1 وفي شهر نيسان في السنة العشرين لأرتحشستا الملك كانت خمر امامه فحملت الخمر واعطيت الملك. ولم اكن قبل مكمدا امامه.2 فقال لي الملك لماذا وجهك مكمّد وانت غير مريض. ما هذا الا كآبة قلب. فخفت كثيرا جدا3 وقلت للملك. ليحيى الملك الى الابد. كيف لا يكمد وجهي والمدينة بيت مقابر آبائي خراب وابوابها قد اكلتها النار.4 فقال لي الملك ماذا طالب انت. فصلّيت الى اله السماء.5 وقلت للملك اذا سرّ الملك واذا احسن عبدك امامك ترسلني الى يهوذا الى مدينة قبور آبائي فابنيها.6 فقال لي الملك والملكة جالسة بجانبه الى متى يكون سفرك ومتى ترجع. فحسن لدى الملك وارسلني فعينت له زمانا.7 وقلت للملك ان حسن عند الملك فلتعط لي رسائل الى ولاة عبر النهر لكي يجيزوني حتى اصل الى يهوذا8 ورسالة الى آساف حارس فردوس الملك لكي يعطيني اخشابا لسقف ابواب القصر الذي للبيت ولسور المدينة وللبيت الذي ادخل اليه. فاعطاني الملك حسب يد الهي الصالحة عليّ9 فأتيت الى ولاة عبر النهر واعطيتهم رسائل الملك وارسل معي الملك رؤساء جيش وفرسانا.10 ولما سمع سنبلط الحوروني وطوبيا العبد العموني ساءهما مساءة عظيمة لانه جاء رجل يطلب خيرا لبني اسرائيل11 فجئت الى اورشليم وكنت هناك ثلاثة ايام.12 ثم قمت ليلا انا ورجال قليلون معي. ولم اخبر احدا بما جعله الهي في قلبي لاعمله في اورشليم. ولم يكن معي بهيمة الا البهيمة التي كنت راكبها.13 وخرجت من باب الوادي ليلا امام عين التنين الى باب الدّمن وصرت اتفرس في اسوار اورشليم المنهدمة وابوابها التي أكلتها النار.14 وعبرت الى باب العين والى بركة الملك ولم يكن مكان لعبور البهيمة التي تحتي.15 فصعدت في الوادي ليلا وكنت اتفرس في السور ثم عدت فدخلت من باب الوادي راجعا.16 ولم يعرف الولاة الى اين ذهبت ولا ما انا عامل ولم اخبر الى ذلك الوقت اليهود والكهنة والاشراف والولاة وباقي عاملي العمل.17 ثم قلت لهم انتم ترون الشر الذي نحن فيه كيف ان اورشليم خربة وابوابها قد احرقت بالنار هلم فنبني سور اورشليم ولا نكون بعد عارا.18 واخبرتهم عن يد الهي الصالحة عليّ وايضا عن كلام الملك الذي قاله لي. فقالوا لنقم ولنبن. وشددوا اياديهم للخير19 ولما سمع سنبلّط الحوروني وطوبيا العبد العموني وجشم العربي هزأوا بنا واحتقرونا وقالوا ما هذا الأمر الذي انتم عاملون أعلى الملك تتمردون.20 فاجبتهم وقلت لهم ان اله السماء يعطينا النجاح ونحن عبيده نقوم ونبني. واما انتم فليس لكم نصيب ولا حق ولا ذكر في اورشليم

1 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 to the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.2 Why the king said to me, Why is your countenance sad, seeing you are not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid,3 And said to the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers'sepulchers, lies waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?4 Then the king said to me, For what do you make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.5 And I said to the king, If it please the king, and if your servant have found favor in your sight, that you would send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers'sepulchers, that I may build it.6 And the king said to me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall your journey be? and when will you return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.7 Moreover I said to 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 And a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king' 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 on me.9 Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king' letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.10 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 So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.12 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 on.13 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 Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king' pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass.15 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 And the rulers knew not where 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 Then said I to them, You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies 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 Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good on me; as also the king' words that he had spoken to me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.19 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 you do? will you rebel against the king?20 Then answered I them, and said to them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but you have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.