NEH 2:12 Parallel View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. This view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on the version abbreviation to see the verse in more of its context.

The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Key: yellow:verbs, red:negative, blue:Elohim.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT And I arose in the night, myself and a few men with me, and I did not tell anyone what my God had been giving to my heart to do for Jerusalem. Now there was no animal with me except the animal upon which I was riding.

UST 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.

BSB I set out at night with a few men. I did not tell anyone what my God had laid on my heart to do for Jerusalem. The only animal with me was the one on which I was riding.

OEB And I arose in the night, together with a few of my followers, and I told no man what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem, neither was there any beast with me, except the beast upon which I rode.

WEB I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. I didn’t tell anyone what my God put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There wasn’t any animal with me except the animal that I rode on.

NET I got up during the night, along with a few men who were with me. But I did not tell anyone what my God was putting on my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no animals with me, except for the one I was riding.

LSV and I rise by night, I and a few men with me, and have not declared to a man what my God is giving to my heart to do for Jerusalem, and there is no beast with me except the beast on which I am riding.

FBV Then I got up during the night and went out with just a few men. I didn't explain to anyone what my God had put in my head to do for Jerusalem. I only took one horse to ride.[fn]

2:12 In other words he was keeping his mission as quiet as possible and minimizing any noise from his group.

T4T 11-12 11-12When I arrived in Jerusalem, I did not tell anyone what thoughts God had given to me about what I should do there. Three days after I arrived in Jerusalem, I went out of the city in the evening, taking a few other men with me. I was riding a donkey; we had no other animals with us.

LEB I got up during the night, I and a few men with me. I did not tell anybody what my God put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. No animal was with me except the animal that I was riding on.

BBE And in the night I got up, taking with me a small band of men; I said nothing to any man of what God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem: and I had no beast with me but the one on which I was seated.

MOF No MOF NEH book available

JPS And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God put into my heart to do for Jerusalem; neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon.

ASV And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God put into my heart to do for Jerusalem; neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon.

DRA And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me, and I told not any man what God had put in my heart to do in Jerusalem, and there was no beast with me, but the beast that I rode upon.

YLT and I rise by night, I and a few men with me, and have not declared to a man what my God is giving unto my heart to do for Jerusalem, and there is no beast with me except the beast on which I am riding.

DBY And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me — but I told no man what my [fn]God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem — and there was no beast with me, except the beast that I rode upon.

2.12 Elohim

RV And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God put into my heart to do for Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon.

WBS And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon.

KJB ¶ And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon.
(¶ And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Yerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon. )

BB And I gat me vp in the night season, and a fewe men with me, neither tolde I any man what God had geuen me in my heart to do at Hierusalem: and there was not one beast with me, saue it that I rode vpon.
(And I gat me up in the night season, and a few men with me, neither tolde I any man what God had given me in my heart to do at Yerusalem: and there was not one beast with me, save it that I rode upon.)

GNV And I rose in the night, I, and a fewe men with me: for I told no man, what God had put in mine heart to do at Ierusalem, and there was not a beast with me, saue the beast whereon I rode.
(And I rose in the night, I, and a few men with me: for I told no man, what God had put in mine heart to do at Yerusalem, and there was not a beast with me, save the beast whereon I rode. )

CB I gat me vp in ye night season, & a fewe men with me: for I tolde no man what God had geue me in my hert to do at Ierusalem: & there was not one beest wt me, saue it yt I rode vpon.
(I gat me up in ye/you_all night season, and a few men with me: for I tolde no man what God had give me in my heart to do at Yerusalem: and there was not one beast/animal with me, save it it I rode upon.)

WYC And Y roos bi nyyt, Y and a fewe men with me, and Y schewide not to ony man, what thing God hadde youe in myn herte, that Y wolde do in Jerusalem; and no werk beest was with me, no but the beeste, `on which Y sat.
(And I rose by night, I and a few men with me, and I showed not to any man, what thing God had given in mine heart, that I would do in Yerusalem; and no work beast/animal was with me, no but the beast/animal, `on which I sat.)

LUT machte ich mich des Nachts auf und wenig Männer mit mir; denn ich sagte keinem Menschen, was mir mein GOtt eingegeben hatte, zu tun an Jerusalem; und war kein Tier mit mir, ohne da ich auf ritt.
(machte I me the Nachts on and wenig men with to_me; because I sayse keinem Menschen, was to_me my God eingegeben hatte, to tun at Yerusalem; and was kein animal with mir, without there I on ritt.)

CLV Et surrexi nocte ego, et viri pauci mecum, et non indicavi cuiquam quid Deus dedisset in corde meo ut facerem in Jerusalem: et jumentum non erat mecum, nisi animal cui sedebam.
(And surrexi nocte ego, and viri pauci mecum, and not/no indicavi cuiquam quid God dedisset in corde mine as facerem in Yerusalem: and yumentum not/no was mecum, nisi animal cui sedebam. )

BRN And I rose up by night, I and a few men with me; and I told no man what God put into my heart to do with Israel; and there was no beast with me, except the beast which I rode upon.

BrLXX No BrLXX NEH book available

TTN Tyndale Theme Notes:

Dealing with Conflict

God’s people often have to deal with conflict, either from those outside the community who are opposed to God and his purposes or from those inside the community who cause strife and division. Dealing with conflict requires a great deal of wisdom and tact, as even the smallest conflicts can turn disastrous. Paul faced opposition from government (Acts 16:22-24) and community leaders (Acts 19:23-34). Moses dealt with the grumbling and dissatisfied people of Israel (e.g., Exod 17:1-4). The book of Nehemiah provides perhaps the most comprehensive example of how a godly person can respond to conflict.

