1And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artakhshastah the king, when wine was before him, that I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been sad before in his presence. 2And the king said unto 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. 3And I said unto the king, “Let the king live forever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?” 4Then the king said unto me, “For what do you make request?” So I prayed to the Elohim of heaven. 5And I said unto the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you would send me unto Yehudah, unto the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may build it.” 6And the king said unto 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. 7Moreover I said unto the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the River, that they may let me pass through till I come unto Yehudah; 8and a letter unto Asaf the keeper of the king’s park, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the castle which pertains 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 Elohim upon me. 9Then I came to the governors beyond the River, and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent with me captains of the army and horsemen.
10And when Sanvalat the Khoroni, and Tov-Yah the servant, the Amoni, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly, for that there was come a man to seek the welfare of B’nei Yisra’el. 11So I came to Yerushalayim, and was there three days. 12And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither did I tell any man what my Elohim put into my heart to do for Yerushalayim; neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon. 13And I went out by night by the valley gate, even toward the dragon’s well, and to the dung gate, and viewed the walls of Yerushalayim, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire. 14Then I went on to the fountain gate and to the king’s pool; but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass. 15Then I went up in the night in the valley, and viewed the wall; and I turned back, and entered by the valley gate, and so returned. 16And the rulers knew not where I went, nor what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Yehudim, nor to the Kohanim, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work. 17Then I said unto them, “You see the evil state that we are in, how Yerushalayim lies waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire; come and let us build up the wall of Yerushalayim, that we are no more a reproach.” 18And I told them of the hand of my Elohim which was good upon me; as also of 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 the good work.
19But when Sanvalat the Khoroni, and Tov-Yah the servant, the Amoni, and Geshem the Arvi, 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?” 20Then I answered them, and said unto them, “The Elohim of heaven, He will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build; but you have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Yerushalayim.”
אוַיְהִי בְּחֹדֶשׁ נִיסָן שְׁנַת עֶשְׂרִים לְאַרְתַּחְשַׁסְתְּא הַמֶּלֶךְ יַיִן לְפָנָיו; וָאֶשָּׂא אֶת הַיַּיִן וָאֶתְּנָה לַמֶּלֶךְ וְלֹא הָיִיתִי רַע לְפָנָיו. בוַיֹּאמֶר לִי הַמֶּלֶךְ מַדּוּעַ פָּנֶיךָ רָעִים וְאַתָּה אֵינְךָ חוֹלֶה אֵין זֶה כִּי אִם רֹעַ לֵב; וָאִירָא הַרְבֵּה מְאֹד. גוָאֹמַר לַמֶּלֶךְ הַמֶּלֶךְ לְעוֹלָם יִחְיֶה; מַדּוּעַ לֹא יֵרְעוּ פָנַי אֲשֶׁר הָעִיר בֵּית קִבְרוֹת אֲבֹתַי חֲרֵבָה וּשְׁעָרֶיהָ אֻכְּלוּ בָאֵשׁ. דוַיֹּאמֶר לִי הַמֶּלֶךְ עַל מַה זֶּה אַתָּה מְבַקֵּשׁ; וָאֶתְפַּלֵּל אֶל אֱלֹהֵי הַשָּׁמָיִם. הוָאֹמַר לַמֶּלֶךְ אִם עַל הַמֶּלֶךְ טוֹב וְאִם יִיטַב עַבְדְּךָ לְפָנֶיךָ: אֲשֶׁר תִּשְׁלָחֵנִי אֶל יְהוּדָה אֶל עִיר קִבְרוֹת אֲבֹתַי וְאֶבְנֶנָּה. ווַיֹּאמֶר לִי הַמֶּלֶךְ וְהַשֵּׁגַל יוֹשֶׁבֶת אֶצְלוֹ עַד מָתַי יִהְיֶה מַהֲלָכְךָ וּמָתַי תָּשׁוּב; וַיִּיטַב לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיִּשְׁלָחֵנִי וָאֶתְּנָה לוֹ זְמָן. זוָאוֹמַר לַמֶּלֶךְ אִם עַל הַמֶּלֶךְ טוֹב אִגְּרוֹת יִתְּנוּ לִי עַל פַּחֲווֹת עֵבֶר הַנָּהָר: אֲשֶׁר יַעֲבִירוּנִי עַד אֲשֶׁר אָבוֹא אֶל יְהוּדָה. חוְאִגֶּרֶת אֶל אָסָף שֹׁמֵר הַפַּרְדֵּס אֲשֶׁר לַמֶּלֶךְ אֲשֶׁר יִתֶּן לִי עֵצִים לְקָרוֹת אֶת שַׁעֲרֵי הַבִּירָה אֲשֶׁר לַבַּיִת וּלְחוֹמַת הָעִיר וְלַבַּיִת אֲשֶׁר אָבוֹא אֵלָיו; וַיִּתֶּן לִי הַמֶּלֶךְ כְּיַד אֱלֹהַי הַטּוֹבָה עָלָי. טוָאָבוֹא אֶל פַּחֲווֹת עֵבֶר הַנָּהָר וָאֶתְּנָה לָהֶם אֵת אִגְּרוֹת הַמֶּלֶךְ; וַיִּשְׁלַח עִמִּי הַמֶּלֶךְ שָׂרֵי חַיִל וּפָרָשִׁים.
