<vn='1'>And it came to <sn="1961">pass</s> in the <sn="2320">month</s><sn="5212">Nisan</s>, in the <sn="6242">twentieth</s><sn="8141">year</s> of <sn="783">Artaxerxes</s> the <sn="4428">king</s>, that <sn="3196">wine</s> was <sn="6440">before</s> him: and I took <sn="5375">up</s><sn="*853"></s> the <sn="3196">wine</s>, and <sn="5414">gave</s> it unto the <sn="4428">king</s>. Now I had <sn="3808">not</s><sn="1961">been</s> formerly <sn="7451">sad</s> in his <sn="6440">presence</s>. </v>
<vn='2'>Wherefore the <sn="4428">king</s><sn="559">said</s> unto me, <sn="4069">Why</s> is thy <sn="6440">countenance</s><sn="7451">sad</s>, seeing <sn="859">thou</s> art <sn="369">not</s><sn="2470">sick</s>? <sn="2088">this</s> is <sn="369">nothing</s> else <sn="3588 518">but</s><sn="7455">sorrow</s> of <sn="3820">heart</s>. Then I was <sn="3966">very</s><sn="7235">sore</s><sn="3372">afraid</s>, </v>
<vn='3'>And <sn="559">said</s> unto the <sn="4428">king</s>, Let the <sn="4428">king</s><sn="2421">live</s><sn="5769">forever</s>: <sn="4069">why</s> should <sn="3808">not</s> my <sn="6440">countenance</s> be <sn="7489">sad</s>, <sn="834">when</s> the <sn="5892">city</s>, the <sn="1004">place</s> of my <sn="1">fathers</s> ' <sn="6913">sepulchers</s>, lieth <sn="2720">waste</s>, and the <sn="8179">gates</s> thereof are <sn="398">consumed</s> with <sn="784">fire</s>? </v>
<vn='4'>Then the <sn="4428">king</s><sn="559">said</s> unto me, <sn="5921">For</s><sn="4100 2088">what</s> dost <sn="859">thou</s> make <sn="1245">request</s>? So I <sn="6419">prayed</s><sn="413">to</s> the <sn="430">God</s> of <sn="8064">heaven</s>. </v>
<vn='5'>And I <sn="559">said</s> unto the <sn="4428">king</s>, <sn="518">If</s> it <sn="2895 5921">please</s> the <sn="4428">king</s>, and <sn="518">if</s> thy <sn="5650">servant</s> have found <sn="3190">favor</s> in thy <sn="6440">sight</s>, <sn="834">that</s> thou wouldest <sn="7971">send</s> me <sn="413">unto</s><sn="3063">Judah</s>, <sn="413">unto</s> the <sn="5892">city</s> of my <sn="1">fathers</s> ' <sn="6913">sepulchers</s>, that I may <sn="1129">build</s> it. </v>
<vn='6'>And the <sn="4428">king</s><sn="559">said</s> unto me, (the <sn="7694">queen</s> also <sn="3427">sitting</s><sn="681">by</s> him,) <sn="5704">For</s> how <sn="4970">long</s> shall thy <sn="4109">journey</s><sn="1961">be</s>? and <sn="4970">when</s> wilt thou <sn="7725">return</s>? So it <sn="3190 6440">pleased</s> the <sn="4428">king</s> to <sn="7971">send</s> me; and I <sn="5414">set</s> him a <sn="2165">time</s>. </v>
<vn='7'>Moreover I <sn="559">said</s> unto the <sn="4428">king</s>, <sn="518">If</s> it <sn="2895 5921">please</s> the <sn="4428">king</s>, let <sn="107">letters</s> be <sn="5414">given</s> me <sn="5921">to</s> the <sn="6346">governors</s><sn="5676">beyond</s> the <sn="5104">river</s>, <sn="834">that</s> they may convey me <sn="5674">over</s><sn="5704 834">till</s> I <sn="935">come</s><sn="413">into</s><sn="3063">Judah</s>; </v>
