1.NOw in the moneth Niſan in the twẽtieth yere of King Artahſhaſhte, the wine ſtode before him, and I toke vp the wine, and gaue it vnto the King. now I was not before time ſad in his preſence.
2.And the King ſaid vnto me, Why is thy countenance ſad, ſeing thou art not ſicke? this is nothing, but ſorowe of heart. Then was I ſore afraied,
3.And I ſaid to the King, God ſaue the King for euer: why ſhulde not my countenance be ſad, when the citie & houſe of ye ſepulchres of my fathers lieth waſte & the gates thereof are deuoured with fyre?
4.And the King ſaid vnto me, For what thing doeſt thou require? Then I praied to the God of heauen,
5.And ſaid vnto the King, If it pleaſe the King, and if thy ſeruant haue founde fauour in thy ſight, I deſire that thou woldeſt ſend me to Iudáh vnto the citie of the ſepulchres of my fathers, that I may buylde it.
6.And the King ſaid vnto me, (the quene alſo ſitting by him) How long ſhal thy iourney be? and when wilt thou come againe? So it pleaſed the King, and he ſent me, and I ſet him a time.
7.After I ſaid vnto the King, If it pleaſe ye King, let them giue me letters to the capitaines beyonde the Riuer, that they may conuaye me ouer, til I come into Iudáh,
8.And letters vnto Aſáph the keper of the Kings parke, that he may giue me timber to buylde the gates of the palace (which apperteined to the houſe) & for the walles of the citie, and for the houſe that I ſhal entre into. And the King gaue me according to the good hand of my God vpon me.
9.¶ Then came I to the captaines beyond the Riuer, & gaue them the Kings letters. And the King had ſent captaines of the armie and horſmen with me.
10.But Sanballát the Horonite, and Tobiáh a ſeruant an Ammonite heard it, and it grieued thẽ ſore, that there was come a man which ſoght the wealth of the children of Iſraél.
11.So I came to Ieruſalém, and was there thre dayes.
12.And I roſe in the night, I, and a few mẽ wt me: for I tolde no man, what God had put in mine heart to do at Ieruſalém, and there was not a beaſt with me, ſaue the beaſt whereon I rode.
13.And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, and came before the draggon well, and to the dung porte, and vewed the walles of Ieruſalém, how they were broken downe, and the portes thereof deuoured with the fyre.
14.Then I went forthe vnto the gate of ye fountaine, and to the Kings fiſh poole, & there was no roume for the beaſt that was vnder me to paſſe.
15.Then went I vp in the night by the broke, & vewed the wall, and turned backe, and comming backe, I entred by the gate of the valley and returned.
16.And the rulers knewe not whether I was gone, nor what I did, nether did I as yet tel it vnto the Iewes, nor to the Prieſts, nor to the noble men, nor to the rulers, nor to the reſt that laboured in the worke.
17.After ward I ſaid vnto them, Ye ſe the miſerie that we are in, how Ieruſalém lieth waſte, and the gates thereof are burnt with fyre: come and let vs buylde the wall of Ieruſalém, that we be no more a reproche.
18.Then I tolde them of the hand of my God, (which was good ouer me) and alſo of the Kings wordes that he had ſpoken vnto me. And they ſaid, Let vs riſe, & buylde. So they ſtrengthened their hand to good.
19.But whẽ Sanballát the Horonite, & Tobiáh the ſeruant an Ammonite, and Geſhém the Arabian heard it, they mocked vs and deſpiſed vs, and ſaid, What a thĩg is this that ye do? Wil ye rebell againſt the King?
20.Then anſwered I them, and ſaid to thẽ, The God of heauen, he wil proſper vs, & we his ſeruants wil riſe vp and buylde: but as for you, ye haue no porcion nor right, nor memorial in Ieruſalém.

Notes

1:a.
Which was ye firſt moneth of the yere & cõteineth part of Marche & part of April
1:b.
Who is alſo called Darius read Ezr 7,1.
4:c.
I deſired God in mine hart, to proſper mine enterpriſe.
7:".
Or, Euphratés.
8:".
Or, paradiſe.
8:d.
As God moued me to aſke, & as he gaue me good ſucceſſe therein.
10:e.
Theſe were great enemies to the Iewes & laboured alwayes bothe by force & ſubtiltie to ouercome them, & Tobiáh becauſe his wife was a Ieweſſe, had aduertiſement euer of their affaires and ſo wroght them great trouble.
14:".
Or, conduits.
17:f.
That is, contemned of other natiõs, as thogh God had forſaken vs
18:g.
They were incouraged & gaue thẽ ſelues to do wel, & to trauel in this worthy enterpriſe.
19:h.
Theſe were thre chief gouerners vnder ye King of Perſia beyõde Euphrates
19:i.
Thus ye wicked whẽ thei wil burthen ye children of God, euer lay treaſon vnto their charge, bothe becauſe it maketh thẽ moſte odious to the worlde, & alſo ſtirreth ye hatred of princes moſte againſt thẽ.
20:k.
Nether ye are of the nōber of the children of God (to whome he hathe appointed this citie onely) nether did anie of your predeceſſours euer feare God