Nehemiah 2

vayehi bekhodesh nisan shenat esrim le'artakhshast hammelekh yayin lefanayw va'essa et-hayyayin va'ettenah lammelekh velo-hayiti ra lefanayw

In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, wine was set before him; I took the wine and gave it to the king—I had never been out of sorts in his presence.

vayyomer li hammelekh maddua panekha ra'im ve'attah enekha kholeh en zeh ki-im roa lev va'ira harbeh me'od

The king said to me, “How is it that you look bad, though you are not ill? It must be bad thoughts.” I was very frightened,

va'omar lammelekh hammelekh le'olam yikhyeh maddua lo-yere'u fanay asher ha'ir bet-qivrot avotay kharevah ushe'areha ukkelu va'esh

but I answered the king, “May the king live forever! How should I not look bad when the city of the graveyard of my ancestors lies in ruins, and its gates have been consumed by fire?”

vayyomer li hammelekh al-mah-zzeh attah mevaqqesh va'etpallel el-elohe hashamayim

The king said to me, “What is your request?” With a prayer to the God of Heaven,

va'omar lammelekh im-al-hammelekh tov ve'im-yitav avdekha lefanekha asher tishlakheni el-yehudah el-ir qivrot avotay ve'evnennah

I answered the king, “If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor with you, send me to Judah, to the city of my ancestors’ graves, to rebuild it.”

vayyomer li hammelekh vehashegal yoshevet etslo ad-matay yihyeh mahalakhekha umatay tashuv vayyitav lifne-hammelekh vayyishlakheni va'ettenah lo zeman

With the consort seated at his side, the king said to me, “How long will you be gone and when will you return?” So it was agreeable to the king to send me, and I gave him a date.

va'omar lammelekh im-al-hammelekh tov iggerot yittenu-li al-pakhavot ever hannahar asher ya'aviruni ad asher-avo el-yehudah

Then I said to the king, “If it please the king, let me have letters to the governors of the province of Beyond the River, directing them to grant me passage until I reach Judah;

ve'iggeret el-asaf shomer happardes asher lammelekh asher yitten-li etsim leqarot et-sha'are habbirah asher-labbayit ulekhomat ha'ir velabbayit asher-avo elayw vayyitten-li hammelekh keyad-elohay hattovah alay

likewise, a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the King’s Park, directing him to give me timber for roofing the gatehouses of the temple fortress and the city walls and for the house I shall occupy.” The king gave me these, thanks to my God’s benevolent care for me.

va'avo el-pakhavot ever hannahar va'ettenah lahem et iggerot hammelekh vayyishlakh immi hammelekh sare khayil ufarashim

When I came to the governors of the province of Beyond the River I gave them the king’s letters. The king also sent army officers and cavalry with me.

vayyishma sanvallat hakhoroni vetoviyyah ha'eved ha'ammoni vayyera lahem ra'ah gedolah asher-ba adam levaqqesh tovah livne yisra'el

When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard, it displeased them greatly that someone had come, intent on improving the condition of the Israelites.

va'avo el-yerushalai͏m va'ehi-sham yamim sheloshah

I arrived in Jerusalem. After I was there three days

va'aqum laylah ani va'anashim me'at immi velo-higgadti le'adam mah elohay noten el-libbi la'asot lirushalai͏m uvehemah en immi ki im-habbehemah asher ani rokhev bah

I got up at night, I and a few men with me, and telling no one what my God had put into my mind to do for Jerusalem, and taking no other beast than the one on which I was riding,

va'etse'ah vesha'ar-haggay laylah ve'el-pene en hattannin ve'el-sha'ar ha'ashpot va'ehi sover bekhomot yerushalai͏m asher-[hem perutsim] (hmfrvtsym) ushe'areha ukkelu va'esh

I went out by the Valley Gate, at night, toward the Jackals’ Spring and the Dung Gate; and I surveyed the walls of Jerusalem that were breached, and its gates, consumed by fire.

va'e'evor el-sha'ar ha'ayin ve'el-berekhat hammelekh ve'en-maqom labbehemah la'avor takhtay

I proceeded to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool, where there was no room for the beast under me to continue.

va'ehi oleh vannakhal laylah va'ehi sover bakhomah va'ashuv va'avo besha'ar haggay va'ashuv

So I went up the wadi by night, surveying the wall, and, entering again by the Valley Gate, I returned.

vehasseganim lo yade'u anah halakhti umah ani oseh velayyehudim velakkohanim velakhorim velasseganim uleyeter oseh hammelakhah ad-ken lo higgadti

The prefects knew nothing of where I had gone or what I had done, since I had not yet divulged it to the Jews—the priests, the nobles, the prefects, or the rest of the officials.

va'omar alehem attem ro'im hara'ah asher anakhnu vah asher yerushalai͏m kharevah ushe'areha nitsetu va'esh lekhu venivneh et-khomat yerushalai͏m velo-nihyeh od kherpah

Then I said to them, “You see the bad state we are in—Jerusalem lying in ruins and its gates destroyed by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and suffer no more disgrace.”

va'aggid lahem et-yad elohay asher-hi tovah alay ve'af-divre hammelekh asher amar-li vayyomeru naqum uvaninu vayekhazzequ yedehem lattovah

I told them of my God’s benevolent care for me, also of the things that the king had said to me, and they said, “Let us start building!” They were encouraged by God’s benevolence.

vayyishma sanvallat hakhoroni vetoviyyah ha'eved ha'ammoni vegeshem ha'arvi vayyaligu lanu vayyivzu alenu vayyomeru mah-haddavar hazzeh asher attem osim ha'al hammelekh attem moredim

When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard, they mocked us and held us in contempt and said, “What is this that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”

va'ashiv otam davar va'omar lahem elohe hashamayim hu yatsliakh lanu va'anakhnu avadayw naqum uvaninu velakhem en-kheleq utsedaqah vezikkaron birushalai͏m

I said to them in reply, “The God of Heaven will grant us success—and so we, God’s servants, will start building. But you have no share or claim or stake in Jerusalem!”