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Nehemiah 2:3

GriefCourage and strengthHumility

1 Now in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was set before him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had never been sad in his presence,

2 so the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, though you are not ill? This could only be sadness of the heart.” I was overwhelmed with fear

and replied to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should I not be sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”

4 “What is your request?” replied the king. So I prayed to the God of heaven

5 and answered the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city where my fathers are buried, so that I may rebuild it.”

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Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB
and replied to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should I not be sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
KJV
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?
WEB
I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why shouldn’t my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates have been consumed with fire?”
ASV
And I 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?
DARBY
And I 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' sepulchres, lies waste, and its gates are consumed with fire?
BLB
and I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad when the city, the place of the tombs of my fathers, [is] waste, and its gates have been consumed with the fire?”
ÅB
Og jeg sa til kongen: Kongen leve evindelig! Skulle jeg ikke se bedrøvet ut når byen hvor mine fedres graver er, ligger øde, og dens porter er fortært av ild?
OTB
Og jeg sa til kongen: “Måtte kongen leve for alltid! Hvorfor skulle ikke mitt ansikt være trist når byen hvor mine forfedre er begravet ligger øde og dens porter er blitt ødelagt av ild?”
B1930
Og jeg sa til kongen: Kongen leve evindelig! Skulde jeg ikke se bedrøvet ut når byen hvor mine fedres graver er, ligger øde, og dens porter er fortært av ild?

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

  • Nehemiah 1:3

    And they told me, “The remnant who survived the exile are there in the province, in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”

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  • 1 Kings 1:31

    Bathsheba bowed facedown in homage to the king and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”

    Read in context

  • Daniel 5:10

    Hearing the outcry of the king and his nobles, the queen entered the banquet hall. “O king, may you live forever!” she said. “Do not let your thoughts terrify you, or your face grow pale.

    Read in context

  • Psalms 137:6

    May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not exalt Jerusalem as my greatest joy!

    Read in context

  • Daniel 2:4

    Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, “O king, may you live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.”

    Read in context

  • Daniel 6:6

    So the administrators and satraps went together to the king and said, “O King Darius, may you live forever!

    Read in context

  • 2 Chronicles 28:27

    And Ahaz rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of Jerusalem, but he was not placed in the tombs of the kings of Israel. And his son Hezekiah reigned in his place.

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  • 2 Chronicles 32:33

    And Hezekiah rested with his fathers and was buried in the upper tombs of David’s descendants. All Judah and the people of Jerusalem paid him honor at his death. And his son Manasseh reigned in his place.

    Read in context