“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, 2 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. 3 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. 4 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,”
“5 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: 6 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. 7 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. 8
Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant
Moses, saying, [If] ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the
nations: 9 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. 10 Now these [are]
thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power,
and by thy strong hand. 11 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.” (Nehemiah 1:1-11 AV)
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