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Contemporary English Version

Nehemiah 1:4

When I heard this, I sat down and cried. Then for several days, I mourned; I went without eating to show my sorrow, and I prayed:

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Country;   Fasting;   Intercession;   Nation;   Patriotism;   Prayer;   Scofield Reference Index - Bible Prayers;   Thompson Chain Reference - Earnestness-Indifference;   Love;   Nation;   Nation, the;   Nehemiah;   Solicitude;   The Topic Concordance - Choosing/chosen;   Israel/jews;   Jerusalem;   Name;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Afflicted Saints;   Compassion and Sympathy;   Fasting;   Jerusalem;   Judgments;   Prayer;   Prayer, Intercessory;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Preaching;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Confession;   Fasting;   Nehemiah;   Prayer;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Fast, Fasting;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Fast;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Fasting;   Nehemiah;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Fasting;   Isaiah, Book of;   Nehemiah;   Nehemiah, Book of;   Prayer;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Ezra;   Scripture;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Babylonish Captivity, the;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Heaven;   Mourning;   Prayer;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for a number of days, fasting and praying before the God of the heavens.
Hebrew Names Version
It happened, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days; and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven,
King James Version
And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,
English Standard Version
As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
New Century Version
When I heard these things, I sat down and cried for several days. I was sad and fasted. I prayed to the God of heaven,
New English Translation
When I heard these things I sat down abruptly, crying and mourning for several days. I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
Amplified Bible
Now it came about when I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying [constantly] before the God of heaven.
New American Standard Bible
Now when I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
World English Bible
It happened, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days; and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven,
Geneva Bible (1587)
And when I heard these wordes, I sate downe and wept, and mourned certeine dayes, & I fasted and prayed before the God of heauen,
Legacy Standard Bible
Now it happened that when I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
Berean Standard Bible
When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
Complete Jewish Bible
On hearing this answer, I sat down and wept; I mourned for several days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
Darby Translation
And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat and wept, and mourned for days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of the heavens,
Easy-to-Read Version
When I heard this about the people of Jerusalem and about the wall, I sat down and cried. I was very sad. I fasted and prayed to the God of heaven for several days.
George Lamsa Translation
When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for many days, and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
Good News Translation
When I heard all this, I sat down and wept. For several days I mourned and did not eat. I prayed to God,
Lexham English Bible
When I heard these words, I sat and wept and mourned for days, and I was fasting and praying before the God of the heavens.
Literal Translation
And it happened, when I heard these words, I sat down and wept, and mourned for days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of Heaven.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Wha I herde these wordes, I sat me downe & wepte, & mourned two dayes, & fasted & prayed before the God of heauen,
American Standard Version
And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days; and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven,
Bible in Basic English
Then, after hearing these words, for some days I gave myself up to weeping and sorrow, seated on the earth; and taking no food I made prayer to the God of heaven,
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And when I hearde these wordes, I sat downe and wept, and mourned certayne dayes, and fasted and prayed before the God of heauen,
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days; and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven,
King James Version (1611)
And it came to passe when I heard these words, that I sate downe and wept, and mourned certaine dayes, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heauen,
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for several days, and continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
English Revised Version
And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days; and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne Y hadde herd siche wordis, Y sat and wepte, and morenede many daies, and Y fastide, and preiede bifor the face of God of heuene;
Update Bible Version
And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days; and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven,
Webster's Bible Translation
And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned [certain] days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,
New King James Version
So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
New Living Translation
When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.
New Life Bible
When I heard this, I sat down and cried and was filled with sorrow for days. I did not eat, and I prayed to the God of heaven.
New Revised Standard
When I heard these words I sat down and wept, and mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and I mourned certain days, - and continued fasting and praying, before the God of the heavens;
Douay-Rheims Bible
And when I had heard these words, I sat down, and wept, and mourned for many days: and I fasted, and prayed before the face of the God of heaven.
Revised Standard Version
When I heard these words I sat down and wept, and mourned for days; and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
Young's Literal Translation
And it cometh to pass, at my hearing these words, I have sat down, and I weep and mourn [for] days, and I am fasting and praying before the God of the heavens.
THE MESSAGE
When I heard this, I sat down and wept. I mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God-of-Heaven.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

Contextual Overview

1 I am Nehemiah son of Hacaliah, and in this book I tell what I have done. During the month of Chislev in the twentieth year that Artaxerxes ruled Persia, I was in his fortress city of Susa, 2 when my brother Hanani came with some men from Judah. So I asked them about the Jews who had escaped from being captives in Babylonia. I also asked them about the city of Jerusalem. 3 They told me, "Those captives who have come back are having all kinds of troubles. They are terribly disgraced, Jerusalem's walls are broken down, and its gates have been burned." 4 When I heard this, I sat down and cried. Then for several days, I mourned; I went without eating to show my sorrow, and I prayed:

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I sat down: 1 Samuel 4:17-22, Ezra 10:1, Psalms 69:9, Psalms 69:10, Psalms 102:13, Psalms 102:14, Psalms 137:1, Daniel 9:3, Zephaniah 3:18, Romans 12:15

the God: Nehemiah 2:4, Ezra 5:11, Ezra 5:12, Daniel 2:18, Jonah 1:9

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 4:13 - his heart 2 Kings 22:19 - wept Ezra 9:3 - sat Job 2:13 - they sat Isaiah 38:3 - wept Daniel 10:2 - I Daniel Matthew 6:16 - when Hebrews 13:3 - which suffer Revelation 16:11 - the God

Cross-References

Genesis 1:10
God named the dry ground "Land," and he named the water "Ocean." God looked at what he had done and saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:12
The earth produced all kinds of vegetation. God looked at what he had done, and it was good.
Genesis 1:18
to rule day and night, and to separate light from darkness. God looked at what he had done, and it was good.
Genesis 1:25
God made every one of them. Then he looked at what he had done, and it was good.
Genesis 1:31
God looked at what he had done. All of it was very good! Evening came and then morning—that was the sixth day.
Ecclesiastes 2:13
And I discovered that wisdom is better than foolishness, just as light is better than darkness.
Ecclesiastes 11:7
Nothing on earth is more beautiful than the morning sun.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And it came to pass, when I heard these words,.... This sad and melancholy account of things:

that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days; sat down upon the ground in dust and ashes, after the manner of mourners, and wept bitterly, and mourned in a most sorrowful manner, see Job 2:8,

and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven; that made it, and dwells in it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The God of heaven - This title of the Almighty, which is Persian rather than Jewish (see 2 Chronicles 36:23; Ezra 1:2 note; Ezra 6:10; Ezra 7:12, Ezra 7:21), is a favorite one with Nehemiah, who had been born and brought up in Persia.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Nehemiah 1:4. And mourned certain days — From the month Chisleu to the month Nisan; about four months from the time he received the above information, till the time that Artaxerxes noticed his grief, Nehemiah 2:1. All this time he probably spent in supplication to God; waiting for a favourable opening in the Divine providence. Every good work is not to be undertaken hastily; prayer and watchfulness are necessary to its completion. Many good works have been ruined by making haste.


 
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