Nehemiah 1
Berean Standard Bible · Compare translations · 445 BC · Return & rebuilding · Tap a verse to copy, share or highlight ·
11 verses · 348 words · ~2 min read · ~2 min listen
Nehemiahʼs Prayer
1These are the words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah:
In the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2Hanani, one of my brothers, arrived with men from Judah. So I questioned them about the remnant of the Jews who had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.
3And they told me, “The remnant who survived the exile are there in the province, in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”
4When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
5Then I said:
“O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps His covenant of loving devotion with those who love Him and keep His commandments, 6let Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to hear the prayer that I, Your servant, now pray before You day and night for Your servants, the Israelites.
I confess the sins that we Israelites have committed against You. Both I and my fatherʼs house have sinned.
7We have behaved corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, statutes, and ordinances that You gave Your servant Moses.
8Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses when You said, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9but if you return to Me and keep and practice My commandments, then even if your exiles have been banished to the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for My Name.’
10They are Your servants and Your people. You redeemed them by Your great power and mighty hand. 11O Lord, may Your ear be attentive to my prayer and to the prayers of Your servants who delight to revere Your name. Give Your servant success this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”
(At that time I was the cupbearer to the king.)
Footnotes (5)
- a v1 Chislev is the ninth month of the Hebrew lunar calendar, usually occurring within the months of November and December.
- b v5 Forms of the Hebrew chesed are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as loving devotion; the range of meaning includes love, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, and mercy, as well as loyalty to a covenant.
- c v9 Or to the extremity of the heavens
- d v9 Deuteronomy 30:1–4
- e v11 Literally to the prayer of Your servant and to the prayer of Your servants
Study notes on this chapter · 1
Covenant warnings and the exile
Leviticus and Deuteronomy warn that if Israel breaks the covenant, they will be scattered among the nations and the land will enjoy its Sabbaths while they are away, and also that if they repent God will gather them. The books of Kings and Chronicles present the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles as this fulfillment, and Nehemiah's prayer recalls Moses' words.
When: Sinai and Moab (traditionally c. 1446–1406 BC); the exiles, 722 BC and 605–586 BC; Nehemiah's prayer, c. 445 BC.
Ways people read this (2)
- The exile is presented in the Bible as the covenant curses taking effect.
- Critical scholars see the Deuteronomistic history as shaped by the exile, which gives the warnings their present form.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.