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OET OET-RV OET-LV ULT UST BSB BLB AICNT OEB WEBBE WMBB NET LSV FBV TCNT T4T LEB BBE Moff JPS Wymth ASV DRA YLT Drby RV Wbstr KJB-1769 KJB-1611 Bshps Gnva Cvdl TNT Wycl SR-GNT UHB BrLXX BrTr Related Topics Parallel Interlinear Reference Dictionary Search
parallelVerse INT GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1SA 2SA PSA AMOS HOS 1KI 2KI 1CH 2CH PRO ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL YHN MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC GAL 1TH 2TH 1COR 2COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1TIM TIT 1PET 2PET 2TIM HEB YUD 1YHN 2YHN 3YHN REV
Neh Intro C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13
Neh 2 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V17 V19 V20
Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side 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.
Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance=normal (All still tentative.)
OET (OET-RV) I told them how God had helped me so far and what the king had given me permission to do.
¶ “Well, let’s get started on the rebuilding,” they said, and got ready to work together.
OET-LV And_told to/for_them DOM the_hand god_my (cmp) it [had_been]_good upon_me and_also the_words the_king which he_had_spoken to_me and_they_said let_us_arise and_build and_strengthened hands_their to_the_good.
UHB וָאַגִּ֨יד לָהֶ֜ם אֶת־יַ֣ד אֱלֹהַ֗י אֲשֶׁר־הִיא֙ טוֹבָ֣ה עָלַ֔י וְאַף־דִּבְרֵ֥י הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָֽמַר־לִ֑י וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ נָק֣וּם וּבָנִ֔ינוּ וַיְחַזְּק֥וּ יְדֵיהֶ֖ם לַטּוֹבָֽה׃פ ‡
(vāʼaggid lāhem ʼet-yad ʼₑlohay ʼₐsher-hīʼ ţōⱱāh ˊālay vəʼaf-diⱱrēy hammelek ʼₐsher ʼāmar-liy vayyoʼmərū nāqūm ūⱱāninū vayəḩazzəqū yədēyhem laţţōⱱāh.◊)
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).
BrLXX No BrLXX NEH book available
BrTr 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.
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.
WEBBE 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.
WMBB (Same as above)
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.
Moff No Moff 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.
Drby 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.
Wbstr 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-1769 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.
KJB-1611 Then I told them of the hand of my God, which was good vpon me; as also the kings wordes that he had spoken vnto me. And they said, Let vs rise vp and builde. So they strengthened their hands for this good worke.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from marking of added words (and possibly capitalisation and punctuation))
Bshps 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 told 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 build. And they strengthed their hands to good.)
Gnva 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 told 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 build. So they strengthened their hand to good. )
Cvdl 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 told 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 builded/built, and their hands were strengthed to good.)
Wycl 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 spake to me; and I said, Rise we, and build we; and the hands of them were comforted in good.)
Luth 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 said to_them at the hand my God’s, the good above to_me was, in_addition the words the kings, the he to_me talked had. And they/she/them said: So laßt us/to_us/ourselves on sein! And we/us built, and their/her hands became gestärkt for_the Guten.)
ClVg 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 to_them hand of_God my/mine, that was good mecum, and words king which spoke was mihi, and aio: Surgamus, and ædificemus. And confortatæ are hands their in bono. )
2:18 Evidence of God’s clear involvement (2:8) is a strong motivator in any project. Nehemiah had God’s guidance, the king’s permission, the necessary letters to procure lumber, and a plan to lead the project. So the people enthusiastically agreed to begin working.
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
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”