Discovery BoxNehemiah 2:18 
Context2:18 Then I related to them how the good hand of my God was on me and what 1 the king had said to me. Then they replied, “Let’s begin rebuilding right away!” 2 So they readied themselves 3 for this good project.
Nehemiah 4:2
Context4:2 and in the presence of his colleagues 4 and the army of Samaria 5 he said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they be left to themselves? 6 Will they again offer sacrifice? Will they finish this in a day? Can they bring these burnt stones to life again from piles of dust?”
Nehemiah 8:16
Context8:16 So the people went out and brought these things 7 back and constructed temporary shelters for themselves, each on his roof and in his courtyard and in the courtyards of the temple 8 of God and in the plaza of the Water Gate and the plaza of the Ephraim Gate.
Nehemiah 10:28
Context10:28 “Now the rest of the people – the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple attendants, and all those who have separated themselves from the neighboring peoples 9 because of the law of God, along with their wives, their sons, and their daughters, all of whom are able to understand –
Nehemiah 13:22
Context13:22 Then I directed the Levites to purify themselves and come and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy.
For this please remember me, O my God, and have pity on me in keeping with your great love.
1 tn Heb “the words of the king which he had spoken to me.”
2 tn Heb “Arise! Let us rebuild!”
3 tn Heb “strengthened their hands.”
4 tn Heb “brothers.”
5 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
6 tc The Hebrew text is difficult here. The present translation follows the MT, but the text may be corrupt. H. G. M. Williamson (Ezra, Nehemiah [WBC], 213-14) translates these words as “Will they commit their cause to God?” suggesting that MT לָהֶם (lahem, “to them”) should be emended to לֵאלֹהִים (lelohim, “to God”), a proposal also found in the apparatus of BHS. In his view later scribes altered the phrase out of theological motivations. J. Blenkinsopp’s translation is similar: “Are they going to leave it all to God?” (Ezra–Nehemiah [OTL], 242-44). However, a problem for this view is the absence of external evidence to support the proposed emendation. The sense of the MT reading may be the notion that the workers – if left to their own limited resources – could not possibly see such a demanding and expensive project through to completion. This interpretation understands the collocation עָזַב (’azav, “to leave”) plus לְ (lÿ, “to”) to mean “commit a matter to someone,” with the sense in this verse “Will they leave the building of the fortified walls to themselves?”
7 tn The words “these things” are not in the Hebrew text but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
8 tn Heb “the house.”
