Book of Nehemiah - Ferrar Fenton Bible Translation page 925

THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH.

THE sscoma s·1·A1+EsMAN 0F THAT NAME. AN AUTOBIOG RALPH Y. Nehemiah Hourished about 446 B.c. I W12 Qixfnxg ef £zl;zmi¤¥;·Irzn· ‘§ak¤1iuly T happened in the month of Nisan} in the twentieth year

(of Arthakshasta) when I was at the

2 Palace of Shushan, Hanani, one of my relatives, and another man came from judah and jerusalem from the jews who had escaped, who were left behind from the Captivity and

3 were in jerusalem, and they told me that the remnant who were left there out of the Capnivity in that Province, were in great distress, and contempt, and the walls of jerusalem were broken, and its gates had been burnt with tire hzlyzmialfz ¥rugzr fur Hamel, 4 When I heard their account of this, I sat and wept, and was de- pressed for some time, and then I fasted and prayed before the GOD

Evnrz·1,1vxNG Gon ofthe Heavens the GMAT Gon, and Terrible,

Who remembers tho Covenant, and shows kindness to those who love

6 Him, and obey His commands,·-—1et Your ears new listen, and Your eyes open to receive the prayer of Your servant, whiqh I pray before You, from day to day, and night to night, an account of the children of Israel Your servant, who have sinned against You;—-and I and my fathers family

1 No·rz.——Ch. x, v. 1. The month should be

Nisan, ]D*•}, not {DQ), Kislu, sée Ch. 2, v. x. In the Hebrew alphabet the slip of a inlcinmakes 1 pen gpyi e diference. The openiug Ne emlah seems to intimate that a revolt of the Eagan colonists had occurred between 457 an 446 ac., in which jerusalem Eva? burnt and the Second Ezra was slain. have sinned. We have oiiended against You, and not obeyed the commands, and Insdtutions, and Decrees, which You commanded to Your servant Moses. Remember now the promise You communi- cated to Your servant Moses, saying, ‘ If you abandon them, I will scatter you amongst the Nations ; but if you return to Me, and guard My Com- mands, and practise them, although you may be scattered to the extent of the skies, I will collect you from thence, and bring you to the place where I have chosen that My Name should dwell} And these are Your servants, and Your People whom You redeemed by Your Great Power,. and strong hand! ALMIGHTYI I now rr entreat You let Your ears attendto , the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayers of Your servants who delight in and reverence Your N AME, and I pray You to give Your servant success to—day, and grant him favour before this man. I was then butler to the king. Ghz Qing Walks init}; £¢lmniul;. It was in the month of Nisan, in

the twentieth year of King Arthak- shasta, when he was at wine, that I carried the wine, and gave it to the King, but my face was sad before Why is your face sad, when you are not ill? That can be nothing except sorrow Then I was very much afraid, but

May the King live for ever l··—Why should not my face be sad, when the town of the tombs of my fathers is ashes, and its gates consumed by nre? ' What do you ask for? ‘ So I prayed to the Gon or run 92 5 =a·: