NEH 2:20 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. 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.)

Key: khaki: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 returned them a word, and I said to them: “The God of heaven, he will cause us to succeed, and we ourselves, his servants, will rise up and build. But for you there is neither share nor right nor memorial in Jerusalem.”

UST 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.”

BSB § So I answered them and said, “The God of heaven is the One who will grant us success. We, His servants, will start rebuilding, but you have no portion, right, or claim in Jerusalem.”

OEB Then I answered and said to them, ’The God of heaven, he will give us success, for we his servants will proceed to build; but you shall have no portion nor right nor memorial in Jerusalem.’

WEBBE Then I answered them, and said to them, “The God of heaven will prosper us. Therefore we, his servants, will arise and build; but you have no portion, nor right, nor memorial in Jerusalem.”

WMBB (Same as above)

NET I responded to them by saying, “The God of heaven will prosper us. We his servants will start the rebuilding. But you have no just or ancient right in Jerusalem.”

LSV And I return them word, and say to them, “The God of the heavens—He gives prosperity to us, and we His servants rise and have built; and to you there is no portion, and right, and memorial in Jerusalem.”

FBV But I replied, telling them, “The God of heaven, he will make sure we're successful. We, his servants, will begin rebuilding, but Jerusalem doesn't belong to you, and you have no authority over it or claim to it.”

T4T But I replied, “Our God who is/rules in heaven will help our plans to succeed. But as for you, you have no right to decide anything about this city, because you have not participated in what has happened in this city in previous years.”

LEB Then I answered and said to them, “The God of the heavens himself will let us succeed, and we his servants shall arise and build. But for you there is no share, right, or memorial in Jerusalem.”

BBE Then answering them I said, The God of heaven, he will be our help; so we his servants will go on with our building: but you have no part or right or any name in Jerusalem.

Moff No Moff NEH book available

JPS Then answered I them, and said unto them: 'The God of heaven, He will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build; but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.'

ASV Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.

DRA And I answered them, and said to them: The God of heaven he helpeth us, and we are his servants: let us rise up and build: but you have no part, nor justice, nor remembrance in Jerusalem.

YLT And I return them word, and say to them, 'The God of the heavens — He doth give prosperity to us, and we His servants rise and have built; and to you there is no portion, and right, and memorial in Jerusalem.'

Drby And I answered them, and said to them, The [fn]God of the heavens, he will prosper us, and we his servants will arise and build; but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial in Jerusalem.

2.20 Elohim

RV Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial in Jerusalem.

Wbstr Then I answered them, and said to them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.

KJB-1769 Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.
(Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye/you_all have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Yerusalem. )

KJB-1611 Then answered I them, and said vnto them, The God of heauen, he will prosper vs, therefore wee his seruants will arise and build: But you haue no portion, nor right, nor memoriall in Ierusalem.
(Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us, therefore we his servants will arise and build: But you have no portion, nor right, nor memoriall in Yerusalem.)

Bshps Then aunswered I them, and sayde: The God of heauen, he it is that hath graunted vs prosperitie, and we his seruauntes will get vp and buylde: As for you, ye haue no portion, nor right, nor remembraunce in Hierusalem. The number of them that buylded the walles.
(Then answered I them, and said: The God of heaven, he it is that hath/has graunted us prosperitie, and we his servants will get up and buylde: As for you, ye/you_all have no portion, nor right, nor remembrance in Yerusalem. The number of them that buylded the walles.)

Gnva Then answered I them, and sayd to them, The God of heauen, he will prosper vs, and we his seruants will rise vp and buylde: but as for you, ye haue no portion nor right, nor memoriall in Ierusalem.
(Then answered I them, and said to them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us, and we his servants will rise up and buylde: but as for you, ye/you_all have no portion nor right, nor memoriall in Yerusalem. )

Cvdl Then answered I them, and sayde: The God of heauen shal cause vs to prospere: for we his seruauntes are gotten vp, & are buyldinge. As for you, ye haue no porcio ner right, ner remembraunce in Ierusale.
(Then answered I them, and said: The God of heaven shall cause us to prospere: for we his servants are gotten up, and are building. As for you, ye/you_all have no porcio nor right, nor remembrance in Yerusalem.)

Wyc And Y yeldide to hem a word, and seide to hem, God hym silf of heuene helpith vs, and we ben hise seruauntis; rise we, and bilde; forsothe part and riytfulnesse and mynde in Jerusalem is not to you.
(And I yeldide to them a word, and said to them, God himself of heaven helpith us, and we been his servants; rise we, and bilde; forsothe part and riytfulnesse and mind in Yerusalem is not to you.)

