1:3 They said to me, “The remnant that remains from the exile there in the province are experiencing considerable 1 adversity and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem lies breached, and its gates have been burned down!” 2
2:3 I replied to the king, “O king, live forever! Why would I not appear dejected when the city with the graves of my ancestors 3 lies desolate and its gates destroyed 4 by fire?”
1 tn Heb “great.”
2 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.
3 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 5).
4 tn Heb “devoured” or “eaten” (so also in Neh 2:13).