<vn='8'>And a <sn="107">letter</s><sn="413">unto</s><sn="623">Asaph</s> the <sn="8104">keeper</s> of the <sn="4428">king</s> 's <sn="6508">forest</s>, <sn="834">that</s> he may <sn="5414">give</s> me <sn="6086">timber</s> to make <sn="7136">beams</s> for <sn="*853"></s> the <sn="8179">gates</s> of the <sn="1002">palace</s><sn="834">which</s> appertained to the <sn="1004">house</s>, and for the <sn="2346">wall</s> of the <sn="5892">city</s>, and for the <sn="1004">house</s><sn="834">that</s> I shall <sn="935">enter</s><sn="413">into</s>. And the <sn="4428">king</s><sn="5414">granted</s> me, according to the <sn="2896">good</s><sn="3027">hand</s> of my <sn="430">God</s><sn="5921">upon</s> me. </v>
<vn='9'>Then I <sn="935">came</s><sn="413">to</s> the <sn="6346">governors</s><sn="5676">beyond</s> the <sn="5104">river</s>, and <sn="5414">gave</s> them <sn="*853"></s> the <sn="4428">king</s> 's <sn="107">letters</s>. Now the <sn="4428">king</s> had <sn="7971">sent</s><sn="8269">captains</s> of the <sn="2428">army</s> and <sn="6571">horsemen</s><sn="5973">with</s> me. </v>
<vn='10'>When <sn="5571">Sanballat</s> the <sn="2772">Horonite</s>, and <sn="2900">Tobiah</s> the <sn="5650">servant</s>, the <sn="5984">Ammonite</s>, <sn="8085">heard</s> of it, it <sn="7489">grieved</s> them <sn="1419 7451">exceedingly</s><sn="834">that</s> there was <sn="935">come</s> a <sn="120">man</s> to <sn="1245">seek</s> the <sn="2896">welfare</s> of the <sn="1121">children</s> of <sn="3478">Israel</s>. </v>
<vn='11'>So I <sn="935">came</s><sn="413">to</s><sn="3389">Jerusalem</s>, and <sn="1961">was</s><sn="8033">there</s><sn="7969">three</s><sn="3117">days</s>. </v>
<vn='12'>And I <sn="6965">arose</s> in the <sn="3915">night</s>, <sn="589">I</s> and some <sn="4592">few</s><sn="376">men</s><sn="5973">with</s> me; <sn="3808">neither</s><sn="5046">told</s> I any <sn="120">man</s><sn="4100">what</s> my <sn="430">God</s> had <sn="5414">put</s><sn="413">in</s> my <sn="3820">heart</s> to <sn="6213">do</s> at <sn="3389">Jerusalem</s>: <sn="369">neither</s> was there any <sn="929">beast</s><sn="5973">with</s> me, <sn="3588 518">save</s> the <sn="929">beast</s><sn="834">that</s><sn="589">I</s><sn="7392">rode</s> upon. </v>
<vn='13'>And I went <sn="3318">out</s> by <sn="3915">night</s> by the <sn="8179">gate</s> of the <sn="1516">valley</s>, even <sn="413 6440">before</s> the <sn="8577">dragon</s><sn="5869">well</s>, and <sn="413">to</s> the <sn="830">dung</s><sn="8179">port</s>, and <sn="1961 7663">viewed</s> the <sn="2346">walls</s> of <sn="3389">Jerusalem</s>, <sn="834">which</s> were broken <sn="6555">down</s>, and the <sn="8179">gates</s> thereof were <sn="398">consumed</s> with <sn="784">fire</s>. </v>
<vn='14'>Then I went <sn="5674">on</s><sn="413">to</s> the <sn="8179">gate</s> of the <sn="5869">fountain</s>, and <sn="413">to</s> the <sn="4428">king</s> 's <sn="1295">pool</s>: but there was <sn="369">no</s><sn="4725">place</s> for the <sn="929">beast</s> that was <sn="8478">under</s> me to <sn="5674">pass</s>. </v>
