2:11 So I came to Jerusalem. 1 When I had been there for three days, 2:12 I got up during the night, along with a few men who were with me. But I did not tell anyone what my God was putting on my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no animals with me, except for the one 2 I was riding. 2:13 I proceeded through the Valley Gate by night, in the direction of the Well of the Dragons 3 and the Dung Gate, 4 inspecting 5 the walls of Jerusalem that had been breached and its gates that had been destroyed by fire.
1 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
2 tn Heb “the animal.”
3 tn Or “Well of the Serpents”; or “Well of the Jackals” (cf. ASV, NIV, NLT).
4 tn Or “Rubbish Gate” (so TEV); NASB “Refuse Gate”; NCV “Trash Gate”; CEV “Garbage Gate.”
5 tc For the MT reading שֹׂבֵר (sover, “inspecting”) the LXX erroneously has שֹׁבֵר (shover, “breaking”). However, further destruction of Jerusalem’s walls was obviously not a part of Nehemiah’s purpose.