Nehemiah 2:3

Good News Translation

and answered, "May Your Majesty live forever! How can I keep from looking sad when the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire?"

Parallel Translations

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

Hebrew Names Version
I said to the king, Let the king live forever: why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies waste, and the gates of it are consumed with fire?

King James Version
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?

English Standard Version
I said to the king, "Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?"

New Century Version
I said to the king, "May the king live forever! My face is sad because the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire."

New English Translation
I replied to the king, "O king, live forever! Why would I not appear dejected when the city with the graves of my ancestors lies desolate and its gates destroyed by fire?"

Amplified Bible
and I said to the king, "Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?"

New American Standard Bible
And I said to the king, "May the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the site of my fathers' tombs, is desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?"

World English Bible
I said to the king, Let the king live forever: why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies waste, and the gates of it are consumed with fire?

Geneva Bible (1587)
And I said to the King, God saue the King for euer: why should not my countenance be sad, when the citie & house of the sepulchres of my fathers lieth waste, and the gates thereof are deuoured with fire?

Legacy Standard Bible
I said to the king, "Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies waste and its gates have been consumed by fire?"

Berean Standard Bible
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?"

Contemporary English Version
I answered, "Your Majesty, I hope you live forever! I feel sad because the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins, and its gates have been burned down."

Complete Jewish Bible
as I said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why shouldn't I look sad, when the city, the place where my ancestors' tombs are, lies in ruins; and its gates are completely burned up?"

Darby Translation
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?

Easy-to-Read Version
But even though I was afraid, I said to the king, "May the king live forever! I am sad because the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and the gates of that city have been destroyed by fire."

George Lamsa Translation
And said to the king, Let the king live for ever; why should not my countenance be sad, when the capital city of the kingdom of my fathers is in ruin, and its gates have been burned with fire?

Lexham English Bible
I said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad when the city of my ancestors' burial site is ruined and her gates are consumed by fire?"

Literal Translation
And I said to the king, let the king live forever. Why should not my face be sad when the place of my fathers' tombs, the city, lies waste and its gates are consumed with fire?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
& sayde vnto the kynge: God saue the kynges life for euer, shulde I not loke sadly? the cite of my fathers buryall lyeth wayest, & the portes therof are consumed wt the fyre.

American Standard Version
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?

Bible in Basic English
And said to the king, May the king be living for ever: is it not natural for my face to be sad, when the town, the place where the bodies of my fathers are at rest, has been made waste and its doorways burned with fire?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And sayde vnto the king, God saue the king for euer: Howe shoulde I not loke sadly, when the citie and place of my fathers burials lye waste, and the gates therof are consumed with fire?

JPS Old Testament (1917)
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?'

King James Version (1611)
And said vnto the king, Let the king liue for euer: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers Sepulchres, lyeth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
and I said to the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be said, forasmuch as the city, even the home of the sepulchres of my fathers, has been laid waste, and her gates have been devoured with fire?

English Revised Version
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?

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and seide to the kyng, Kyng, lyue thou withouten ende; whi moreneth not my cheer? for the citee of the hows of the sepulcris of my fadir is desert, `ether forsakun, and the yatis therof ben brent with fier.

Update Bible Version
And I said to the king, Let the king live forever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?

Webster's Bible Translation
And 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' sepulchers, [lieth] waste, and its gates are consumed with fire?

New King James Version
and said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?"

New Living Translation
but I replied, "Long live the king! How can I not be sad? For the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins, and the gates have been destroyed by fire."

New Life Bible
I said to the king, "Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers' graves, lies waste and its gates destroyed by fire?"

New Revised Standard
I said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my ancestors' graves, lies waste, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?"

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and said unto the king - Let the, king, unto times age-abiding, live! Wherefore should my countenance, not be sad, when, the city - the place of the sepulchres of my fathers, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?

Douay-Rheims Bible
And I said to the king: O king, live for ever: why should not my countenance be sorrowful, seeing the city of the place of the sepulchres of my fathers is desolate, and the gates thereof are burnt with fire?

Revised Standard Version
I said to the king, "Let the king live for ever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lies waste, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?"

Young's Literal Translation
and say to the king, `Let the king to the age live! wherefore should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of the graves of my fathers, [is] a waste, and its gates have been consumed with fire?'

THE MESSAGE
It was the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king. At the hour for serving wine I brought it in and gave it to the king. I had never been hangdog in his presence before, so he asked me, "Why the long face? You're not sick are you? Or are you depressed?" That made me all the more agitated. I said, "Long live the king! And why shouldn't I be depressed when the city, the city where all my family is buried, is in ruins and the city gates have been reduced to cinders?"

New American Standard Bible (1995)
I said to the king, "Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?"

Contextual Overview

¹ One day four months later, when Emperor Artaxerxes was dining, I took the wine to him. He had never seen me look sad before, ² so he asked, "Why are you looking so sad? You aren't sick, so it must be that you're unhappy." I was startled ³ and answered, "May Your Majesty live forever! How can I keep from looking sad when the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire?" ⁴ The emperor asked, "What is it that you want?" I prayed to the God of Heaven, ⁵ and then I said to the emperor, "If Your Majesty is pleased with me and is willing to grant my request, let me go to the land of Judah, to the city where my ancestors are buried, so that I can rebuild the city." ⁶ The emperor, with the empress sitting at his side, approved my request. He asked me how long I would be gone and when I would return, and I told him. ⁷ Then I asked him to grant me the favor of giving me letters to the governors of West-of-Euphrates Province, instructing them to let me travel to Judah. ⁸ I asked also for a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal forests, instructing him to supply me with timber for the gates of the fort that guards the Temple, for the city walls, and for the house I was to live in. The emperor gave me all I asked for, because God was with me.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Let the king: Far from wishing ill to my master, I wish him to live forever. 1 Kings 1:31, Daniel 2:4, Daniel 3:9, Daniel 5:10, Daniel 6:6, Daniel 6:21

the city: Nehemiah 1:3, Psalms 102:14, Psalms 137:6, Lamentations 2:9

the place: 2 Chronicles 21:20, 2 Chronicles 28:27, 2 Chronicles 32:33

Reciprocal: Genesis 47:30 - General Leviticus 26:31 - And I will make Nehemiah 2:13 - the walls Esther 4:8 - request Esther 8:6 - the evil Psalms 74:3 - the perpetual Psalms 137:1 - the rivers Psalms 137:5 - I forget Isaiah 5:5 - I will take Isaiah 44:26 - and I will Jeremiah 8:21 - the hurt Jeremiah 51:50 - remember

Cross-References

Genesis 2:2
By the seventh day God finished what he had been doing and stopped working.

Genesis 2:3
He blessed the seventh day and set it apart as a special day, because by that day he had completed his creation and stopped working.

Genesis 2:4
And that is how the universe was created. When the Lord God made the universe,

Genesis 2:7
Then the Lord God took some soil from the ground and formed a man out of it; he breathed life-giving breath into his nostrils and the man began to live.

Genesis 2:8
Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the East, and there he put the man he had formed.

Genesis 2:10
A stream flowed in Eden and watered the garden; beyond Eden it divided into four rivers.

Genesis 2:11
The first river is the Pishon; it flows around the country of Havilah.

Genesis 2:12
(Pure gold is found there and also rare perfume and precious stones.)

Genesis 2:13
The second river is the Gihon; it flows around the country of Cush.

Genesis 2:14
The third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria, and the fourth river is the Euphrates.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And I said unto the king, let the king live for ever,.... Which some think he said to take off the king's suspicion of his having a design upon his life, though it seems to be a common salutation of the kings in those times, see Daniel 6:6,

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? a man's native place, and where his ancestors lie interred, being always reckoned near and dear, the king and his nobles could not object to his being concerned for the desolations thereof.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The city ... of my fathers’ sepulchres - We may conclude from this that Nehemiah was of the tribe of Judah, as Eusebius and Jerome say that he was.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Nehemiah 2:3. Let the king live for ever — Far from wishing ill to my master, I wish him on the contrary to live and prosper for ever. AELIAN, Hist. Var. lib. i. c. 32, uses the same form of speech in reference to Artaxerxes Mnemon, one of the Persian kings, Βασιλευ Αρταξερξη, δι' αιωνος βασιλευοις, "O King Artaxerxes, may you reign for ever," when speaking of the custom of presenting them annually with an offering of earth and water; as if they had said, May you reign for ever over these!