Nehemiah 1

The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,

Nehemiah, Hachaliah's son, spoke these words. During the month of Chisleu, in the twentieth year, I found myself in the grand palace of Shushan.

That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

My brother Hanani arrived with some men from Judah. I eagerly asked them about the surviving Jews who had escaped captivity, and about the state of Jerusalem.

And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.

They told me, the few survivors from the captivity in the province are suffering terribly and are shamed. Jerusalem's wall is shattered, its gates charred by fire.

And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

When I heard these words, I was overwhelmed with sorrow. I sat down, tears streaming down my face. For several days, I mourned, abstained from food, and poured out my heart to God.

And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:

I humbly ask you, O LORD, the mighty and awe-inspiring God of the heavens, who faithfully keeps promises and shows kindness to those who love Him and follow His commands.

Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father’s house have sinned.

Please listen closely and keep your eyes wide open, so you can hear my constant prayers. I'm praying for your people, Israel, acknowledging our mistakes. We've all sinned against you, including me and my family.

We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.

We've deeply wronged you, failing to follow the laws and rules you gave Moses.

Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations:

Please recall, I beg you, the promise you made to your servant Moses. You said, if you disobey, I will disperse you among the nations.

But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.

If you come back to me, follow my rules and live by them, even if you've been pushed to the farthest corners of the universe, I promise to find you, bring you back, and place you where I've chosen to make my presence known.

Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand.

These are your people, your followers, whom you've saved with your immense strength and unyielding grip.

O LORD, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king’s cupbearer.

Dear Lord, I beg you, please listen to my prayer and the prayers of those who respect your name. Give your servant success today, and let this man, the king, show me mercy. At that time, I was the king's cupbearer.