26 September - Nehemiah 1-5

Jude Thu Sep 06, 2018 7:57 am

My soul doth magnify my YAH, and my spirit hath rejoiced in EL my Saviour; For HE that is mighty hath done to me great things; and Holy is HIS Name. Now unto HIM who is ever present in my helpless estate; who is able to keep me from falling and to present me faultless before the presence of His Glory with exceeding joy, unto the King Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, the only wise EL our Saviour be honour and glory and majesty, dominion and power both now and for ever Halleluyah!

NEHEMIAH 1

1The words of Neḥemyah son of Ḥaḵalyah. And it came to be in the month of Kislĕw, in the twentieth year, as I was in the citadel of Shushan,

2that Ḥanani, one of my brothers, came with men from Yehuḏah. And I asked them concerning the Yehuḏim who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Yerushalayim.

3And they said to me, “The remnant who are left of the captivity in the province are there in great evil and reproach. And the wall of Yerushalayim is broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”

4And it came to be, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days. And I was fasting and praying before the Elohim of the heavens,

5and I said, “I pray, יהוה Elohim of the heavens, O great and awesome Ěl, guarding the covenant and kindness with those who love You, and with those guarding Your commands,

6please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You now, day and night, for the children of Yisra’ĕl Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Yisra’ĕl which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned.

7“We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not guarded the commands, nor the laws, nor the right-rulings which You commanded Your servant Mosheh.

8“Please remember the word that You commanded Your servant Mosheh, saying, ‘If you trespass, I shall scatter you among the peoples,

9but if you shall turn back to Me, and guard My commands and do them, though you were cast out to the end of the heavens, I shall gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen, to make My Name dwell there.’

10“And they are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand.

11“O יהוה, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who delight to fear Your Name. And let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him compassion in the presence of this man.” For I was cupbearer to the sovereign.

NEHEMIAH 2

1And it came to be in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaḥshashta the sovereign, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the sovereign. And I had never been sad in his presence.

2And the sovereign said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is none else but sorrow of heart.” Then I was very much afraid,

3and said to the sovereign, “Let the sovereign live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?”

4And the sovereign said to me, “What are you asking for?” Then I prayed to the Elohim of the heavens,

5and said to the sovereign, “If it seems good to the sovereign, and if your servant is pleasing before you, I ask that you send me to Yehuḏah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, so that I build it.”

6And the sovereign, with the sovereigness sitting beside him, said to me, “How long would your journey take? And when do you return?” So it seemed good before the sovereign to send me. And I set him a time.

7And I said to the sovereign, “If it seems good to the sovereign, let letters be given to me for the governors beyond the River, that they should let me to pass through till I come to Yehuḏah,

8and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the sovereign’s forest, that he should give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace that belongs to the House, and for the city wall, and for the house I would enter.” And the sovereign gave them to me according to the good hand of my Elohim upon me.

9Then I came to the governors beyond the River, and gave to them the letters of the sovereign. Now the sovereign had sent commanders of the army and horsemen with me.

10And Sanballat the Ḥoronite and Toḇiyah the Ammonite official heard of it, and to them it was evil, a great evil that a man had come to seek good for the children of Yisra’ĕl.

11Then I came to Yerushalayim and was there three days.

12And I rose up in the night, I and a few men with me, but informed no one what my Elohim had put in my heart to do at Yerushalayim, nor was there any beast with me, except the beast on which I rode.

13And I went out by night through the Valley Gate to the Jackals’ Fountain and the Dung Gate, and examined the walls of Yerushalayim which were broken down and its gates which were burned with fire.

14And I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the Sovereign’s Pool, but there was no room for the beast that was under me to pass.

15And I went up in the night by the wadi, and examined the wall, and turned back, and entered by the Valley Gate, and returned.

16And the deputy rulers did not know where I had gone nor what I had done. Nor had I yet informed the Yehuḏim, or the priests, or the nobles, or the deputy rulers, or the others who did the work.

17Then I said to them, “You see the evil which we are in, how Yerushalayim lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Yerushalayim, and let us no longer be a reproach.”

18And I informed them of the hand of my Elohim which had been good upon me, and also of the sovereign’s words he had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and we shall build.” So they made their hands strong for good.

19But when Sanballat the Ḥoronite heard, and Toḇiyah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Araḇ, they mocked us and despised us, and said, “What is this you are doing? Are you rebelling against the sovereign?”

20And I answered them, and said to them, “The Elohim of the heavens, He shall bless us and let us, His servants, rise and build, but you have no portion or right or remembrance in Yerushalayim.”

NEHEMIAH 3

1And Elyashiḇ the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests and built the Sheep Gate. They set it apart and set up its doors, even as far as the Tower of Ḥanan’ĕl they set it apart, as far as the Tower of Ḥanane’ĕl.

