Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today we'll begin reading the book
of Nehemiah, chapters 1 and 2. Chapter 1. The
words of Nehemiah, the son of Hecaliah. It came
to pass in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth
year, as I was in Shushan the citadel. that Hanani,
one of my brethren, came with men from Judah,
and I asked them concerning the Jews who had
escaped, who had survived the captivity, and
concerning Jerusalem. And they said to me, The
survivors who are left from the captivity in
the province are there in great distress and
reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken
down, and its gates are burned with fire. So
it was when I heard these words that I sat down
and wept and mourned for many days. I was fasting
and praying before the God of heaven. And I said,
I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome
God, you who keep your covenant and mercy with
those who love you and observe your commandments,
please let your ear be attentive and your eyes
open, that you may hear the prayer of your servant,
which I pray before you now, day and night, for
the children of Israel your servants, and confess
the sins of the children of Israel, which we
have sinned against you. Both my father's house
and I have sinned. We have acted very corruptly
against you and have not kept the commandments,
the statutes, nor the ordinances which you commanded
your servant Moses. Remember, I pray, the word
that you commanded your servant Moses, saying,
If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among
the nations. But if you return to me and keep
my commandments and do them, Though some of you
were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens,
yet I will gather them from there, and bring
them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling
for my name. Now these are your servants and
your people, whom you have redeemed by your great
power and by your strong hand. O Lord, I pray,
please let your ear be attentive to the prayer
of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants
who desire to hear your name, and let your servant
prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy
in the sight of this man. For I was the king's
cupbearer. Chapter 2 And it came to pass in the
month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King
Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I
took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I
had never been sad in his presence before. Therefore
the king said to me, Why is your face sad, since
you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow
of heart. So I became dreadfully afraid, and
said to the king, May the king live forever.
Why should my face not be sad when the city,
the place of my father's tombs, lies waste, and
its gates are burned with fire? Then the king
said to me, What do you request? So I prayed
to the God of heaven, and I said to the king,
If it pleases the king, and if your servant has
found favor in your sight, I ask that you send
me to Judah, to the city of my father's tombs,
that I may rebuild it. Then the king said to
me, The queen also sitting beside him, How long
will your journey be, and when will you return?
So it pleased the king to send me, and I set
him a time. Furthermore I said to the king, If
it pleases the king, let letters be given to
me for the governors of the region beyond the
river, that they must permit me to pass through
till I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph the
keeper of the king's forest, that he must give
me timber to make beams for the gates of the
citadel, which pertains to the temple, for the
city wall, and for the house that I will occupy.
And a king granted them to me according to the
good hand of my God upon me. Then I went to the
governors in the region beyond the river, and
gave them the king's letters. Now the king had
sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.
When Sambalat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite
official heard of it, they were deeply disturbed
that a man had come to seek the well -being of
the children of Israel. So I came to Jerusalem
and was there three days. Then I arose in the
night, I and a few men with me. I told no one
what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem,
nor was there any animal with me except the one
on which I rode. And I went out by night through
the valley gate to the serpent well and the refuse
gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem which
were broken down and its gates which were burned
with fire. Then I went on to the fountain gate
and to the king's pool, but there was no room
for the animal under me to pass. So I went up
in the night by the valley and viewed the wall.
Then I turned back and entered by the valley
gate, and so returned. And the officials did
not know where I had gone or what I had done.
I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the
nobles, the officials, or the others who did
the work. Then I said to them, You see the distress
that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and
its gates are burned with fire. Come and let
us build the wall of Jerusalem that we may no
longer be a reproach. And I told them of the
hand of my God, which had been good upon me,
and also of the king's words that he had spoken
to me. So they said, Let us rise up and build.
Then they set their hands to this good work.
But when Sembalad the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite
official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they
laughed at us and despised us, and said, What
is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel
against the king? So I answered them and said
to them, The God of heaven himself will prosper
us. Therefore we, his servants, will arise and
build. But you have no heritage or rite or memorial
in Jerusalem. I hope you enjoyed today's reading
as much as I did. And I look forward to seeing
you again tomorrow to continue on our journey.
God bless you and have a great day.