<vn='15'>Then went I <sn="1961 5927">up</s> in the <sn="3915">night</s> by the <sn="5158">brook</s>, and <sn="1961 7663">viewed</s> the <sn="2346">wall</s>, and turned <sn="7725">back</s>, and <sn="935">entered</s> by the <sn="8179">gate</s> of the <sn="1516">valley</s>, and so <sn="7725">returned</s>. </v>
<vn='16'>And the <sn="5461">rulers</s><sn="3045">knew</s><sn="3808">not</s><sn="575">whither</s> I <sn="1980">went</s>, or <sn="4100">what</s><sn="589">I</s><sn="6213">did</s>; <sn="3808">neither</s> had I <sn="5704">as</s><sn="3651">yet</s><sn="5046">told</s> it to the <sn="3064">Jews</s>, nor to the <sn="3548">priests</s>, nor to the <sn="2715">nobles</s>, nor to the <sn="5461">rulers</s>, nor to the <sn="3499">rest</s> that <sn="6213">did</s> the <sn="4399">work</s>. </v>
<vn='17'>Then <sn="559">said</s> I <sn="413">unto</s> them, <sn="859">Ye</s><sn="7200">see</s> the <sn="7451">distress</s><sn="834">that</s><sn="587">we</s> are in, <sn="834">how</s><sn="3389">Jerusalem</s> lieth <sn="2720">waste</s>, and the <sn="8179">gates</s> thereof are <sn="3341">burned</s> with <sn="784">fire</s>: <sn="1980">come</s>, and let us build <sn="1129">up</s><sn="*853"></s> the <sn="2346">wall</s> of <sn="3389">Jerusalem</s>, that we <sn="1961">be</s><sn="3808">no</s><sn="5750">more</s> a <sn="2781">reproach</s>. </v>
<vn='18'>Then I <sn="5046">told</s> them of <sn="*853"></s> the <sn="3027">hand</s> of my <sn="430">God</s><sn="834 1931">which</s> was <sn="2896">good</s><sn="5921">upon</s> me; as <sn="637">also</s> the <sn="4428">king</s> 's <sn="1697">words</s><sn="834">that</s> he had <sn="559">spoken</s> unto me. And they <sn="559">said</s>, Let us rise <sn="6965">up</s> and <sn="1129">build</s>. So they <sn="2388">strengthened</s> their <sn="3027">hands</s> for this <sn="2896">good</s> work. </v>
<vn='19'>But when <sn="5571">Sanballat</s> the <sn="2772">Horonite</s>, and <sn="2900">Tobiah</s> the <sn="5650">servant</s>, the <sn="5984">Ammonite</s>, and <sn="1654">Geshem</s> the <sn="6163">Arabian</s>, <sn="8085">heard</s> it, they laughed us to <sn="3932">scorn</s>, and <sn="959 5921">despised</s> us, and <sn="559">said</s>, <sn="4100">What</s> is <sn="2088">this</s><sn="1697">thing</s><sn="834">that</s><sn="859">ye</s><sn="6213">do</s>? will <sn="859">ye</s><sn="4775">rebel</s><sn="5921">against</s> the <sn="4428">king</s>? </v>
<vn='20'>Then <sn="7725 1697">answered</s> I them, and <sn="559">said</s> unto them, The <sn="430">God</s> of <sn="8064">heaven</s>, <sn="1931">he</s> will <sn="6743">prosper</s> us; therefore <sn="587">we</s> his <sn="5650">servants</s> will <sn="6965">arise</s> and <sn="1129">build</s>: but ye have <sn="369">no</s><sn="2506">portion</s>, nor <sn="6666">right</s>, nor <sn="2146">memorial</s>, in <sn="3389">Jerusalem</s>. </v>