NEH 2:17 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not necessarily natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for Bible-translators and others doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still early looks into the drafted texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal Speaker(s)=Narrator (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs.
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).

BrLXX (EZR 12:17) Καὶ εἶπα πρὸς αὐτοὺς, ὑμεῖς βλέπετε τὴν πονηρίαν ταύτην, ἐν ᾗ ἐσμὲν ἐν αὐτῇ, πῶς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἔρημος, καὶ αἱ πύλαι αὐτῆς ἐδόθησαν πυρί· δεῦτε, καὶ διοικοδομήσωμεν τὸ τεῖχος Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ οὐκ ἐσόμεθα ἔτι ὄνειδος.
(Kai eipa pros autous, humeis blepete taʸn ponaʸrian tautaʸn, en haʸ esmen en autaʸ, pōs Hierousalaʸm eraʸmos, kai hai pulai autaʸs edothaʸsan puri; deute, kai dioikodomaʸsōmen to teiⱪos Hierousalaʸm, kai ouk esometha eti oneidos.)

BrTr Then I said to them, Ye see this evil, in which we are, how Jerusalem is desolate, and her gates have been set on fire: come, and let us build throughout the wall of Jerusalem, and we shall be no longer a reproach.

ULT And I said to them, “You see the evil that we are in, that Jerusalem is desolate and its gates have been burned by fire. Come, and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be a reproach.”

UST 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.”

BSB & MSB Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned down. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we will no longer be a disgrace.”

OEB No OEB NEH 2:17 book available

WEBBE & WMBB Then I said to them, “You see the bad situation that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burnt with fire. Come, let’s build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we won’t be disgraced.”

MSG ^(17-18)Then I gave them my report: “Face it: we’re in a bad way here. Jerusalem is a wreck; its gates are burned up. Come—let’s build the wall of Jerusalem and not live with this disgrace any longer.” I told them how God was supporting me and how the king was backing me up.
¶ They said, “We’re with you. Let’s get started.” They rolled up their sleeves, ready for the good work.

NET Then I said to them, “You see the problem that we have: Jerusalem is desolate and its gates are burned. Come on! Let’s rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that this reproach will not continue.”

LSV and I say to them, “You are seeing the evil that we are in, in that Jerusalem [is] desolate, and its gates have been burned with fire; come and we build the wall of Jerusalem, and we are not a reproach anymore.”

FBV Then I said to them, “Look at the trouble we're in! Jerusalem is a heap of rubble, and its gates have been burned down. Come on, let's rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we won't be so ashamed any more.”

T4T But now I said to them, “You all know very well the terrible things that have happened to our city. The city is ruined; even the gates are burned down. So we should rebuild the city wall. If we do that, we will no longer feel humiliated/disgraced.”

LEB Then I said to them, “You see the misery that we are in, that Jerusalem is ruined and its gates burned by the fire. Come, build the walls of Jerusalem and we shall no longer be a disgrace.”

BBE Then I said to them, You see what a bad condition we are in; how Jerusalem is a waste, and its doorways burned with fire: come, let us get to work, building up the wall of Jerusalem, so that we may no longer be put to shame.

Moff But I said to them then, “You see the plight we are in, Jerusalem lying waste and the gates burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we shall no longer be scoffed at.”

JPS Then said I unto them: 'Ye see the evil case that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire; come and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.'

ASV Then said I unto them, Ye see the evil case that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.

DRA Then I said to them: You know the affliction wherein we are, because Jerusalem is desolate, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire: come, and let us build up the walls of Jerusalem, and let us be no longer a reproach.

YLT and I say unto them, 'Ye are seeing the evil that we are in, in that Jerusalem [is] waste, and its gates have been burnt with fire; come and we build the wall of Jerusalem, and we are not any more a reproach.'

Drby And I said to them, Ye see the distress that we are in, that Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.

RV Then said I unto them, Ye see the evil case that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.
(Then said I unto them, Ye/You_all see the evil case that we are in, how Yerusalem lieth/lies waste, and the gates thereof are burnt with fire: come and let us build up the wall of Yerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.)

SLT And saying to them, Ye seeing the evil which we are in it, how Jerusalem lay waste, and her gates were burnt with fire: come ye, and we will build the walls of Jerusalem, and we shall be no more a reproach.

Wbstr Then said I to them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and its gates are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we may be no more a reproach.

KJB-1769 ¶ Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.
(¶ Then said I unto them, Ye/You_all see the distress that we are in, how Yerusalem lieth/lies waste, and the gates thereof are burnt with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Yerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.)

