וַיְהִי בְּחֹדֶשׁ נִיסָן שְׁנַת עֶשְׂרִים לְאַרְתַּחְשַׁסְתְּא הַמֶּלֶךְ יַיִן לְפָנָיו וָאֶשָּׂא אֶת־הַיַּיִן וָאֶתְּנָה לַמֶּלֶךְ וְלֹא־הָיִיתִי רַע לְפָנָיו

It was in the month of Nisan, the twentieth year of Artahshasta the king; wine was before him, and I, as the royal cupbearer, carried the wine, and I gave it to the king. I had never until that point been wretched in his presence. I was always at my best when before the king, and for his part he always showed fondness toward me.

וַיֹּאמֶר לִי הַמֶּלֶךְ מַדּוּעַ פָּנֶיךָ רָעִים וְאַתָּה אֵינְךָ חוֹלֶה אֵין זֶה כִּי־אִם רֹעַ לֵב וָאִירָא הַרְבֵּה מְאֹד

The king said to me: Why is your face wretched, and you are not ill? You do not look good today; this is nothing other than heartache. If you are not ill, you must be preoccupied by negative thoughts. I was exceedingly afraid. The king of Persia was not accountable to anyone. It was enough for this supreme leader, who had the virtual status of a demigod, to suspect someone of wrongdoing, for that person to be executed.

וָאֹמַר לַמֶּלֶךְ הַמֶּלֶךְ לְעוֹלָם יִחְיֶה מַדּוּעַ לֹא־יֵרְעוּ פָנַי אֲשֶׁר הָעִיר בֵּית־קִבְרוֹת אֲבֹתַי חֲרֵבָה וּשְׁעָרֶיהָ אֻכְּלוּ בָאֵשׁ

I said to the king: May the king live forever. Why wouldn’t my face be wretched; why would I not appear worried and miserable, when the city, which is the place of the graves of my fathers, is in ruins, and its gates have been consumed by fire? I feel terrible and restless due to the state of Jerusalem.

וַיֹּאמֶר לִי הַמֶּלֶךְ עַל־מַה־זֶּה אַתָּה מְבַקֵּשׁ וָאֶתְפַּלֵּל אֶל־אֱלֹהֵי הַשָּׁמָיִם

The king said to me: If you are that upset, what is it that you request? What is your desire? The close relationship between Nehemiah and the king mentioned above is clearly evident here. And I, Nehemiah, prayed in my heart to the God of the heavens that I should find the right words and that they would be accepted by the king. Nehemiah knew that this short conversation could have important ramifications.

וָאֹמַר לַמֶּלֶךְ אִם־עַל־הַמֶּלֶךְ טוֹב וְאִם־יִיטַב עַבְדְּךָ לְפָנֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר תִּשְׁלָחֵנִי אֶל־יְהוּדָה אֶל־עִיר קִבְרוֹת אֲבֹתַי וְאֶבְנֶנָּה

I said to the king: If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, would that you send me, grant me permission to go, to Judah, to the city of the graves of my fathers, and I will build it anew.

וַיֹּאמֶר לִי הַמֶּלֶךְ וְהַשֵּׁגַל יוֹשֶׁבֶת אֶצְלוֹ עַד־מָתַי יִהְיֶה מַהֲלָכְךָ וּמָתַי תָּשׁוּב וַיִּיטַב לִפְנֵי־הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיִּשְׁלָחֵנִי וָאֶתְּנָה לוֹ זְמָן

The king said to me, and the consort, his queen or concubine, was sitting with him. Nehemiah depicts the king as dining in a highly intimate setting, with no strangers around. The king was in a fine mood, and responded positively to his request: Until when will your journey be? For how long do you wish to go? And when will you return? It found favor before the king to send me. He allowed me to go, and I set him a time for my return. It is known that Nehemiah returned to the king after twelve years, although sometime later he went back to Jerusalem again.

וָאוֹמַר לַמֶּלֶךְ אִם־עַל־הַמֶּלֶךְ טוֹב אִגְּרוֹת יִתְּנוּ־לִי עַל פַּחֲווֹת עֵבֶר הַנָּהָר אֲשֶׁר יַעֲבִירוּנִי עַד אֲשֶׁר־אָבוֹא אֶל־יְהוּדָה

I said to the king: If it pleases the king, have them give me letters to the governors, the rulers of the province, of Ever HaNahar so that they grant me passage until I arrive in Judah. I need some sort of letter of recommendation that will allow me to pass safely through their territory. Nehemiah required the assistance of the local rulers beyond the Euphrates for his journey, and missives written and signed by the king were considered direct orders with unquestionable authority.

וְאִגֶּרֶת אֶל־אָסָף שֹׁמֵר הַפַּרְדֵּס אֲשֶׁר לַמֶּלֶךְ אֲשֶׁר יִתֶּן־לִי עֵצִים לְקָרוֹת אֶת־שַׁעֲרֵי הַבִּירָה אֲשֶׁר־לַבַּיִת וּלְחוֹמַת הָעִיר וְלַבַּיִת אֲשֶׁר־אָבוֹא אֵלָיו וַיִּתֶּן־לִי הַמֶּלֶךְ כְּיַד־אֱלֹהַי הַטּוֹבָה עָלָי

And also send with me an additional letter, to Asaf, the keeper of the king’s forests, who was in charge of the royal gardens and woods, so that he will provide me with timber from which to roof the gates of the complex that abuts the House, the gates of the Temple Mount, and for the wall of the city, and for the house into which I will come, to live there. The king granted me all that I requested, according to the benevolent hand of my God upon me, generously.

וָאָבוֹא אֶל־פַּחֲווֹת עֵבֶר הַנָּהָר וָאֶתְּנָה לָהֶם אֵת אִגְּרוֹת הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיִּשְׁלַח עִמִּי הַמֶּלֶךְ שָׂרֵי חַיִל וּפָרָשִׁים

I came to the governors of Ever HaNahar, and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent with me army and cavalry officers. Since Nehemiah was a senior state official, the king had a group of soldiers and horsemen accompany him, to provide him with protection.

וַיִּשְׁמַע סַנְבַלַּט הַחֹרֹנִי וְטוֹבִיָּה הָעֶבֶד הָעַמֹּנִי וַיֵּרַע לָהֶם רָעָה גְדֹלָה אֲשֶׁר־בָּא אָדָם לְבַקֵּשׁ טוֹבָה לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

Sanbalat the Horonite, perhaps the governor of Samaria, and Toviya the Amonite servant, possibly a relatively minor governor in Amon, whom Nehemiah derisively called a servant, heard, and they were exceedingly displeased that a person had come to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.

וָאָבוֹא אֶל־יְרוּשָׁלִָם וָאֱהִי־שָׁם יָמִים שְׁלֹשָׁה

I came to Jerusalem and was there three days, as a visitor. It is likely that Nehemiah’s appearance, accompanied by horsemen and soldiers, made a great impression on the local populace.

וָאָקוּם לַיְלָה אֲנִי וַאֲנָשִׁים מְעַט עִמִּי וְלֹא־הִגַּדְתִּי לְאָדָם מָה אֱלֹהַי נֹתֵן אֶל־לִבִּי לַעֲשׂוֹת לִירוּשָׁלִָם וּבְהֵמָה אֵין עִמִּי כִּי אִם־הַבְּהֵמָה אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי רֹכֵב בָּהּ

I arose stealthily at night, I and a few men with me; I did not tell any person what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem; no animal was with me, other than the animal on which I was riding, probably a horse or a mule.

וָאֵצְאָה בְשַׁעַר־הַגַּיְא לַיְלָה וְאֶל־פְּנֵי עֵין הַתַּנִּין וְאֶל־שַׁעַר הָאַשְׁפֹּת וָאֱהִי שֹׂבֵר בְּחוֹמֹת יְרוּשָׁלִַם אֲשֶׁר־הֵם פְּרוּצִים וּשְׁעָרֶיהָ אֻכְּלוּ בָאֵשׁ

I emerged through the Valley Gate, one of the gates of Jerusalem, at night, to opposite the Jackals’ Spring, which might be Ein Rogel, based on the direction he was walking, and to the Dung Gate, and I surveyed the walls of Jerusalem, which were breached, and its gates were consumed by fire.

וָאֶעֱבֹר אֶל־שַׁעַר הָעַיִן וְאֶל־בְּרֵכַת הַמֶּלֶךְ ואֵין־מָקוֹם לַבְּהֵמָה לַעֲבֹר תַּחְתָּי

I passed to the Gate of the Spring and to the King’s Pool; but when I tried to enter I discovered that there was no room for the animal under me to pass. Due to the collapse of the gate, the entrance was too low for a man riding on an animal to pass through. Alternatively, the animal he was riding could not walk along the blocked path.