2And next to him the men of Yeriḥo built. And next to them Zakkur son of Imri built.

3And the sons of Hassena’ah built the Fish Gate, who laid its beams and set up its doors, its bolts and bars.

4And next to them Merĕmoth son of Uriyah, son of Qots, made repairs. And next to them Meshullam son of Bereḵyah, son of Meshĕyzaḇ’ĕl, made repairs. And next to them Tsaḏoq son of Ba‛ana made repairs.

5And next to them the Teqowites made repairs, but their nobles did not put their shoulders to the work of their Master.

6And Yehoyaḏa son of Pasĕaḥ and Meshullam son of Besoḏeyah repaired the Old Gate. They laid its beams and set up its doors, and its bolts and its bars.

7And next to them Melatyah the Giḇ‛onite, and Yaḏon the Mĕronothite, the men of Giḇ‛on and Mitspah, repaired the official seat of the governor beyond the River.

8Next to him Uzzi’ĕl son of Ḥarhayah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs. And next to him Ḥananyah, one of the perfumers, made repairs. And they restored Yerushalayim as far as the Broad Wall.

9And next to them Rephayah son of Ḥur, ruler of half the district of Yerushalayim, made repairs.

10And next to them Yeḏayah son of Ḥarumaph made repairs, even opposite his house. And next to him Ḥattush son of Ḥashaḇneyah made repairs.

11Malkiyah son of Ḥarim and Ḥashshuḇ son of Paḥath-Mo’aḇ repaired another section, and the Tower of the Ovens.

12And next to him Shallum son of Halloḥĕsh ruler of half the district of Yerushalayim made repairs, he and his daughters.

13Ḥanun and the people of Zanowaḥ repaired the Valley Gate. They built it, and set up its doors, its bolts and bars – and a thousand cubits of the wall as far as the Dung Gate.

14And the Dung Gate was repaired by Malkiyah son of Rĕḵaḇ, ruler of the district of Bĕyth Hakkerem. He built it and set up its doors, its bolts and bars.

15And the Fountain Gate was repaired by Shallun son of Kol-Ḥozeh, ruler of the district of Mitspah. He built it and covered it, and set up its doors, its bolts and bars – also the wall of the Pool of Shelaḥ by the Sovereign’s Garden, as far as the stairs going down from the City of Dawiḏ.

16After him Neḥemyah son of Azbuq, ruler of half the district of Bĕyth Tsur, made repairs as far as opposite the tombs of Dawiḏ, and to the man-made pool, and as far as the house of the mighty men.

17After him the Lĕwites, Reḥum son of Bani, made repairs. Next to him repaired Ḥashaḇyah, ruler of half the district of Qe‛ilah, for his district.

18After him their brothers, Bawwai son of Ḥĕnaḏaḏ, ruler of the other half of the district of Qe‛ilah, made repairs.

19And next to him Ězer son of Yĕshua, the ruler of Mitspah, repaired another section before the going up to the armoury at the corner.

20After him Baruḵ son of Zabbai eagerly repaired the other section, from the buttress to the door of the house of Elyashiḇ the high priest.

21After him Merĕmoth son of Uriyah, son of Qots, repaired another section, from the door of the house of Elyashiḇ to the end of the house of Elyashiḇ.

22And after him the priests, the men of the neighbourhood, made repairs.

23After him Binyamin and Ḥashshuḇ made repairs opposite their house. After them Azaryah son of Ma‛asĕyah, son of Ananyah, made repairs near his house.

24After him Binnui son of Ḥĕnaḏaḏ repaired another section, from the house of Azaryah to the angle, even as far as the corner.

25Palal son of Uzai made repairs opposite the corner, and on the tower which projects from the sovereign’s upper house that was by the courtyard of the prison. After him Peḏayah son of Parosh.

26Now the Nethinim dwelt in Ophel as far as opposite the Water Gate toward the east, and on the projecting tower.

27After him the Teqowites repaired another section, opposite the great projecting tower, and as far as the wall of Ophel.

28Beyond the Horse Gate the priests made repairs, each opposite his own house.

29After them Tsaḏoq son of Immĕr made repairs opposite his own house. After him Shemayah son of Sheḵanyah, keeper of the East Gate, made repairs.

30After him Ḥananyah son of Shelemyah, and Ḥanun, the sixth son of Tsalaph, repaired another section. After him Meshullam son of Bereḵyah made repairs opposite his room.

31After him Malkiyah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the house of the Nethinim and of the merchants, opposite the Miphqaḏ Gate, and as far as the going up of the corner.

32And between the going up of the corner to the Sheep Gate, the goldsmiths and the merchants made repairs.

NEHEMIAH 4

1And it came to be, when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was wroth and highly offended, and mocked the Yehuḏim.

