尼希米返回耶路撒冷
亚达薛西王二十年尼散月，酒摆在王面前☛“王面前”：七十士译本和古译本是“我面前”。，我拿起酒来奉给王。我在王面前从来没有愁容。
And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.
2王对我说：“你既没有病，为什么面带愁容呢？这不是别的，必是你心中愁烦。”于是我非常惧怕。Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid,
3我对王说：“愿王万岁！我祖先坟墓所在的那城荒凉，城门被火焚烧，我岂能面无愁容呢？”And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?
4王对我说：“你想求什么？”于是我向天上的神祈祷。Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.
5我对王说：“王若以为好，仆人若在王面前蒙宠爱，求王差遣我往犹大，到我祖先坟墓所在的那城去，我好重新建造。”And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.
6那时王后坐在王的旁边，王对我说：“你要去多久？几时回来？”王看这事为好，就派我去。我给王定了日期。And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.
7我又对王说：“王若以为好，求王赐我诏书，通知河西的省长准我经过，直到犹大；Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah;
8又赐诏书，通知管理王园林的亚萨，叫他给我木材，作为殿的营楼之门、城墙，和我自己要住的房屋的横梁。”王就允准我，因为我神施恩的手帮助我。And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.
9王派了军官和骑兵护送我。我到了河西的省长那里，将王的诏书交给他们。Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.
10和伦人参巴拉和作臣仆的亚扪人多比雅，听见有人来为以色列人争取利益，就很恼怒。When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.
11我到了耶路撒冷，在那里停留了三天。So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.
12夜间我和跟随我的几个人起来；但神感动我心要为耶路撒冷做的事，我并没有告诉人。只有我自己骑的牲口，没有别的牲口在我那里。And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon.
13当夜，我出了谷门，往野狗泉去，到了粪厂门，察看耶路撒冷的城墙，城墙被拆毁，城门被火焚烧。And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before the dragon well, and to the dung port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire.
14我又往前，到了泉门，又到王池，但所骑的牲口没有地方可以过去。Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king's pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass.
15于是我夜间沿溪而上，察看城墙，又转身进入谷门，就回来了。Then went I up in the night by the brook, and viewed the wall, and turned back, and entered by the gate of the valley, and so returned.
16我往哪里去，我做什么事，官长都不知道。我也没有告诉犹大人、祭司、贵族、官长和其余做工的人。And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work.
17以后，我对他们说：“我们所遭的难，耶路撒冷怎样荒凉，城门被火焚烧，你们都看见了。来吧，让我们重建耶路撒冷的城墙，免得再受凌辱！”Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.
18我告诉他们我神施恩的手怎样帮助我，以及王向我所说的话。他们就说：“我们起来建造吧！”于是他们使自己的手坚强，做这美好的工作。Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.
19但和伦人参巴拉、作臣仆的亚扪人多比雅和阿拉伯人基善听见就嗤笑我们，藐视我们，说：“你们所做的这事是什么呢？要背叛王吗？”But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?
20我回答他们的话，对他们说：“天上的神必使我们亨通。我们作他仆人的，要起来建造；你们却在耶路撒冷无份、无权、无名号☛“名号”：原文是“纪念”，意思是“使人记得他们”。。”Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.