Nehemia 2:1

Nehemiah Is Permitted to Go to Jerusalem

2:1 Then in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought to me, ¹  I took the wine and gave it to the king. Previously ²  I had not been depressed ³  in the king’s presence. ⁴ 

Nehemia 2:16

2:16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I had been doing, for up to this point I had not told any of the Jews or the priests or the nobles or the officials or the rest of the workers.

Nehemia 2:20

2:20 I responded to them by saying, “The God of heaven will prosper us. We his servants will start the rebuilding. ⁵  But you have no just or ancient right in Jerusalem.” ⁶ 

Nehemia 5:11

5:11 This very day return to them their fields, their vineyards, their olive trees, and their houses, along with the interest ⁷  that you are exacting from them on the money, the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil.”

Nehemia 7:5

7:5 My God placed it on my heart to gather the leaders, ⁸  the officials, and the ordinary people so they could be enrolled on the basis of genealogy. I found the genealogical records ⁹  of those who had formerly returned. Here is what I found written in that record: ¹⁰ 

Nehemia 9:17

9:17 They refused to obey and did not recall your miracles that you had performed among them. Instead, they rebelled and appointed a leader to return to their bondage in Egypt. ¹¹  But you are a God of forgiveness, merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and unfailing in your loyal love. ¹²  You did not abandon them,

Nehemia 9:19

9:19 “Due to your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. The pillar of cloud did not stop guiding them in the path by day, ¹³  nor did the pillar of fire stop illuminating for them by night the path on which they should travel.

Nehemia 9:30

9:30 You prolonged your kindness ¹⁴  with them for many years, and you solemnly admonished them by your Spirit through your prophets. Still they paid no attention, ¹⁵  so you delivered them into the hands of the neighboring peoples. ¹⁶ 

Nehemia 12:47

12:47 So in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah, all Israel was contributing the portions for the singers and gatekeepers, according to the daily need. ¹⁷  They also set aside ¹⁸  the portion for the Levites, and the Levites set aside the portion for the descendants of Aaron.

Nehemia 13:18-19

13:18 Isn’t this the way your ancestors ¹⁹  acted, causing our God to bring on them and on this city all this misfortune? And now you are causing even more wrath on Israel, profaning the Sabbath like this!”

13:19 When the evening shadows ²⁰  began to fall on the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I ordered ²¹  the doors to be closed. I further directed that they were not to be opened until after the Sabbath. I positioned ²²  some of my young men at the gates so that no load could enter on the Sabbath day.

[2:1]  ¹ tc The translation reads with the LXX וְיַיִן לְפָנַי (vÿyayin lÿfanay, “and wine before me”) rather than יַיִן לְפָנָיו (yayin lÿfanayv, “wine before him”) of the MT. The initial vav (ו) on original וְיַיִן probably dropped out due to haplograpy or orthographic confusion with the two yods (י) which follow. The final vav on לְפָנָיו in the MT was probably added due to dittography with the vav on the immediately following word.

[2:1]  ² tc The translation reads לְפָנֵים (lÿfanim, “formerly”) rather than לְפָנָיו (lÿfanayv, “to his face”) of the MT. The MT seems to suggest that Nehemiah was not sad before the king, which is contrary to what follows.

[2:1]  ³ tn Or “showed him a sullen face.” See HALOT 1251 s.v. רַע, רָע 9.

[2:1]  ⁴ tn This expression is either to be inferred from the context, or perhaps one should read לְפָנָיו (lÿfanayv, “before him”; cf. the MT) in addition to לְפָנִים (lÿfanim, “formerly”). See preceding note on the word “previously.”

[2:20]  ⁵ tn Heb “will arise and build.” The idiom “arise and…” means to begin the action described by the second verb.

[2:20]  ⁶ tn Heb “portion or right or remembrance.” The expression is probably a hendiatris: The first two nouns retain their full nominal function, while the third noun functions adjectivally (“right or remembrance” = “ancient right”).

[5:11]  ⁷ tc The MT reads וּמְאַת (umÿ’at, “and the hundredth”) which is somewhat enigmatic. The BHS editors suggest emending to וּמַשַּׁאת (umasha’t, “and the debt”) which refers to the interest or collateral (pledge) seized by a creditor (Deut 24:10; Prov 22:26; see HALOT 641-42 s.v. מַשָּׁא). The term מַשַּׁאת (masha’t) is related to the noun מָשָּׁא (masha’, “debt”) in 5:7, 10.

[7:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “nobles”; NCV “important men.”

[7:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “the book of genealogy.”

[7:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “in it”; the referent (the genealogical record) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:17]  ¹¹ tc The present translation follows a few medieval Hebrew MSS and the LXX in reading בְּמִצְרָיִם (bÿmitsrayim, “in Egypt”; so also NAB, NASB, NRSV, TEV, NLT) rather than the MT reading בְּמִרְיָם (bÿmiryam, “in their rebellion”).

[9:17]  ¹² tc The translation follows the Qere reading חֶסֶד (khesed, “loyal love”) rather than the Kethib reading וְחֶסֶד (vÿkhesed, “and loyal love”) of the MT.

[9:19]  ¹³ tn Heb “did not turn from them by day to guide them in the path.”

[9:30]  ¹⁴ tn The Hebrew expression here is elliptical. The words “your kindness” are not included in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:30]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “did not give ear to.”

[9:30]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the peoples of the lands.”

[12:47]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “a thing of a day in its day.”

[12:47]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “were sanctifying.”

[13:18]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “your fathers.”

[13:19]  ²⁰ tn Heb “the gates of Jerusalem grew dark.”

[13:19]  ²¹ tn Heb “said” (so also in v. 22).

[13:19]  ²² tn Heb “caused to stand.”