1The 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, 2That 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. 3And 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,
5And 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: 6Let 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. 7We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses. 8Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations: 9But 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. 10Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand. 11O 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.
Nehemias’ bøn for Jerusalem
1-2Denne beretning er skrevet af Nehemias, søn af Hakalja.
Jeg arbejdede som mundskænk for kong Artaxerxes af Persien i det kongelige palads i Susa. I kislev1,1-2 Årets niende måned, svarende til november-december. måned i hans 20. regeringsår fik jeg besøg af en af mine slægtninge ved navn Hanani og nogle andre mænd, der lige var kommet fra Juda. Jeg spurgte dem, hvordan det gik med alle de judæere, der var vendt tilbage fra eksilet, og hvordan det stod til i Jerusalem.
3„Det går rigtig dårligt,” svarede de. „Folk lever i stor nød og elendighed. Jerusalems mur ligger stadig i ruiner, og de nedbrændte porte er ikke blevet istandsat.”
4Da jeg hørte det, satte jeg mig ned og græd og sørgede i flere dage, mens jeg fastede og bad til Himlens Gud.
5„Herre, du store og almægtige Gud!” bad jeg. „Vi ved, at du er en Gud, der holder dine pagtsløfter og er trofast over for dem, der elsker dig og adlyder dine befalinger. 6-7Hør nu din tjeners bøn, lyt til, hvad jeg har på hjerte. Se i nåde til mig, mens jeg dag og nat går i forbøn for dit folk Israel! Jeg erkender, at Israels folk har syndet imod dig, ja også jeg og min familie har syndet ved ikke at adlyde de befalinger, love og forskrifter, som du gav os gennem din tjener Moses. 8Opfyld nu det løfte du i sin tid gav Moses. Du sagde godt nok, at hvis vi var troløse over for dig, ville du sprede os blandt folkene. 9Men du sagde også, at hvis vi erkendte vores synder og lovede at adlyde dine befalinger, ville du føre os tilbage til Jerusalem—det sted, du har udvalgt til din bolig—om du så skulle hente os fra verdens fjerneste afkroge.
10Herre, vi er dine tjenere—det folk, du befriede ved din vældige magt. 11Hør nu min bøn! Lyt til dem, som ønsker at ære dig! Vær med mig, når jeg træder frem for kongen for at bede ham gøre mig en tjeneste. Gør ham venligt stemt over for min anmodning.”