Luth Da antwortete ich ihnen und sprach: Der GOtt vom Himmel wird uns gelingen lassen; denn wir, seine Knechte, haben uns aufgemacht und bauen; ihr aber habt kein Teil noch Recht noch Gedächtnis in Jerusalem.
(So replied I to_them and spoke: The God from_the heaven becomes us/to_us/ourselves gelingen lassen; because wir, his servants, have us/to_us/ourselves aufgemacht and bauen; you/their/her but have kein Teil still law still Gedächtnis in Yerusalem.)

ClVg Et reddidi eis sermonem, dixique ad eos: Deus cæli ipse nos juvat, et nos servi ejus sumus: surgamus et ædificemus: vobis autem non est pars, et justitia, et memoria in Jerusalem.
(And reddidi to_them sermonem, dixique to them: God cæli himself we yuvat, and we servi his sumus: surgamus and ædificemus: to_you however not/no it_is pars, and justitia, and memoria in Yerusalem. )

BrTr And I answered them, and said to them, The God of heaven, he shall prosper us, and we his servants are pure, and we will build: but ye have no part, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.

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

וָ⁠אָשִׁ֨יב אוֹתָ֜⁠ם דָּבָ֗ר וָ⁠אוֹמַ֤ר לָ⁠הֶם֙

and,gave DOM,them reply and,said to/for=them

This might imply a contrast between the intimidation his enemies wanted him to feel and the courage that God gave him. You could use a word like “but” to indicate this contrast. Alternate translation: “But in response I said”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

וָ⁠אָשִׁ֨יב אוֹתָ֜⁠ם דָּבָ֗ר וָ⁠אוֹמַ֤ר לָ⁠הֶם֙

and,gave DOM,them reply and,said to/for=them

These two statements mean similar things. Nehemiah says the same thing twice, in slightly different ways, to emphasize how firmly he responded to these enemies. You do not need to repeat both phrases in your translation if that would be confusing for your readers. Alternate translation: “But I answered them firmly”

אֱלֹהֵ֣י הַ⁠שָּׁמַ֔יִם ה֚וּא יַצְלִ֣יחַֽ לָ֔⁠נוּ

god the=heavens he/it give_~_success to/for=us

Alternate translation: “The God who is in heaven will enable us to complete this project.”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

וַ⁠אֲנַ֥חְנוּ עֲבָדָ֖י⁠ו נָק֣וּם וּ⁠בָנִ֑ינוּ

and,we servants,his start and,build

As in 1:6, the word servants refers to the special role that the people of Israel had in the world as a model community of God’s followers. Alternate translation: “we are his chosen people, and we are going to begin rebuilding”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

נָק֣וּם וּ⁠בָנִ֑ינוּ

start and,build

As in 2:18, rise up means to begin something. Alternate translation: “going to begin rebuilding”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet

וְ⁠לָ⁠כֶ֗ם אֵֽין־חֵ֧לֶק וּ⁠צְדָקָ֛ה וְ⁠זִכָּר֖וֹן בִּ⁠ירוּשָׁלִָֽם

and,have,you_all not share and,right and,memorial in/on/at/with,Jerusalem

The terms share, right, and memorial all mean something similar. Nehemiah uses them together for emphasis. The meanings are not entirely certain. “Share” may suggest that the Samaritans are not part of the community. “Right” may mean that they have no legal basis to say what should happen in Jerusalem. “Memorial” could mean that they had have no role in the city’s history, or that there is no record of their Israelite ancestry. If it would be helpful in your language, you could combine these terms. Alternate translation: “But you have absolutely nothing to do with what happens in Jerusalem.” (Note: A doublet can involve the use of more than two terms.)

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

וְ⁠לָ⁠כֶ֗ם אֵֽין־חֵ֧לֶק וּ⁠צְדָקָ֛ה וְ⁠זִכָּר֖וֹן בִּ⁠ירוּשָׁלִָֽם

and,have,you_all not share and,right and,memorial in/on/at/with,Jerusalem

Depending on their meaning, the terms “share,” “right,” and “memorial” may be abstract nouns. If so, you could translate the idea behind them with a phrase that expresses their overall meaning. Alternate translation: “But you have absolutely nothing to do with what happens in Jerusalem.”

Parallel NEH 2:20