2And he spoke before his brothers and the army of Shomeron, and said, “What are these feeble Yehuḏim doing? Are they going to restore, slaughter, complete it in a day? Are they going to bring to life the stones from the heaps of rubbish which are burned?”

3And Toḇiyah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Whatever they build, if a fox should climb on it, he shall break down their stone wall.”

4“Hear, O our Elohim, for we have become despised. And turn back their reproach on their own heads, and give them as a prey in a land of captivity!

5“And do not cover over their crookedness, and do not let their sin be blotted out from before You, for they have provoked You before the builders.”

6So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to the half of it, for the people had a heart to work.

7And it came to be, when Sanballat and Toḇiyah, and the Araḇs, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdoḏites heard that the walls of Yerushalayim were being repaired and the broken places began to be filled, that they became very wroth,

8and all of them conspired together to come to fight against Yerushalayim and to do harm to it.

9But we prayed to our Elohim, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.

10And Yehuḏah said, “The strength of the burden bearers is weakening, and there is so much rubbish that we are unable to build the wall.”

11And our adversaries said, “Let them not know or see it until we come into their midst and shall slay them, and cause the work to cease.”

12And it came to be, when the Yehuḏim who dwelt near them came, that they said to us ten times, “From whatever place you turn, they are against us.”

13So I set men behind the lower parts of the wall, at the openings – I set the people according to their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

14And I looked, and rose up and said to the nobles, and to the deputy rulers, and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the great and awesome, יהוה, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your houses.”

15And it came to be, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that Elohim had brought their counsel to naught, that all of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work.

16And it came to be, from that time on, that half of my servants were working in the work, while the other half were holding the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the breastplates. And the rulers were behind all the house of Yehuḏah,

17who were building on the wall, and those bearing burdens, those loading, working with one hand in the work, and with the other holding a weapon.

18As for the builders, each one had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the ram’s horn was beside me.

19And I said to the nobles, and to the deputy rulers, and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and large, and we are separated far from one another on the wall.

20“In whatever place you hear the sound of the ram’s horn, join us there. Our Elohim fights for us.”

21So we laboured in the work, and half of them held the spears from the break of day until the stars appeared.

22At that time I also said to the people, “Let each man and his servant spend the night in Yerushalayim, and they shall be our guard by night, and for the work by day.”

23So neither I, nor my brothers, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our garments, each one his weapon even at the water.

NEHEMIAH 5

1And there was a great outcry of the people and their wives against their brothers, the Yehuḏim.

2And there were some who were saying, “We, our sons, and our daughters are many. Let us get grain for them, and eat, and live.”

3And there were some who were saying, “We have mortgaged our lands and vineyards and houses. Let us buy grain because of the scarcity of food.”

4And there were those who were saying, “We have borrowed silver for the sovereign’s tax on our lands and vineyards.

5“And now our flesh is like the flesh of our brothers, our children like their children. And see, we are subjecting our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have already been subjected, and there is no power in our hands, for other men have our lands and vineyards.”

6And it was very displeasing to me when I heard their outcry and these words.

7And my heart ruled over me, and I strove with the nobles and with the deputy rulers, and said to them, “You are exacting interest, each one from his brother.” And I called a great assembly against them,

8and said to them, “According to our ability we have redeemed our brothers, the Yehuḏim, who were sold to the gentiles. And you even sell your brothers! Or should they be sold to us?” And they were silent and found not a word to say.

9I also said, “What you are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our Elohim because of the reproach of the gentiles, our enemies?

10“And also, I, my brothers and my servants, am lending them silver and grain. Please, let us leave off this interest!

11“Please, give back to them, even today, their lands, their vineyards, their olive-trees, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the silver and of the grain, and of the new wine, and of the oil, that you have taken from them.”

12And they said, “Let us give it back, and ask no more from them, we do as you say.” Then I called the priests, and made them swear to do according to this word.

13I also shook out the fold of my garment and said, “Let Elohim in this way shake out each man from his house, and from his property, who does not do this word, even to be thus shaken out and emptied.” And all the assembly said, “Amĕn!” and praised יהוה. And the people did according to this word.

14Also, from the day I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Yehuḏah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of Sovereign Artaḥshashta, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the governor’s food.

15But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people, and took from them bread and wine, besides forty sheqels of silver. Their servants also oppressed the people, but I did not do so, because of the fear of Elohim.

16And I also applied myself to the work on this wall. We did not buy any land. And all my servants were gathered there for the work.

17And at my table were one hundred and fifty of the Yehuḏim and deputy rulers, besides those who came to us from the nations around us.

18And that which was prepared for me daily was one ox and six choice sheep, and birds were prepared for me, and once every ten days plenty of all kinds of wine. And in spite of this I did not seek the governor’s food, because the bondage was heavy on this people.

19O my Elohim, remember me for the good – all that I have done for this people.