Nehemiah 2:3

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 ¹  lies desolate and its gates destroyed ²  by fire?”

Nehemiah 2:5-7

2:5 and said to the king, “If the king is so inclined ³  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 ⁴  sitting beside him, replied, “How long would your trip take, and when would you return?” Since the king was amenable to dispatching me, ⁵  I gave him a time. 2:7 I said to the king, “If the king is so inclined, let him give me letters for the governors of Trans-Euphrates ⁶  that will enable me to travel safely until I reach Judah,

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 6:7

6:7 You have also established prophets to announce ⁷  in Jerusalem ⁸  on your behalf, ‘We have a king in Judah!’ Now the king is going to hear about these rumors. So come on! Let’s talk about this.” ⁹ 

Nehemiah 9:22

9:22 “You gave them kingdoms and peoples, and you allocated them to every corner of the land. ¹⁰  They inherited the land of King Sihon of Heshbon ¹¹  and the land of King Og of Bashan.

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¹ tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 5).

² tn Heb “devoured” or “eaten” (so also in Neh 2:13).

³ tn Heb “If upon the king it is good.” So also in v. 7.

⁴ tn Or “queen,” so most English versions (cf. HALOT 1415 s.v. שֵׁגַל); TEV “empress.”

⁵ tn Heb “It was good before the king and he sent me.”

⁶ tn Heb “across the river,” here and often elsewhere in the Book of Nehemiah.

⁷ tn Heb “call.”

⁸ map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

⁹ tn Heb “Let us consult together.”

¹⁰ tn The words “of the land” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

¹¹ tc Most Hebrew MSS read “the land of Sihon and the land of the king of Heshbon.” The present translation (along with NAB, NASB, NIV, NCV, NRSV, CEV, NLT) follows the reading of one Hebrew MS, the LXX, and the Vulgate.