יוַיִּשְׁמַע סַנְבַלַּט הַחֹרֹנִי וְטוֹבִיָּה הָעֶבֶד הָעַמֹּנִי וַיֵּרַע לָהֶם רָעָה גְדֹלָה: אֲשֶׁר בָּא אָדָם לְבַקֵּשׁ טוֹבָה לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. יאוָאָבוֹא אֶל יְרוּשָׁלִָם; וָאֱהִי שָׁם יָמִים שְׁלֹשָׁה. יבוָאָקוּם לַיְלָה אֲנִי וַאֲנָשִׁים מְעַט עִמִּי וְלֹא הִגַּדְתִּי לְאָדָם מָה אֱלֹהַי נֹתֵן אֶל לִבִּי לַעֲשׂוֹת לִירוּשָׁלִָם; וּבְהֵמָה אֵין עִמִּי כִּי אִם הַבְּהֵמָה אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי רֹכֵב בָּהּ. יגוָאֵצְאָה בְשַׁעַר הַגַּיְא לַיְלָה וְאֶל פְּנֵי עֵין הַתַּנִּין וְאֶל שַׁעַר הָאַשְׁפֹּת; וָאֱהִי שֹׂבֵר בְּחוֹמֹת יְרוּשָׁלִַם אֲשֶׁר המפרוצים (הֵם פְּרוּצִים) וּשְׁעָרֶיהָ אֻכְּלוּ בָאֵשׁ. ידוָאֶעֱבֹר אֶל שַׁעַר הָעַיִן וְאֶל בְּרֵכַת הַמֶּלֶךְ; וְאֵין מָקוֹם לַבְּהֵמָה לַעֲבֹר תַּחְתָּי. טווָאֱהִי עֹלֶה בַנַּחַל לַיְלָה וָאֱהִי שֹׂבֵר בַּחוֹמָה; וָאָשׁוּב וָאָבוֹא בְּשַׁעַר הַגַּיְא וָאָשׁוּב. טזוְהַסְּגָנִים לֹא יָדְעוּ אָנָה הָלַכְתִּי וּמָה אֲנִי עֹשֶׂה; וְלַיְּהוּדִים וְלַכֹּהֲנִים וְלַחֹרִים וְלַסְּגָנִים וּלְיֶתֶר עֹשֵׂה הַמְּלָאכָה עַד כֵּן לֹא הִגַּדְתִּי. יזוָאוֹמַר אֲלֵהֶם אַתֶּם רֹאִים הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר אֲנַחְנוּ בָהּ אֲשֶׁר יְרוּשָׁלִַם חֲרֵבָה וּשְׁעָרֶיהָ נִצְּתוּ בָאֵשׁ: לְכוּ וְנִבְנֶה אֶת חוֹמַת יְרוּשָׁלִַם וְלֹא נִהְיֶה עוֹד חֶרְפָּה. יחוָאַגִּיד לָהֶם אֶת יַד אֱלֹהַי אֲשֶׁר הִיא טוֹבָה עָלַי וְאַף דִּבְרֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲשֶׁר אָמַר לִי; וַיֹּאמְרוּ נָקוּם וּבָנִינוּ וַיְחַזְּקוּ יְדֵיהֶם לַטּוֹבָה.
יטוַיִּשְׁמַע סַנְבַלַּט הַחֹרֹנִי וְטֹבִיָּה הָעֶבֶד הָעַמּוֹנִי וְגֶשֶׁם הָעַרְבִי וַיַּלְעִגוּ לָנוּ וַיִּבְזוּ עָלֵינוּ; וַיֹּאמְרוּ מָה הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם עֹשִׂים הַעַל הַמֶּלֶךְ אַתֶּם מֹרְדִים. כוָאָשִׁיב אוֹתָם דָּבָר וָאוֹמַר לָהֶם אֱלֹהֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם הוּא יַצְלִיחַ לָנוּ וַאֲנַחְנוּ עֲבָדָיו נָקוּם וּבָנִינוּ; וְלָכֶם אֵין חֵלֶק וּצְדָקָה וְזִכָּרוֹן בִּירוּשָׁלִָם.
D'var יהוה , The Word of יהוה 