1I am Nehemiah, the son of Hacaliah. I am writing this account of what I did when I returned to Jerusalem. After King Artaxerxes had been ruling the Persian Empire for almost 20 years, near the end of that year, I was in Susa, the capital of Persia.
2My brother Hanani came to visit me. He and some other men had just returned from Judah. I queried them about the Jews who were living there, whose parents had been ◄exiled/taken forcefully► to Babylonia many years previously. I also asked them about what was happening in Jerusalem.
3They said to me, “The Jews in Jerusalem who returned there from Babylonia are living in a very difficult situation. The walls of the city have been broken down, and even the city gates have been burned down.”
4When I heard that, I sat down and cried. For several days I mourned, and I ◄fasted/abstained from eating food►, and I prayed to our God, who is/rules in heaven.
5I said, “Yahweh, you who are/rule in heaven, you are a wonderful and awesome God. You keep your promise to faithfully love those who love you and who obey your commands.
6Now please look down and listen to what I am praying. I pray during the day and at night for your Israeli people. I confess that we Israeli people have sinned. Even my family and I have sinned against you.
7We have acted very wickedly. Many years ago your servant Moses gave us your laws and all the things you commanded us to do [DOU], but we have not obeyed/done them.
8“But please remember what you told your servant Moses. You said, ‘If you sin, I will scatter you among the ◄heathen nations/nations that do not believe in me►.
9But if you return to me and obey my commands, even if you have been exiled to very remote/distant places on the earth, I will bring you back here to Israel, the land that I [MTY] have chosen to be honored in.’
10“We are your servants. We are the people whom you brought here by your very great power [MTY, DOU]
11Yahweh, please hear this prayer of mine, and the prayers of all your people who are delighted to revere you [MTY]. Today I will go to the king, to request that he do me a great favor. Please motivate him to act kindly toward me, in order that I will be successful in obtaining what I want.”