WEBVTT

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Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're

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taking this journey together to read the Bible

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in a year. Today we'll begin reading the book

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of Nehemiah, chapters 1 and 2. Chapter 1. The

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words of Nehemiah, the son of Hecaliah. It came

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to pass in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth

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year, as I was in Shushan the citadel. that Hanani,

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one of my brethren, came with men from Judah,

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and I asked them concerning the Jews who had

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escaped, who had survived the captivity, and

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concerning Jerusalem. And they said to me, The

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survivors who are left from the captivity in

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the province are there in great distress and

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reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken

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down, and its gates are burned with fire. So

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it was when I heard these words that I sat down

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and wept and mourned for many days. I was fasting

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and praying before the God of heaven. And I said,

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I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome

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God, you who keep your covenant and mercy with

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those who love you and observe your commandments,

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please let your ear be attentive and your eyes

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open, that you may hear the prayer of your servant,

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which I pray before you now, day and night, for

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the children of Israel your servants, and confess

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the sins of the children of Israel, which we

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have sinned against you. Both my father's house

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and I have sinned. We have acted very corruptly

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against you and have not kept the commandments,

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the statutes, nor the ordinances which you commanded

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your servant Moses. Remember, I pray, the word

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that you commanded your servant Moses, saying,

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If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among

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the nations. But if you return to me and keep

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my commandments and do them, Though some of you

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were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens,

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yet I will gather them from there, and bring

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them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling

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for my name. Now these are your servants and

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your people, whom you have redeemed by your great

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power and by your strong hand. O Lord, I pray,

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please let your ear be attentive to the prayer

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of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants

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who desire to hear your name, and let your servant

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prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy

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in the sight of this man. For I was the king's

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cupbearer. Chapter 2 And it came to pass in the

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month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King

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Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I

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took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I

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had never been sad in his presence before. Therefore

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the king said to me, Why is your face sad, since

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you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow

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of heart. So I became dreadfully afraid, and

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said to the king, May the king live forever.

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Why should my face not be sad when the city,

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the place of my father's tombs, lies waste, and

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its gates are burned with fire? Then the king

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said to me, What do you request? So I prayed

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to the God of heaven, and I said to the king,

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If it pleases the king, and if your servant has

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found favor in your sight, I ask that you send

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me to Judah, to the city of my father's tombs,

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that I may rebuild it. Then the king said to

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me, The queen also sitting beside him, How long

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will your journey be, and when will you return?

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So it pleased the king to send me, and I set

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him a time. Furthermore I said to the king, If

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it pleases the king, let letters be given to

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me for the governors of the region beyond the

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river, that they must permit me to pass through

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till I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph the

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keeper of the king's forest, that he must give

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me timber to make beams for the gates of the

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citadel, which pertains to the temple, for the

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city wall, and for the house that I will occupy.

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And a king granted them to me according to the

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good hand of my God upon me. Then I went to the

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governors in the region beyond the river, and

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gave them the king's letters. Now the king had

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sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.

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When Sambalat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite

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official heard of it, they were deeply disturbed

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that a man had come to seek the well -being of

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the children of Israel. So I came to Jerusalem

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and was there three days. Then I arose in the

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night, I and a few men with me. I told no one

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what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem,

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nor was there any animal with me except the one

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on which I rode. And I went out by night through

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the valley gate to the serpent well and the refuse

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gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem which

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were broken down and its gates which were burned

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with fire. Then I went on to the fountain gate

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and to the king's pool, but there was no room

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for the animal under me to pass. So I went up

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in the night by the valley and viewed the wall.

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Then I turned back and entered by the valley

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gate, and so returned. And the officials did

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not know where I had gone or what I had done.

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I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the

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nobles, the officials, or the others who did

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the work. Then I said to them, You see the distress

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that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and

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its gates are burned with fire. Come and let

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us build the wall of Jerusalem that we may no

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longer be a reproach. And I told them of the

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hand of my God, which had been good upon me,

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and also of the king's words that he had spoken

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to me. So they said, Let us rise up and build.

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Then they set their hands to this good work.

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But when Sembalad the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite

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official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they

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laughed at us and despised us, and said, What

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is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel

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against the king? So I answered them and said

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to them, The God of heaven himself will prosper

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us. Therefore we, his servants, will arise and

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build. But you have no heritage or rite or memorial

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in Jerusalem. I hope you enjoyed today's reading

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as much as I did. And I look forward to seeing

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you again tomorrow to continue on our journey.

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God bless you and have a great day.