NEH 2:18 Parallel Verse 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 any Bible 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: khaki:verbs, 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 declared to them the hand of my God, that it was good upon me, and also the words of the king that he had spoken to me.
¶  And they said, “We will rise up and build.” And they strengthened their hands for good.

UST 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.

BSB § I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me, and what the king had said to me.
§ “Let us start rebuilding,” they replied, and they set their hands to this good work.

OEB And I told them of the hand of my God, which had kindly cared for me, as also the king’s words that he had spoken to me. And they said, ’Let us rise and up and build.’ So they strengthened their hands for the good work.

LSB And I told them how the hand of my God had been good to me and also about the king’s words which he had said to me. Then they said, “Let us arise and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.

WEB I told them about the hand of my God which was good on me, and also about the king’s words that he had spoken to me.
¶ They said, “Let’s rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.

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 related to them how the good hand of my God was on me and what the king had said to me. Then they replied, “Let’s begin rebuilding right away!” So they readied themselves for this good project.

LSV And I declare to them the hand of my God that is good on me, and also the words of the king that he said to me, and they say, “Let us rise, and we have built”; and they strengthen their hands for good.

FBV Then I explained to them how good God had been to me, and what the king had told me.
¶ “Let's get on with the rebuilding,” they replied, and they set to work enthusiastically.[fn]

2:18 “They set to work enthusiastically”: literally, “they strengthened their hands for the good.”

T4T Then I told them about how God had kindly/graciously helped me when I talked to the king, and what the king had said to me.
¶ They immediately replied, “Let’s start rebuilding!” So they started to do this good work.

LEB I told them of the good hand of my God that was upon me and surely the words of the king that were spoken to me. And they said, “Let us arise and build!” And they strengthened their hands for this good work.

NAB Then I explained to them how God had shown his gracious favor to me, and what the king had said to me. They replied, “Let us begin building!” And they undertook the work with vigor.

BBE Then I gave them an account of how the hand of my God was on me, helping me; and of the king's words which he had said to me. And they said, Let us get to work on the building. So they made their hands strong for the good work.

MOF No MOF NEH book available

JPS And I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also of the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said: 'Let us rise up and build.' So they strengthened their hands for the good work.

ASV And I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me, as also of the king’s words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for the good work.

DRA And I shewed them how the hand of my God was good with me, and the king’s words, which he had spoken to me, and I said: Let us rise up, and build. And their hands were strengthened in good.

YLT And I declare to them the hand of my God that is good upon me, and also the words of the king that he said to me, and they say, 'Let us rise, and we have built;' and they strengthen their hands for good.

DBY And I told them of the hand of my [fn]God which had been good upon me; as also of the king's words which he had said unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. And they strengthened their hands for the good [work].

2.18 Elohim

RV And I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also of the king’s words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for the good work.

WBS Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken to me. And they said, Let us rise and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work .

KJB Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king’s words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.
(Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king’s words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work. )

BB Then I tolde them of the hand of my God that it was gratious ouer me, and the kinges wordes that he had spoken vnto me: And they sayde, Let vs get vp and buylde. And they strengthed their handes to good.
(Then I tolde them of the hand of my God that it was gratious over me, and the kings words that he had spoken unto me: And they said, Let us get up and buylde. And they strengthed their hands to good.)

GNV Then I tolde them of the hande of my God, (which was good ouer me) and also of the Kings wordes that he had spoken vnto me. And they sayd, Let vs rise, and buyld. So they strengthened their hand to good.
(Then I tolde them of the hand of my God, (which was good over me) and also of the Kings words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise, and buyld. So they strengthened their hand to good. )

CB And I tolde the of the good hade of my God which was vpo me: And ye kynges wordes yt he had spoke vnto me. And they saide: Then let vs get vp. And we buylded, and their handes were strengthed to good.
(And I tolde the of the good hade of my God which was upo me: And ye/you_all kings words it he had spoke unto me. And they said: Then let us get up. And we buylded, and their hands were strengthed to good.)

WYC And Y schewide to hem the hond of my God, that it was good with me, and the wordis of the kyng, whiche he spak to me; and Y seide, Rise we, and bilde we; and the hondis of hem weren coumfortid in good.
(And I showed to them the hand of my God, that it was good with me, and the words of the king, which he spoke to me; and I said, Rise we, and bilde we; and the hands of them were comforted in good.)

LUT Und sagte ihnen an die Hand meines Gottes, die gut über mir war, dazu die Worte des Königs, die er mir geredet hatte. Und sie sprachen: So laßt uns auf sein! Und wir baueten, und ihre Hände wurden gestärkt zum Guten.
(And sayse ihnen at the Hand meines God’s, the good above to_me war, in_addition the Worte the kings, the he to_me geredet hatte. And they/she/them said: So laßt uns on sein! And wir baueten, and ihre Hände became gestärkt for_the Guten.)

CLV Et indicavi eis manum Dei mei, quod esset bona mecum, et verba regis quæ locutus esset mihi, et aio: Surgamus, et ædificemus. Et confortatæ sunt manus eorum in bono.
(And indicavi eis manum God mei, that was good mecum, and verba king which spoke was mihi, and aio: Surgamus, and ædificemus. And confortatæ are manus eorum in bono. )

BRN And I told them of the hand of God which was good upon me, also about the words of the king which he spoke to me: and I said, Let us arise and build. And their hands were strengthened for the good work.

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 / metaphor

יַ֣ד אֱלֹהַ֗⁠י אֲשֶׁר־הִיא֙ טוֹבָ֣ה עָלַ֔⁠י

hand God,my which/who she/it gracious upon,me

Here hand is a metaphor meaning strength, power, control, or action. In this context, it means that God had been acting toward Nehemiah in a positive and favorable manner. See how you translated the similar expression in 2:8. Alternate translation: “God’s favor had been upon me” or “God had been helping me”

דִּבְרֵ֥י הַ⁠מֶּ֖לֶךְ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָֽמַר־לִ֑⁠י

words the=king which/who he/it_had_said to=me

Alternate translation: “I also told them how the king had given me permission to come.”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

נָק֣וּם וּ⁠בָנִ֔ינוּ

start and,build

The implication is that the people responded this way after they heard all that God had done for Nehemiah. If it would be helpful in your language, you could say that explicitly. Alternate translation: “When they heard this, they said, ‘Let’s get going and begin building!’”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

נָק֣וּם וּ⁠בָנִ֔ינוּ

start and,build

In this context, rise up means to begin something. This was an enthusiastic response. Alternate translation: “Let’s get going and start building!”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

וַ⁠יְחַזְּק֥וּ יְדֵי⁠הֶ֖ם לַ⁠טּוֹבָֽה

and,strengthened hands,their to_the,good

The phrase “strengthened their hands” means that they encouraged one another. “For good” refers to the rebuilding project, which they recognized would be a great benefit. Alternate translation: “So they prepared themselves to do this good work”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

יְדֵי⁠הֶ֖ם

hands,their

Hand in this context represents a person’s strength or power. Alternate translation: “they prepared themselves”

Parallel NEH 2:18