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2 I prayed like this for four months. Then one day in the month of Nisan, still in the twentieth year of the reign of Artaxerxes, something happened. When it was time to serve the wine, I took some and gave it to the king. I had never before looked sad in his presence.
2 No one was supposed to look unhappy in the king’s presence. But the king noticed that I did look sad. So he asked me, “Why are you sad? I can tell that you are not sick. You must be unhappy about something.” This made me very afraid.
3 I replied to the king, “Your Majesty, I hope you will live a very long time! I am sorry, but I cannot help being sad. I am sad because the city of Jerusalem, the place where my ancestors are buried, lies in ruins. Our enemies have burned down its gates.”
4 The king replied to me, “What do you want me to do for you?” Before I answered him, I prayed to the God who is in heaven.
5 Then I replied to the king, “If it seems like a good idea to you, and if you are pleased with me, then please allow me to go to Judah, to Jerusalem. I would like to help my people rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried.”
6 I was able to speak freely because this was a private meal, with the queen sitting next to the king. The king asked me, “How long would you be away?” I told him how long I would be gone. That was acceptable to him, and he gave me permission to go. So I told him what day I wanted to leave.
7 I also said to the king, “If it seems like a good idea to you, please give me letters that I can show to the governors of the province Beyond the River. In these letters, please tell them to give me safe passage through their province to Judah. 8 Please also write a letter for me to Asaph, the man who takes care of your royal forest in that area. Please tell him to give me timber to make the beams to support the gates of the fortress that is near the temple. Please also tell him to give me timber for the city wall and for the house that I will live in.”
God was with me and helping me, and so the king agreed to all of my requests.
9 When I left to travel to Judah, the king sent along some army officers and soldiers riding on horses to protect me. When I reached the province Beyond the River, I went to see its governors. I showed them the letters the king had given me, and they gave me safe passage.
10 One of the people I showed my letters to was Sanballat the Horonite. He was the governor of Samaria, the area right next to Judah. He and his deputy, Tobiah the Ammonite, became very upset when they learned that someone had come to help the people of Israel. They did not want to see Judah become strong again, because that would be a threat to Samaria. 11 But I made it safely to Jerusalem despite their opposition. I stayed there for three days,
12 I did not say publicly what God was leading me to do for Jerusalem. Instead, I got up secretly in the night to inspect the city walls. I brought only a few other men with me. So that we could work quietly, the only animal I brought with me was the one that I was riding.
13 That night we went out through the Valley Gate and went past the Dragon Well to the Rubbish Gate. We made a careful inspection of the walls of Jerusalem. We noted where our enemies had broken down the walls, and where they had burned up the wooden gates. 14 Then we came to the Fountain Gate and the Royal Pool. The opening there was so narrow that the animal I was riding could not get through. 15 So we followed the path of the Kidron Brook, even though it was night. From there we were able to look up at the wall and see its condition. This route brought us back to where we started. We re-entered the city through the Valley Gate, and I went back home without being seen.
16 The city officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing. To that point I had not said anything about it to the Jewish leaders, the priests, the leading citizens, or the city officials. I had not approached anyone about doing the work of rebuilding the walls.
17 But now I said to them, “You see what a desperate situation we are in. You see that Jerusalem lies in ruins, and our enemies have burned down its gates. We need to do something about this! I challenge all of you to join me in rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. Then we will not have to feel ashamed any more.” 18 Then I told them how God had been with me and had been helping me. I also told them how the king had given me permission to come.
When they heard this, they said, “Let’s get going and start building!” They encouraged one another and committed themselves to the project.
19 Then Sanballat the Horonite, his deputy Tobiah the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian heard that we had started to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. They ridiculed us mercilessly. They said, “What you are doing is not going to amount to anything! But you should not be rebelling against the king like that!”
20 But I answered them firmly. I said, “The God who is in heaven is the one who will enable us to complete this project. We are his chosen people. We are going to start rebuilding. But you have absolutely nothing to do with what happens in Jerusalem.”