American Standard Version - King James Version

 2:1 ¶ And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, when wine was before him, that I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been [beforetime] sad in his presence.

 2:1 ¶ And it came to passº in the monthº Nisan,º in the twentiethº yearº of Artaxerxesº the king,º [that] wineº [was] beforeº him: and I took upººº the wine,º and gaveºº [it] unto the king.º Now I had notº beenº [beforetime] sadº in his presence.º

 2:2 And the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid.

 2:2 Wherefore the kingº saidºº unto me, Whyº [is] thy countenanceº sad,º seeing thouº [art] notº sick?ºº thisº [is] nothingº [else] butºº sorrowº of heart.º Then I was veryº soreºº afraid,ºº

 2:3 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?

 2:3 And saidºº unto the king,º Let the kingº liveºº for ever:º whyº should notº my countenanceº be sad,ººº whenº the city,º the placeº of my fathers'º sepulchres,º [lieth] waste,º and the gatesº thereof are consumedºº with fire?º

 2:4 Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.

 2:4 Then the kingº saidºº unto me, Forº whatºº dost thouº make request?ºº So I prayedºº toº the Godº of heaven.º

 2:5 And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favor in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.

 2:5 And I saidºº unto the king,º Ifº it pleaseººº the king,º and ifº thy servantº have found favourºº in thy sight,º thatº thou wouldest sendºº me untoº Judah,º untoº the cityº of my fathers'º sepulchres,º that I may buildºº it.

 2:6 And the king said unto me (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.

 2:6 And the kingº saidºº unto me, (the queenº also sittingºº byº him,)º Forº how longº shall thy journeyº be?º and whenº wilt thou return?ºº So it pleasedººº the kingº to sendºº me; and I setºº him a time.º

 2:7 Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the River, that they may let me pass through till I come unto Judah;

 2:7 Moreover I saidºº unto the king,º Ifº it pleaseººº the king,º let lettersº be givenºº me toº the governorsº beyondº the river,º thatº they may convey me overºº tillºº I comeºº intoº Judah;º

 2:8 and a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the castle which appertaineth 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 upon me.

 2:8 And a letterº untoº Asaphº the keeperºº of the king'sº forest,º thatº he may giveºº me timberº to make beamsºº forº the gatesº of the palaceº whichº [appertained] to the house,º and for the wallº of the city,º and for the houseº thatº I shall enterº into.ººº And the kingº grantedºº me, according to the goodº handº of my Godº uponº me.

 2:9 ¶ Then 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.

 2:9 ¶ Then I cameºº toº the governorsº beyondº the river,º and gaveºº themº the king'sº letters.º Now the kingº had sentºº captainsº of the armyº and horsemenº withº me.

 2:10 And when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly, for that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.

 2:10 When Sanballatº the Horonite,º and Tobiahº the servant,º the Ammonite,º heardºº [of it], it grievedººº them exceedinglyºº thatº there was comeºº a manº to seekºº the welfareº of the childrenº of Israel.º

 2:11 So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.

 2:11 So I cameºº toº Jerusalem,º and wasº thereº threeº days.º

 2:12 ¶ And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God put into my heart to do for Jerusalem; neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon.

 2:12 ¶ And I aroseºº in the night,º Iº and someº fewº menºº withº me; neitherº toldºº I [any] manº whatº my Godº had putºº inº my heartº to doºº at Jerusalem:º neitherº [was there any] beastº withº me, saveºº the beastº thatº Iº rodeº upon.ºº

 2:13 And I went out by night by the valley gate, even toward the jackal's well, and to the dung gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire.

 2:13 And I went outºº by nightº by the gateº of the valley,º even beforeºº the dragonº well,ººº and toº the dungº port,º and viewedºººººº the wallsº of Jerusalem,º whichº were broken down,ºº and the gatesº thereof were consumedºº with fire.º

 2:14 Then 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.

 2:14 Then I went onºº toº the gateº of the fountain,º and toº the king'sº pool:º but [there was] noº placeº for the beastº [that was] underº me to pass.ºº

 2:15 Then went I up in the night by the brook, and viewed the wall; and I turned back, and entered by the valley gate, and so returned.

 2:15 Then went I upººº in the nightº by the brook,º and viewedºººººº the wall,º and turned back,ºº and enteredºº by the gateº of the valley,º and [so] returned.ºº

 2:16 And the rulers knew not whither 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.

 2:16 And the rulersº knewºº notº whitherº I went,ºº or whatº Iº did;ºº neitherº had I asº yetº toldºº [it] to the Jews,º nor to the priests,º nor to the nobles,º nor to the rulers,º nor to the restº that didºº the work.º

 2:17 ¶ Then said I unto them, Ye see the evil case that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth 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.

 2:17 ¶ Then saidºº I untoº them, Yeº seeºº the distressº thatº weº [are] in, howº Jerusalemº [lieth] waste,º and the gatesº thereof are burnedºº with fire:º come,ººº and let us build upººº the wallº of Jerusalem,º that we beº noº moreº a reproach.º

 2:18 And I told them of the hand of my God 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].

 2:18 Then I toldºº them ofº the handº of my Godº whichºº was goodº uponº me; as alsoº the king'sº wordsº thatº he had spokenºº unto me. And they said,ºº Let us rise upºº and build.ºº So they strengthenedºº their handsº for [this] goodº [work].

 2:19 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 ye do? will ye rebel against the king?

 2:19 But when Sanballatº the Horonite,º and Tobiahº the servant,º the Ammonite,º and Geshemº the Arabian,º heardºº [it], they laughed us to scorn,ºº and despisedººº us, and said,ºº Whatº [is] thisº thingº thatº yeº do?ºº will yeº rebelºº againstº the king?º

 2:20 Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.

 2:20 Then answeredººº I them, and saidºº unto them, The Godº of heaven,º heº will prosperºº us; therefore weº his servantsº will ariseºº and build:ºº but ye have noº portion,º nor right,º nor memorial,º in Jerusalem.º