וָאֱהִי עֹלֶה בַנַּחַל לַיְלָה וָאֱהִי שֹׂבֵר בַּחוֹמָה וָאָשׁוּב וָאָבוֹא בְּשַׁעַר הַגַּיְא וָאָשׁוּב

I went up the ravine at night and surveyed the state of the wall; I came around and entered once again through the Valley Gate, and I returned to my starting point after traversing all the way around the city walls. Perhaps Nehemiah made notes and diagrams for himself, or he simply tried to form a mental picture of the appearance of the walls and gates, in order to plan how they could be rebuilt.

וְהַסְּגָנִים לֹא יָדְעוּ אָנָה הָלַכְתִּי וּמָה אֲנִי עֹשֶׂה וְלַיְּהוּדִים וְלַכֹּהֲנִים וְלַחֹרִים וְלַסְּגָנִים וּלְיֶתֶר עֹשֵׂה הַמְּלָאכָה עַד־כֵּן לֹא הִגַּדְתִּי

The prefects, senior officials, who were with me, did not know where I had gone, or what I was doing, and I had not yet told the rest of the Judeans, the priests, the nobles, the prefects, and the rest of the laborers until that point. I did not tell anyone what I had done. The dignified status of the visitor who had arrived from the royal capital, under direct appointment of the king, enabled him to act as he wished without having to report to anyone. Nehemiah knew not only how to speak well, but also when to remain silent.

וָאוֹמַר אֲלֵהֶם אַתֶּם רֹאִים הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר אֲנַחְנוּ בָהּ אֲשֶׁר יְרוּשָׁלִַם חֲרֵבָה וּשְׁעָרֶיהָ נִצְּתוּ בָאֵשׁ לְכוּ וְנִבְנֶה אֶת־חוֹמַת יְרוּשָׁלִַם וְלֹא־נִהְיֶה עוֹד חֶרְפָּה

After my nocturnal reconnaissance, I turned to the ministers and rulers, and I said to them: You see the wretched state which we are in, that Jerusalem is in ruins, and its gates were set on fire. Since our city is entirely unprotected, let us come and build the wall of Jerusalem, and we will not continue to be a disgrace.

וָאַגִּיד לָהֶם אֶת־יַד אֱלֹהַי אֲשֶׁר־הִיא טוֹבָה עָלַי וְאַף דִּבְרֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲשֶׁר אָמַר־לִי וַיֹּאמְרוּ נָקוּם וּבָנִינוּ וַיְחַזְּקוּ יְדֵיהֶם לַטּוֹבָה

I told them of the hand of my God that was benevolent upon me, how God had helped me, and also of the king’s words that he had said to me; the explicit permission he had granted me to rebuild the city. They said: Let us rise and build. They were encouraged for the good. When they heard that Nehemiah had received governmental assistance, they were encouraged to start the work. Nehemiah did not bring with him enough money or the means to resolve all the problems of Jerusalem, but thanks to the royal support and license he had been granted, he was able to motivate the residents of the city to take action with him.

וַיִּשְׁמַע סַנְבַלַּט הַחֹרֹנִי וְטֹבִיָּה הָעֶבֶד הָעַמּוֹנִי וְגֶשֶׁם הָעַרְבִי וַיַּלְעִגוּ לָנוּ וַיִּבְזוּ עָלֵינוּ וַיֹּאמְרוּ מָה־הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם עֹשִׂים הַעַל הַמֶּלֶךְ אַתֶּם מֹרְדִים

Sanbalat the Horonite and Toviya the Amonite servant and Geshem the Arabian, probably a leader of a group of Arabians, heard, and they mocked us and scorned us, and said: What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king? Given the situation, the enemies of Jerusalem had no option left but to resort to propaganda and slander.

וָאָשִׁיב אֹתָם דָּבָר וָאוֹמַר לָהֶם אֱלֹהֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם הוּא יַצְלִיחַ לָנוּ וַאֲנַחְנוּ עֲבָדָיו נָקוּם וּבָנִינוּ וְלָכֶם אֵין־חֵלֶק וּצְדָקָה וְזִכָּרוֹן בִּירוּשָׁלִָם

I answered them and said to them: The God of the heavens, He will cause us to succeed, and we, His servants, will rise and build; but we will take no notice of you, as you have no share, or right, or vestige in Jerusalem.