Nehemiah faced both external and internal opposition to all that God was directing him to do. External opposition came from foreigners such as Sanballat, Geshem, and Tobiah. They fiercely opposed the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls and mocked Nehemiah’s leadership (Neh 2:10, 2:19; 4:1-3). The opposition gradually grew to include other Arabs, Ammonites, and people from Ashdod, who plotted to attack the builders (4:7-9, 11). To meet this opposition, Nehemiah posted guards, prayed for God’s help, developed an emergency warning system, and kept working (4:6-23). Israel’s frustrated enemies made several attempts to disgrace or kill Nehemiah (6:1-14). However, Nehemiah had the wisdom to avoid or frustrate their plots while focusing on the task God had given him.

Nehemiah also faced internal problems. Wealthy Jews were mistreating the poor by charging high interest (5:1-13). Jews had married foreigners who worshiped other gods (13:23-30). Many were not tithing or keeping the Sabbath holy (10:31-39; 13:10-22). Finally, he had to oppose the priest Eliashib, who had allowed Tobiah to use one of the Temple storerooms (13:4-9). Confronting these problems required a firm commitment to the principles explained in Scripture, boldness in insisting that people follow these divine instructions, and compassion in restoring people to fellowship after the confrontation.

In each of these cases, Nehemiah courageously followed the example of earlier leaders such as Moses, who opposed the worship of the gold calf (Exod 32); Samuel, who opposed those involved with Baal worship (1 Sam 7:3-8); Nathan, who opposed David’s sins (2 Sam 12:1-14); and Jehoshaphat, who trusted in God to defeat a much stronger enemy (2 Chr 20:1-37). Like these earlier men of God, Nehemiah took a stand for what was right instead of letting those for whom he was responsible go their own ways. He refused to be discouraged or intimidated by internal difficulties or external threats against him. He consistently depended on God for wisdom and for blessing on his work.

Jesus and Paul both outlined some strategies for dealing with internal conflict (Matt 5:23-26; 18:15-17; 1 Cor 6:1-8; 10:23-33) and external conflict (Matt 5:43-47; Rom 12:14-21). Unfortunately, the actions of believers, no matter how upstanding, will sometimes be met with continued—or even increased—opposition. Nonetheless, we are called to handle opposition in a way similar to Nehemiah—with wisdom, patience, prayer, and resolve.

Passages for Further Study

Gen 13:5-13; 26:12-35; Exod 32:1-35; 1 Sam 7:3-8; 2 Sam 12:1-31; 19:41-43; 2 Chr 20:1-37; 34:3-7; Neh 2:19-20; 4:1-23; 5:1-13; 6:1-14; 13:4-28; Ps 140:1-2; Prov 13:10; 17:14, 19; 25:8; 26:17, 21; 29:22; Hab 1:3; Acts 23:6-11; 2 Cor 7:5-6; Eph 6:10-18; Phil 2:3; 1 Tim 6:4; 2 Tim 2:14, 23-26; Titus 2:15; Jas 3:13-18

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

וָ⁠אָק֣וּם ׀ לַ֗יְלָה

and,got_up night

The implication is that Nehemiah went out to inspect the city walls, as described in 1:13–15(../01/13.md). The implication is also that he did this at night so that no one would know he was doing it. If it would be helpful in your language, you could say this explicitly. Alternate translation: “I got up secretly in the night to inspect the city walls.”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations

אֲנִי֮ וַ⁠אֲנָשִׁ֣ים ׀ מְעַט֮ עִמִּ⁠י֒

I and,men a_few with,me

The word men here could conceivably include both men and women. However, for a nighttime mission through the ruins of the city walls, it’s likely that Nehemiah brought along only other men. So in this context you could use a word that indicates that. Alternate translation: “I brought only a few other men with me.”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / hyperbole

וְ⁠לֹא־הִגַּ֣דְתִּי לְ⁠אָדָ֔ם מָ֗ה אֱלֹהַ⁠י֙ נֹתֵ֣ן אֶל־לִבִּ֔⁠י לַ⁠עֲשׂ֖וֹת לִ⁠ירוּשָׁלִָ֑ם

and=not tell to/for=ʼĀdām/humankind what God,my put to/towards heart,my for=doing for,Jerusalem

Probably Nehemiah told at least some people, since he brought a few men with him when he went out to inspect the walls. So “not … anyone” might be an exaggeration that emphasizes the secrecy Nehemiah maintained. Alternate translation: “I did not say publicly what God had led me to do for Jerusalem.”

Note 4 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

וְ⁠לֹא־הִגַּ֣דְתִּי לְ⁠אָדָ֔ם מָ֗ה אֱלֹהַ⁠י֙ נֹתֵ֣ן אֶל־לִבִּ֔⁠י לַ⁠עֲשׂ֖וֹת לִ⁠ירוּשָׁלִָ֑ם

and=not tell to/for=ʼĀdām/humankind what God,my put to/towards heart,my for=doing for,Jerusalem

If it would be helpful in your language, you could give this explanation before describing Nehemiah’s nighttime mission, because it is the reason that explains the result of him maintaining so much secrecy.

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

מָ֗ה אֱלֹהַ⁠י֙ נֹתֵ֣ן אֶל־לִבִּ֔⁠י לַ⁠עֲשׂ֖וֹת

what God,my put to/towards heart,my for=doing

Here, Nehemiah’s heart represents his thoughts and will. Alternate translation: “what God had inspired me to do” or “what God had led me to do”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

וּ⁠בְהֵמָה֙ אֵ֣ין עִמִּ֔⁠י

and,animal not with,me

The implication is that this was another measure to maintain secrecy. If it would be helpful in your language, you could say this explicitly. Alternate translation: “To keep things quiet, there were no other animals with me”

Parallel NEH 2:12