Discovery BoxNehemiah 2:1 
Context2:1 Then in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought to me, 1 I took the wine and gave it to the king. Previously 2 I had not been depressed 3 in the king’s presence. 4
Nehemiah 6:3
Context6:3 So I sent messengers to them saying, “I am engaged in 5 an important work, and I am unable to come down. Why should the work come to a halt when I leave it to come down to you?”
Nehemiah 9:10
Context9:10 You performed awesome signs 6 against Pharaoh, against his servants, and against all the people of his land, for you knew that the Egyptians 7 had acted presumptuously 8 against them. You made for yourself a name that is celebrated to this day.
Nehemiah 10:36
Context10:36 We also accept responsibility, as is written in the law, for bringing the firstborn of our sons and our cattle and the firstborn of our herds and of our flocks to the temple of our God, to the priests who are ministering in the temple of our God.
Nehemiah 13:18
Context13:18 Isn’t this the way your ancestors 9 acted, causing our God to bring on them and on this city all this misfortune? And now you are causing even more wrath on Israel, profaning the Sabbath like this!”
Nehemiah 13:21
Context13:21 But I warned them and said, 10 “Why do you spend the night by the wall? If you repeat this, I will forcibly remove you!” 11 From that time on they did not show up on the Sabbath. 12
1 tc The translation reads with the LXX וְיַיִן לְפָנַי (vÿyayin lÿfanay, “and wine before me”) rather than יַיִן לְפָנָיו (yayin lÿfanayv, “wine before him”) of the MT. The initial vav (ו) on original וְיַיִן probably dropped out due to haplograpy or orthographic confusion with the two yods (י) which follow. The final vav on לְפָנָיו in the MT was probably added due to dittography with the vav on the immediately following word.
2 tc The translation reads לְפָנֵים (lÿfanim, “formerly”) rather than לְפָנָיו (lÿfanayv, “to his face”) of the MT. The MT seems to suggest that Nehemiah was not sad before the king, which is contrary to what follows.
3 tn Or “showed him a sullen face.” See HALOT 1251 s.v. רַע, רָע 9.
4 tn This expression is either to be inferred from the context, or perhaps one should read לְפָנָיו (lÿfanayv, “before him”; cf. the MT) in addition to לְפָנִים (lÿfanim, “formerly”). See preceding note on the word “previously.”
5 tn Heb “[am] doing.”
6 tn Heb “signs and wonders.” This phrase is a hendiadys. The second noun functions adjectivally, while the first noun retains its full nominal sense: “awesome signs” or “miraculous signs.”
7 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Egyptians) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 tn Or “arrogantly” (so NASB); NRSV “insolently.”
9 tn Heb “your fathers.”
10 tn The Hebrew text includes the words “to them,” but they have been excluded from the translation for stylistic reasons.
11 tn Heb “I will send a hand on you.”
12 sn This statement contains a great deal of restrained humor. The author clearly takes pleasure in the effectiveness of the measures that he had enacted.