KJB-1611 ¶ Then said I vnto them, Yee see the distresse that we are in, how Ierusalem lieth waste, and the gates therof are burnt with fire: come, and let vs builde vp the wall of Ierusalem, that we be no more a reproch.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)

Bshps Afterwarde sayde I vnto them: Ye see the miserie that we are in, howe Hierusalem lyeth waste, and howe the gates thereof are burnt with fire: come therefore, and let vs buylde vp the wall of Hierusalem, and that we be no more a rebuke.
(Afterward said I unto them: Ye/You_all see the misery that we are in, how Yerusalem lieth/lies waste, and how the gates thereof are burnt with fire: come therefore, and let us build up the wall of Yerusalem, and that we be no more a rebuke.)

Gnva Afterward I said vnto them, Ye see the miserie that we are in, how Ierusalem lyeth waste, and the gates thereof are burnt with fire: come and let vs buylde the wall of Ierusalem, that we be no more a reproche.
(Afterward I said unto them, Ye/You_all see the misery that we are in, how Yerusalem lieth/lies waste, and the gates thereof are burnt with fire: come and let us build the wall of Yerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.)

Cvdl & I saide vnto the: Ye se the myserye yt we are in, how Ierusale lyeth wayst, & how ye gates therof are brent wt fyre, come, let vs buylde vp ye walles of Ierusale, yt we be nomore a rebuke.
(and I said unto them: Ye/You_all see the misery it we are in, how Yerusalem lieth/lies waste, and how ye/you_all gates thereof are burnt with fire, come, let us build up ye/you_all walls of Yerusalem, it we be no more a rebuke.)

Wycl And Y seide to hem, Ye knowen the turment, in which we ben, for Jerusalem is deseert, and the yatis therof ben wastid with fier; come ye, bilde we the wallis of Jerusalem, and be we no more schenship.
(And I said to them, Ye/You_all known the torment, in which we been, for Yerusalem is desert, and the gates thereof been wasted with fire; come ye/you_all, build we the walls of Yerusalem, and be we no more shame.)

Luth Und sprach zu ihnen: Ihr sehet das Unglück, darinnen wir sind, daß Jerusalem wüste liegt, und ihre Tore sind mit Feuer verbrannt; kommt, laßt uns die Mauern Jerusalems bauen, daß wir nicht mehr eine Schmach seien!
(And spoke to/for to_them: You(pl) see the accident/misfortune/disaster, therein we/us are, that Jerusalem desert lies(v), and their/her gates/goals are with fire(n) burnt; comes, let us/to_us/ourselves the walls Jerusalem build, that we/us not more a/one disgrace be!)

ClVg Et dixi eis: Vos nostis afflictionem in qua sumus: quia Jerusalem deserta est, et portæ ejus consumptæ sunt igni: venite, et ædificemus muros Jerusalem, et non simus ultra opprobrium.[fn]
(And I_said to_them: You(pl) you_knows affliction in/into/on which we_are: because Yerusalem deserted it_is, and gates his/her consumed are fire: come, and we_may_build the_walls Yerusalem, and not/no we_are beyond/besides reproach.)

2.17 Quia Jerusalem deserta est. BED., ibid. Plana sunt hæc et spirituali sensu congrua: quia doctores, imo omnes qui zelo Dei fervent, in afflictione maxima sunt, quandiu Jerusalem, id est visionem pacis, quam nobis Deus reliquit et commendavit, bellis dissensionum cernunt esse desertam: et portas virtutum, quas juxta Isaiam laudatio occupare debuerat, prævalentibus inferorum portis dejectas, et opprobrio habitas.

2.17 Because Yerusalem deserted it_is. BED., there. Level are these_things and spiritual sense agreeing: because teachers, rather everyone who/which zeal of_God fervent, in/into/on affliction maxima are, as_long_as Yerusalem, that it_is vision of_peace, how us God left and recommended, wars of_disagreements they_discern to_be deserted: and doors virtues, which next_to Isaiah praise(n) to_seize had_owed, prevailing hell gates cast_down, and reproach you_live.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

וָ⁠אוֹמַ֣ר אֲלֵ⁠הֶ֗ם

and,I_said to,them

This might imply a contrast between what Nehemiah did previously (kept quiet) and what he did now (told everyone). You could use a word like “but” to indicate this. Alternate translation: [But now I said to them]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

אַתֶּ֤ם רֹאִים֙ הָ⁠רָעָה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֲנַ֣חְנוּ בָ֔⁠הּ

(Some words not found in UHB: and,I_said to,them you(pl) see the,trouble which/who we [are]_in,it which/who Yerushalayim lies_in_ruins and,gates_of,its burnt with,fire come and,let_us_rebuild DOM wall_of Yerushalayim and=not be again/more disgrace )

As in [1:3](../01/03.md), here the abstract noun evil does not refer to something morally bad, but to a difficult situation. You can translate this idea with an adjective such as “desperate.” Alternate translation: [You see what a desperate situation we are in]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / you

אַתֶּ֤ם רֹאִים֙ הָ⁠רָעָה֙

Here you is plural, referring to all the people mentioned in [2:16](../02/16.md).

