Nehemiah 1:2-3

1:2 Hanani, who was one of my relatives, ¹  along with some of the men from Judah, came to me, ²  and I asked them about the Jews who had escaped and had survived the exile, and about Jerusalem. ³ 

1:3 They said to me, “The remnant that remains from the exile there in the province are experiencing considerable ⁴  adversity and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem lies breached, and its gates have been burned down!” ⁵ 

Nehemiah 2:5-6

2:5 and said to the king, “If the king is so inclined ⁶  and if your servant has found favor in your sight, dispatch me to Judah, to the city with the graves of my ancestors, so that I can rebuild it.” 2:6 Then the king, with his consort ⁷  sitting beside him, replied, “How long would your trip take, and when would you return?” Since the king was amenable to dispatching me, ⁸  I gave him a time.

Nehemiah 2:9

2:9 Then I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, and I presented to them the letters from the king. The king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen.

Nehemiah 4:23

4:23 We did not change clothes ⁹  – not I, nor my relatives, nor my workers, nor the watchmen who were with me. Each had his weapon, even when getting a drink of water. ¹⁰ 

Nehemiah 13:14

13:14 Please remember me for this, O my God, and do not wipe out the kindness that I have done for the temple of my God and for its services!

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¹ tn Heb “brothers.”

² tn The Hebrew text does not include the words “to me”; these words were supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

³ map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

⁴ tn Heb “great.”

⁵ tn Heb “have been burned with fire” (so also in Neh 2:17). The expression “burned with fire” is redundant in contemporary English; the translation uses “burned down” for stylistic reasons.

⁶ tn Heb “If upon the king it is good.” So also in v. 7.

⁷ tn Or “queen,” so most English versions (cf. HALOT 1415 s.v. שֵׁגַל); TEV “empress.”

⁸ tn Heb “It was good before the king and he sent me.”

⁹ tn Heb “strip off our garments.”

¹⁰ tc Heb “a man, his weapon, the waters.” The MT, if in fact it is correct, is elliptical and difficult. Some scholars emend the MT reading הַמָּיִם (hammayim, “the waters”) to בִּמִנוֹ (bimino, “in his right hand”; cf. NAB, NRSV) or מִינוּ(י)הֵ (heminu, “they held on the right side”).