尼希米关心耶路撒冷
哈迦利亚的儿子尼希米的言语如下：
亚达薛西王二十年基斯流月，我在书珊城堡中。
The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,
2那时，我有一个兄弟哈拿尼，同几个人从犹大来。我问他们那些被掳归回、剩下残存的犹太人和耶路撒冷的情况。That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
3他们对我说：“那些被掳归回剩下的余民在犹大省那里遭大难，受凌辱；耶路撒冷的城墙被拆毁，城门被火焚烧。”And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.
4我听见这话，就坐下哭泣，悲哀几日，在天上的神面前禁食祈祷，And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,
5说：“唉，耶和华－天上大而可畏的神，向爱你、守你诫命的人守约施慈爱的神啊，And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:
6愿你睁眼看，侧耳听你仆人今日昼夜在你面前，为你众仆人以色列人的祈祷，承认我们以色列人向你所犯的罪；我与我父家都犯了罪。Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned.
7我们向你所行的非常败坏，没有遵守你吩咐你仆人摩西的诫命、律例、典章。We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.
8求你记念所吩咐你仆人摩西的话，说：‘你们若犯罪，我就把你们分散在万民中；Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations:
9但你们若归向我，谨守遵行我的诫命，你们被赶散的人虽在天涯，我也必从那里将他们召集回来，带到我所选择立为我名居所的地方。’But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.
10他们是你的仆人和你的百姓，是你用大力和大能的手所救赎的。Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand.
11唉，主啊，求你侧耳听你仆人的祈祷，听喜爱敬畏你名众仆人的祈祷，使你仆人今日亨通，在这人面前蒙恩。”我是王的酒政。
O LORD, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer.