Nehemiah 1:1

Good News Translation

This is the account of what Nehemiah son of Hacaliah accomplished. In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year that Artaxerxes was emperor of Persia, I, Nehemiah, was in Susa, the capital city.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah:

Hebrew Names Version
The words of Nechemyah the son of Hakhalyah. Now it happened in the month Kislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,

King James Version
The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,

English Standard Version
The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the citadel,

New Century Version
These are the words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah. In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, I, Nehemiah, was in the capital city of Susa.

New English Translation
These are the words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: It so happened that in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year, I was in Susa the citadel.

Amplified Bible
The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year [of the Persian king], as I was in the capitol of Susa,

New American Standard Bible
The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in Susa the capitol,

World English Bible
The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,

Geneva Bible (1587)
The words of Nehemiah the sonne of Hachaliah. In ye moneth Chisleu, in the twentieth yeere, as I was in the palace of Shushan,

Legacy Standard Bible
The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year—and I was in Susa the capitol—

Berean Standard Bible
These are the words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: In the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa,

Contemporary English Version
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,

Complete Jewish Bible
The words of Nechemyah the son of Hakhalyah: It was in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the capital,

Darby Translation
The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the fortress,

Easy-to-Read Version
These are the words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: I, Nehemiah, was in the capital city of Susa in the month of Kislev. This was in the 20th year that Artaxerxes was king.

George Lamsa Translation
THE words of Nehemiah the son of Helakiah. And it came to pass in the month of Canun, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,

Lexham English Bible
The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah. It happened in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year, that I myself was in the citadel in Susa,

Literal Translation
The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it happened in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
These are the actes of Nehemias the sonne of Hachalia. It fortuned in ye moneth Chisleu in ye twetieth yeare, that I was in the castell at Susan:

American Standard Version
The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it came to pass in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,

Bible in Basic English
The history of Nehemiah, the son of Hacaliah. Now it came about, in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, when I was in Shushan, the king's town,

Bishop's Bible (1568)
The wordes of Nehemiah the sonne of Hachalia. In the moneth Chisleu, in the twentie yere, as I was in the castell at Susan,

JPS Old Testament (1917)
The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it came to pass in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the castle,

King James Version (1611)
The words of Nehemiah the sonne of Hachaliah. And it came to passe in the moneth Chisleu, in the twentieth yeere, as I was in Shushan the palace;

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
The words of Neemias the son of Chelcia. And it came to pass in the month Chaseleu, of the twentieth year, that I was in Susan the palace.

English Revised Version
The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it came to pass in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
The wordis of Neemye, the sone of Helchie. And it was doon in the monethe Casleu, in the twentithe yeer, and Y was in the castel Susis;

Update Bible Version
The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it came to pass in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,

Webster's Bible Translation
The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,

New King James Version
The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan [fn] the citadel,

New Living Translation
These are the memoirs of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah. In late autumn, in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes' reign, I was at the fortress of Susa.

New Life Bible
These are the words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in the king's house in Susa,

New Revised Standard
The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah. In the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in Susa the capital,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
The story of Nehemiah, son of Hacaliah, - and it came to pass, in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, when, I, was in Shusan the fortress,

Douay-Rheims Bible
The words of Nehemias the son of Helchias. And it came to pass in the month of Casleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in the castle of Susa,

Revised Standard Version
The words of Nehemi'ah the son of Hacali'ah. Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the capital,

Young's Literal Translation
Words of Nehemiah son of Hachaliah. And it cometh to pass, in the month of Chisleu, the twentieth year, and I have been in Shushan the palace,

THE MESSAGE
The memoirs of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah. It was the month of Kislev in the twentieth year. At the time I was in the palace complex at Susa. Hanani, one of my brothers, had just arrived from Judah with some fellow Jews. I asked them about the conditions among the Jews there who had survived the exile, and about Jerusalem.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in Susa the capitol,

Contextual Overview

¹ This is the account of what Nehemiah son of Hacaliah accomplished. In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year that Artaxerxes was emperor of Persia, I, Nehemiah, was in Susa, the capital city. ² Hanani, one of my brothers, arrived from Judah with another group, and I asked them about Jerusalem and about the other Jews who had returned from exile in Babylonia. ³ They told me that those who had survived and were back in the homeland were in great difficulty and that the foreigners who lived nearby looked down on them. They also told me that the walls of Jerusalem were still broken down and that the gates had not been restored since the time they were burned. ⁴ When I heard all this, I sat down and wept. For several days I mourned and did not eat. I prayed to God,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Reciprocal: Nehemiah 2:1 - the twentieth Nehemiah 10:1 - son of Hachaliah Esther 1:2 - Shushan Esther 8:14 - Shushan Daniel 8:2 - Shushan Zechariah 7:1 - Chisleu

Cross-References

Genesis 1:4
God was pleased with what he saw. Then he separated the light from the darkness,

Genesis 1:5
and he named the light "Day" and the darkness "Night." Evening passed and morning came—that was the first day.

Genesis 1:11
Then he commanded, "Let the earth produce all kinds of plants, those that bear grain and those that bear fruit"—and it was done.

Genesis 1:12
So the earth produced all kinds of plants, and God was pleased with what he saw.

Genesis 1:16
So God made the two larger lights, the sun to rule over the day and the moon to rule over the night; he also made the stars.

Genesis 1:17
He placed the lights in the sky to shine on the earth,

Genesis 1:19
Evening passed and morning came—that was the fourth day.

Genesis 1:20
Then God commanded, "Let the water be filled with many kinds of living beings, and let the air be filled with birds."

Genesis 1:22
He blessed them all and told the creatures that live in the water to reproduce and to fill the sea, and he told the birds to increase in number.

Genesis 1:30
but for all the wild animals and for all the birds I have provided grass and leafy plants for food"—and it was done.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah,.... Or his transactions and deeds; for דברי "dibre" signifies things done, as well as words spoken; who Hachaliah his father was is not known; the Arabic version adds, the high priest, without any foundation; though some have thought that Nehemiah was a priest, from a passage in

"Therefore whereas we are now purposed to keep the purification of the temple upon the five and twentieth day of the month Chisleu, we thought it necessary to certify you thereof, that ye also might keep it, as the feast of the tabernacles, and of the fire, which was given us when Neemias offered sacrifice, after that he had builded the temple and the altar.'' (2 Maccabees 1:18)

and from signing and sealing the covenant at the head of priests,

Nehemiah 10:1, but he rather seems to be of the tribe of Judah, see Nehemiah 2:3, and Nehemiah may be the same that went up with Zerubbabel, and returned again, and then became the king's cupbearer; though some are of another opinion, Nehemiah 2:3- :,

and it came to pass in the month Chisleu; the ninth month, as the Arabic version; of which see Ezra 10:9,

in the twentieth year; not of Nehemiah's age, for, if he went up with Zerubbabel, he must be many years older; but in the twentieth year of the reign of Artaxerxes, Nehemiah 1:1,

as I was in Shushan the palace; a city in Persia, the royal seat of the kings of it; as Ecbatana was in the summer time, this in the spring, as Cyrus made it, according to Xenophon b; but others say c it was their seat in winter, and this was the season now when Nehemiah was with the king there; for Chisleu was a winter month, answering to part of November and of December; of Shushan, Nehemiah 1:1- :, to which may be added what a traveller of the last century says d of it,

"we rested at Valdac, once the great city Susa, but now very ruinous; it was first built by Tythonus, and his son Memnon, but enlarged by Darius the son of Hystaspes; in the building whereof Memnon was so exceeding prodigal, that, as Cassiodorus writeth, he joined the stones together with gold--such was the beauty and delectableness of it for situation, that they called it "Susa", which in the Persian tongue signified a "lily", but now it is called Valdac, because of the poverty of the place;''

and it is generally supposed to have its name from the abundance of lilies about it; but Dr. Hyde e gives another signification of its name, he says the Persians called it , "Sus", which signifies "liquorice", but for what reasons he says not. There is a city now called Shustera, and is thought by some travellers to be built at least very near where Shushan formerly stood f.

b Cyropaedia, l. 8. c. 44. c Athenaeus, l. 12. c. 1. d Cartwright's Preacher's Travels, p. 87, 88. e Hist. Relig. Vet. Pers. c. 35. p. 414. f Tavernier, tom. 1. l. 4. c. 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah - The prophetical books commence generally with a title of this kind (see Jeremiah 1:1); but no other extant historical book begins thus. Nehemiah, while attaching his work to Ezra, perhaps marked in this manner the point at which his own composition commenced. (See the introduction of the Book of Nehemiah.)

Chisleu - The ninth month, corresponding to the end of November and beginning of December.

In the twentieth year - i. e. of Artaxerxes Longimanus (465-425 B.C.). Compare Nehemiah 2:1.

Shushan the palace - Compare Esther 1:2, Esther 1:5, etc.; Daniel 8:2. Shushan, or Susa, was the ordinary residence of the Persian kings. “The palace” or acropolis was a distinct quarter of the city, occupying an artificial eminence.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH

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Chronological Notes relative to this Book

Year from the Creation, according to Archbishop Usher, whose system of chronology is the most generally received, 3558.

-Year before the birth of Christ, 442.

-Year before the vulgar era of Christ's nativity, 446.

-Year of the Julian period, 4268.

-Year since the flood of Noah, according to the English Bible, 1902.

-Year of the Cali Yuga, or Indian era of the Deluge, 2656.

-Year from the vocation of Abram, 1476.

-Year from the destruction of Troy, 739.

-This we collect from three passages in Dionysius of Halicarnassus, (who flourished in the Augustan age,) which state that an interval of four hundred and thirty-two years elapsed from the destruction of Troy to the building of Rome.

-Year from the foundation of Solomon's temple, 565.

-Year since the division of Solomon's monarchy into the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, 529.

-Year of the era of Iphitus, king of Elis, who reestablished the Olympic games, three hundred and thirty-eight years after their institution by Hercules, or about eight hundred and eighty-four years before the commencement of the Christian era, 439.

-This epoch is famous in chronological history, as every thing previous to it seems involved in fabulous obscurity.

-Year since Coroebus won the prize at Olympia, a town of Elis in Peloponnesus, (being the twenty-eighth Olympiad after their re-establishment by Iphitus,) 331.

-Third year of the eighty-third Olympiad.

-The epoch of the Olympiads commenced according to the accurate and learned computations of some of the moderns, exactly seven hundred and seventy-six years before the Christian era, in the year of the Julian period 3938, and twenty-three years before the building of Rome.

N. B. The Olympic games were celebrated at the time of the full moon which immediately followed the day of the summer solstice; therefore the Olympiads were not of equal length, because the time of the full moon differs about eleven days every year; and for that reason the Olympiads sometimes began the next day after the solstice, and at other times four weeks after.

-Year of the Varronian or generally received era of the building of Rome, 308. This computation was used by the Romans in the celebration of their secular games.

-Year from the building of Rome, according to Cato and the Fasti Consulares, 307. Dionysius of Halicarnassus follows this account in his Roman Antiquities.

-Year from the building of Rome, according to Polybius the historian, (a native of Megalopolis in Peloponnesus, and son of Lycortas,) 306.

-Year from the building of Rome, according to Fabius Pictor, (the first Roman who wrote a history of his own country, from the age of Romulus to the year of Rome 536,) 302.

-Year of the era of Nabonassar, a king of Babylon after the division of the Assyrian monarchy, 302.

-Year since the destruction of the kingdom of Israel by Shalmaneser, the king of Assyria, 276.

-Year from the destruction of Solomon's temple by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, 143.

-Year since the publication of the famous edict of Cyrus, king of Persia, empowering the Jews to rebuild their temple, 90. The commencement of this epoch was synchronical with the termination of the seventy years during which the Jews were under the dominion of the Babylonians.

-Year since the expulsion of the Tarquins from Rome, which put an end to the regal government of the Romans, 63. The consular government immediately followed the expulsion of the Tarquins.

-Year before the celebrated Peloponnesian war, 16. This war began on the seventh of May, four hundred and thirty-one years before the Christian era; and continued twenty-seven years between the Athenians and the inhabitants of Peloponnesus, with their allies.

-Year before the commencement of the era of the Seleucidae, 134. This era was named after Seleucus, one of the captains of Alexander the Great, surnamed Nicator, or The Conqueror. The year in which he conquered Babylon (viz. 312 B. C.) is called the first year of this era.

-Year before the formation of the famous Achaean league, 165.

-Year before the commencement of the first Punic war, 182. The Arundelian marbles are said to have been composed in the first year of this war.

-Year before the fall of the Macedonian empire, 278.

-Year before the extinction of the reign of the Seleucidae in Syria, on the conquest of that country by Pompey, 381.

-Year before the commencement of the era of the Roman emperors, 415. The year in which the famous battle of Actium was fought is the first year of this era.

-Year of Archidamus, king of Lacedaemon, and of the family of the Proclidae or Eurypontidae, 24.

-Year of Plistoanax, king of Lacedaemon, and of the family of the Eurystheuidae or Agidae, 21. This king was general of the Lacedaemonian armies in the Peloponnesian war.

N. B. The kings of the Lacedaemonians of the families of the Proclidae and the Eurysthenidae sat on the throne together for several hundred years; viz., from 1102 B. C. to about 200 B. C.

-Year of Perdiccas II. the eleventh king of Macedon, 9.

-Year of Artaxerxes, surnamed Macrochir (μακροχειρ) or Longimanus because his arms were so long that when standing erect, his hands reached down to his knees, 20.

-Roman Consuls, T. Quintius Capitolinus the fourth time, and Agrippa Furius. During this consulship the AEqui and Volsci came near to the gates of Rome, and were defeated.

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Eminent men who were contemporary with Nehemiah; upon the supposition that his birth happened about 500 B. C., and his death about 420 B. C.

Acron, a physician of Agrigentum; flourished 459 B. C.

-AEschylus, the tragic poet of Athens; born, 525 B. C., died 456 B. C., at the age of 69.

-Alcidamus the philosopher; flourished 424 B. C.

-Anaxagoras, a Clazomenian philosopher; born B. C. 500., died 428 B. C., at the age of 72.

-Aristarchus the tragic poet of Tegea in Areadia; flourished about 454 B. C.

-Aristides, the Athenian; flourished about 480 B. C.

-Aristophanes, the comic poet; said to have flourished about 434 B. C.

-L. Furius Camillus, celebrated Roman; born 445 B. C., and died 365 B. C., aged 80, after he had been five times dictator, once censor, three times interrex, twice a military tribune, and obtained four triumphs.

-Charandas, who gave laws to the people of Thurium; died 446 B. C.

-Charon, a historian of Lampsacus; flourished about 479 B. C.

-L. Q. Cincinnatus, a celebrated Roman; flourished about 460 B. C.

-Cossus, a Roman who killed Volumnius, king of Veii, and obtained the Spolia Opima, A. U. C. 317, B. C. 437.

-Cratinus, the comic writer; born 528 B. C., died 431 B. C., at the age of 97.

-Democritus, the philosopher; born 470 B. C., died 361 B. C., at the advanced age of 109.

-Empedocles, a philosopher, poet, and historian, of Agrigentum in Sicily; flourished about 444 B. C.

-Epicharmus, a poet and Pythagorean philosopher of Sicily, who, according to Aristotle and Pliny, added the two letters χ and θ to the Greek alphabet; flourished 440 B. C., and died in the 90th year of his age.

-Euctemon, the astronomer; flourished about 431 B. C.

-Eupolis, a comic poet of Athens; flourished about 435 B. C.

-Euripides, the tragic poet, born at Salamis the day on which the army of Xerxes was defeated by the Greeks; torn to pieces by dogs, 407 B. C., in the 73d year of his age.

-Georgias, a celebrated sophist and orator; born 508 B. C., died 400 B. C., at the advanced age of 108.

-Hellanicus, the Greek historian; born at Mitylene, 496 B. C., died 411 B. C., in the 85th year of his age.

-Herodicus, a physician surnamed Gymnastic; flourished 443 B. C.

-Herodotus, a celebrated historian of Halicarnassus; born 484 B. C., read his history to the council of Athens, and received public honours, in the 39th year of his age, 445 B. C.

-Hippocrates, a celebrated physician of Cos; born 460 B. C., died 361 B. C., nearly 100 years of age.

-Isoarates, the orator; born 437 B. C., died about 338 B. C., aged 99.

-Leocrates, an Athenian general; flourished about 460 B. C.

-Lysias, the orator; born 459 B. C., died 378 B. C.

-Melissus, the Samian philosopher; flourished about 440 B. C.

-Meton, the astrologer and mathematician; flourished about 432 B. C.

-Peticles, the celebrated minister of Athens; born 499 B. C., died of the plague about 429 B. C.

-Phidias, a celebrated statuary of Athens; died 432 B. C.

-Pindar, a celebrated lyric poet of Thebes; born 521 B. C., died 435 B. C., at the age of 86.

-Plato, the Greek poet, called the prince of the middle comedy; flourished about 454 B. C.

-Protagoras, a Greek philosopher; died at a very advanced age, about 400 B. C.

-Socrates, one of the most celebrated philosophers of all antiquity; born 470 B. C., died 400 B. C., aged 70.

-Sophocles, a celebrated tragic poet of Athens, educated in the school of AEschylus; born 497 B. C., died 406 B. C., at the age of 91.

-Thucydides, a celebrated Greek historian; born at Athens 471 B. C., died 391 B. C., in his 80th year.

-Xenophon, the celebrated general, historian, and philosopher; born 449 B. C., died 359 B. C., aged 90.

-Zeuxis, a celebrated painter; flourished about 468 B. C.

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CHAPTER I

Account of Nehemiah, 1.

His inquiry about the Jews that had returned from their

captivity, and concerning the state of Jerusalem, of which

he receives the most discouraging information, 2, 3.

He is greatly affected; fasts and prays, 4.

His prayer and confession to God, 5-11.

NOTES ON CHAP. I

Verse Nehemiah 1:1. The words of Nehemiah — That this book was compiled out of the journal or memoranda made by Nehemiah himself, there can be no doubt: but that he was not the compiler is evident from several passages in the work it. self. As it is written consecutively as one book with Ezra, many have supposed that this latter was the author: but whoever compares the style of each, in the Hebrew, will soon be convinced that this is not correct; the style is so very different, that they could not possibly be the work of the same person.

It is doubtful even whether the Nehemiah who is mentioned Ezra 2:2, who came to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel, be the same with him who is the reputed author of this book. By the computation of the best chronologists, Zerubbabel came to Jerusalem in A. M. 3468; and Nehemiah, who is here mentioned, did not come before the twentieth year of the reign of Artaxerxes, which falls in with A. M. 3558, ninety years after: and as his account here is carried down to A. M. 3570, nearly twenty years later, he must at his death have been about a hundred and thirty, allowing him to have been only twenty years old at the time that Zerubbabel went up to Jerusalem. This is by no means likely, as this would make him the king's cupbearer when he was upwards of a hundred years of age! It seems, therefore, evident that the Nehemiah of Ezra cannot be the same with the reputed author of this book, and the cup-bearer of the Persian king.

Son of Hachaliah — Of what tribe or lineage he was, we cannot tell: this is all we know of his parentage. Some suppose he was a priest, and of the house of Aaron, on the authority of 2 Mac. i. 18, 21; but this is but slender evidence. It is likely he was of a very eminent family, if not of the blood royal of Judah, as only persons of eminence could be placed in the office which he sustained in the Persian court.

The month Chisleu — Answering to a part of our November and December.

Twentieth year — That is, of Artaxerxes, A. M. 3558, B. C. 446.

Shushan the palace — The ancient city of Susa; called in Persian [Persian] Shuster: the winter residence of the Persian kings.