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the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of the reign of King Artaxerxes, when wine was set before him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before; 2 so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.”
Then I was very frightened, 3 but I said to the king, “May the king live forever!. Why should my face not look sad, when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
4 Then the king asked me, “What would you request?”
So I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favour in your sight, send me to Judah, to the city where my fathers are buried, so that I can rebuild it.”
6 Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, said to me, “How long will your journey be, and when will you return?” It pleased the king to send me, so I gave him a definite time.
7 I also said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let me have letters to the governors of the provinces west of the Euphrates River, so they will grant me safe passage until I arrive in Judah. 8 May I also have a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, so that he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the temple fortress, for the wall of the city, and for the residence I will occupy.” And the king granted them to me, for the gracious hand of my God was upon me. 9 So I went to the governors of the provinces west of the Euphrates River and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent officers of the army and cavalry with me.
10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very displeased that a man had come to seek the well-being of the Israelites.
11 After I arrived at Jerusalem and had been there three days, 12 I set out at night with a few men. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to accomplish at Jerusalem. There was no other mounts with me apart from the one I was riding.
13 I went out at night through the Valley Gate toward the Jackals’ Well and the Dung Gate, inspecting the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. 14 Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was not enough room for the mount I was riding to get through. 15 So I went up at night by way of the valley and inspected the wall. Then I turned back and entered through the Valley Gate, and so returned. 16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, for I had not yet told the Jews or priests or nobles or officials or anyone else who would be doing the work.
17 Then I said to them, “You see the trouble that we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so we will no longer be in disgrace.” 18 I also told them how the gracious hand of my God had been upon me, and of the king’s words that he had spoken to me.
Then they replied, “Let us commence rebuilding.” So they set their hands to do this good work.
19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard about this, they mocked us and despised us. “What is this you are doing?” they chided. “Will you rebel against the king?”
20 So I answered them, “The God of heaven will Himself give us success. So we, His servants, will start rebuilding. But as for you, you have no share, or right, or historic claim in Jerusalem.”