Nehemiah 2:4
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
3 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?”
“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.”
6 Then the king, with the queen seated beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I set a time.
Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- “What is your request?” replied the king. So I prayed to the God of heaven
- KJV
- Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.
- WEB
- Then the king said to me, “What is your request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.
- ASV
- Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.
- DARBY
- And the king said to me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of the heavens.
- BLB
- And the king said to me, “Upon what [is] this you are seeking?” And I prayed to the God of the heavens,
- ÅB
- Da sa kongen til meg: Hva er det da du ønsker? Da ba jeg til himmelens Gud,
- OTB
- Kongen sa til meg: “Hva er det du ønsker?” Så ba jeg til himmelens Gud.
- B1930
- Da sa kongen til mig: Hvad er det da du ønsker? Da bad jeg til himmelens Gud,
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Philippians 4:6
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Read in contextProverbs 3:6
in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
Read in contextNehemiah 1:4
When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
Read in contextNehemiah 1:11
O Lord, may Your ear be attentive to my prayer and to the prayers of Your servants who delight to revere Your name. Give Your servant success this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” (At that time I was the cupbearer to the king.)
Read in context1 Kings 3:5
One night at Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “Ask, and I will give it to you!”
Read in contextMark 10:51
“What do you want Me to do for you?” Jesus asked. “Rabboni,” said the blind man, “let me see again.”
Read in contextEsther 7:2
and as they drank their wine on that second day, the king asked once more, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given to you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be fulfilled.”
Read in contextEsther 5:6
And as they drank their wine, the king said to Esther, “What is your petition? It will be given to you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be fulfilled.”
Read in context