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

יְרוּשָׁלִַ֨ם֙ חֲרֵבָ֔ה וּ⁠שְׁעָרֶ֖י⁠הָ נִצְּת֣וּ בָ⁠אֵ֑שׁ

If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning here using active forms. Alternate translation: [Jerusalem lies in ruins, and our enemies have burned down its gates]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

יְרוּשָׁלִַ֨ם֙ חֲרֵבָ֔ה וּ⁠שְׁעָרֶ֖י⁠הָ נִצְּת֣וּ בָ⁠אֵ֑שׁ

The implication is, “We need to do something about this!” If it would be helpful in your language, you could add something like that explicitly.

לְכ֗וּ וְ⁠נִבְנֶה֙ אֶת־חוֹמַ֣ת יְרוּשָׁלִַ֔ם

come and,let_us_rebuild DOM wall_of (Some words not found in UHB: and,I_said to,them you(pl) see the,trouble which/who we [are]_in,it which/who Yerushalayim lies_in_ruins and,gates_of,its burnt with,fire come and,let_us_rebuild DOM wall_of Yerushalayim and=not be again/more disgrace )

Come does not mean “come over to this place” but “come on, let’s do this!” Nehemiah is issuing both an invitation and a public challenge to everyone who is listening. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could translate his words in a way that reflects this. Alternate translation: [I challenge all of you to join me in rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem.]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

וְ⁠לֹא־נִהְיֶ֥ה ע֖וֹד חֶרְפָּֽה

and=not be again/more (Some words not found in UHB: and,I_said to,them you(pl) see the,trouble which/who we [are]_in,it which/who Yerushalayim lies_in_ruins and,gates_of,its burnt with,fire come and,let_us_rebuild DOM wall_of Yerushalayim and=not be again/more disgrace )

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind the word reproach, you can express the same idea with an adjective such as “ashamed.” Alternate translation: [so we will no longer be ashamed]

BMM BibleMapper.com Maps:

Poster Map of Jerusalem during the Time of Nehemiah, circa 445 B.C.

Author’s Note: This map draws heavily upon the careful work of Dr. Leen Ritmeyer (www.ritmeyer.com) regarding the probable location of gates, walls, and other features, though I have deviated at points from his data, based on my own research and conclusions.

A wealth of archaeological evidence supports the existence and location of many of the structures shown on this map, and great care has been taken to correlate them as faithfully as possible with the data provided in the book of Nehemiah and other biblical texts. Nevertheless, the specific identification of virtually all of these items is open to great debate. For this reason, no attempt has been made on this map to indicate any degree of uncertainty for the identifications that have been included, since the vast majority of these would be marked as uncertain anyway.

The shaded relief has been overlaid with the Ordnance Survey of Jerusalem (1865), by Charles Wilson.

The book of Nehemiah is one of the last books of the Old Testament written, and it recounts the efforts of Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem long after they had been destroyed by the Babylonians (2 Kings 24-25; 2 Chronicles 36:17-21; Jeremiah 39:1-10; see “Nebuchadnezzar’s Final Campaign against Judah” map). Nehemiah had been a trusted official in the Persian royal court who acquired a special commission to return to his ancestral land of Judea for the rebuilding effort (Nehemiah 1-2; see “Jews Return from Exile” map). After arriving in Jerusalem, he quickly surveyed the condition of the walls and then organized the people of Judea into work teams (Nehemiah 2-3). These teams each worked on a designated portion of the walls, and the entire project was completed in 52 days (Nehemiah 6:15). The builders came from Jerusalem and from towns throughout the greater province of Judea, and most of these towns are included in the map of “Judea under Persian Rule”.

It is far beyond the scope of this article to present all the textual and archaeological evidence that forms the basis for the identifications made on this map, but two specific portions of this map seem to warrant explanation:

One Gate of Ephraim or Two?

The Gate of Ephraim is mentioned in Nehemiah 8:16 and 12:39, and it is noted as lying along the path of the walls that Nehemiah rebuilt. This has indirectly led to some confusion, however, regarding the location of another gate called the Gate of Ephraim in 2 Kings 14:13 and 2 Chronicles 25:23, which both note that King Jehoash of Israel broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, a distance of 400 cubits. This confusion stems from equating the Gate of Ephraim mentioned in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles with the Gate of Ephraim mentioned in Nehemiah. Assuming the biblical text to be reliable, this assumption would require that the Corner Gate, which is mentioned also in 2 Chronicles 26:9; Jeremiah 31:38; and Zechariah 14:10, would have been located somewhere along the wall about 600 feet (183 meters) from the Gate of Ephraim. Placing it directly west of the Gate of Ephraim of Nehemiah would place it very close to the Middle Gate, perhaps suggesting that the Middle Gate was in fact the Corner Gate. But Jeremiah’s mention of both the Middle Gate (39:3) and the Corner Gate (Jeremiah 31:38) in the same book makes this equation unlikely. Placing the Corner Gate directly north of the Gate of Ephraim near the northwestern corner of the Temple Mount seems plausible at first glance, but this location is very hard to reconcile with both Jeremiah 31:38 and Zechariah 14:10. Jeremiah 31:38 traces a line from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate, but this would make little sense if the Corner Gate were located in very close proximity to the Tower of Hananel. Similarly, Zechariah 14:10 appears to be using the Corner Gate as a marker for the far western extreme of Jerusalem, but a location at the northwest corner of the Temple Mount hardly seems like the intended location.

A more likely solution can be found by regarding the Gate of Ephraim of 2 Kings 14 and 2 Chronicles 25 as different than the Gate of Ephraim of Nehemiah, though perhaps the Gate of Ephraim had been renamed after the exile to hearken back to the old Gate of Ephraim, which had been destroyed. If this is true, the earlier Gate of Ephraim may actually have been the same as the Middle Gate of Jeremiah 39:3 (Jeremiah never mentions the Gate of Ephraim), or perhaps it was a gate near where the Middle Gate was built later. This location, then, would place the Corner Gate at the far western corner of the larger wall around greater Jerusalem, as shown on this map. The distance between these two gates is about 600 feet (183 meters), and the appropriately named Corner Gate would be a fitting candidate to mark the far western extreme of the city.

It should also be noted that this solution, however, requires that the first Gate of Ephraim existed prior to Hezekiah’s building activity. This stands in contrast to the common assertion that the wall encompassing greater Jerusalem (which Josephus calls the First Wall) was built by Hezekiah in response to the dramatic increase in residents that relocated to Jerusalem due to the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel. But the only mention in the Bible of Hezekiah building a new wall is 2 Chronicles 32:5, which notes that he built a wall “outside” the wall that was broken down (2 Chronicles 32:5). This is most likely referencing a wall in the Kidron Valley that has since been found by archaeology, and perhaps a second wall around the Temple Mount. So it would seem that elsewhere Hezekiah merely repaired or replaced portions of a wall that already existed but was in disrepair. This synchronizes well with Isaiah 22:11, where Isaiah rebukes a leader (perhaps Hezekiah) for breaking down houses “to fortify the wall” (not build a new one).

Wall Enclosing the King’s Pool

Another common assumption that is difficult to correlate with Nehemiah is the placement of the King’s Pool and the Lower Pool outside the main wall of the City of David. (The King’s Pool was likely the same as the Old Pool mentioned in Isaiah 22:11. The Lower Pool appears to be alternately called elsewhere the [Pool of] Shiloah/Siloam [Isaiah 8:6] and the Pool of Shelah [Nehemiah 3:15], which is fed by the Dragon’s Spring [Nehemiah 2:13].) Two different passages in Nehemiah (Nehemiah 3:13; 12:31) clearly trace a path along a wall from the Valley Gate (likely midway up the western wall of the City of David) directly to the Dung Gate, with no mention of any other gates or distinct changes in direction. Likewise, both Nehemiah 3:15 and 12:37 note that the Fountain Gate (likely located immediately northeast of the King’s Pool on this map) was reached after passing by the Dung Gate. This author has become convinced that this requires that the Dung Gate lay along a portion of the wall that must have extended directly from the area of the Valley Gate. Further details are given in Nehemiah 3:13, which notes that Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired 1000 cubits (1500 feet; 457 meters) of the wall from the Valley Gate to the Dung Gate. If the Valley Gate and the Dung Gate were indeed located at the two places shown on this map, and a wall between them followed the path shown here, the distance between them along the wall would have measured about 1548 feet (472 meters), or 1032 cubits–extremely close to the 1000-cubit distance given in Nehemiah 3:13. The existence of this wall is also supported by Isaiah 22:11-12, which notes that a reservoir for the waters of the Old Pool (likely the same as the King’s Pool on this map) had been built “between the two walls.” This could be understood to refer to Josephus’s First Wall and the wall immediately north of the King’s Pool, but this author suspects instead that it is referring to the wall that must have already existed immediately south of the Lower Pool and the King’s Pool on this map.

Parallel NEH 2:17

Poster Map of Jerusalem during the Time of Nehemiah, circa 445 B.C.