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Nehemiah 1

Nehemiah brings Jerusalem’s ruin before the covenant-keeping God, confessing sin and seeking mercy before approaching the king.

Nehemiah is in Susa’s palace when Hanani and other men from Judah bring news of Jerusalem. Its people face affliction and reproach; its wall is broken down, and its gates have burned. Nehemiah weeps, mourns for several days, and turns to fasting and prayer. He confesses Israel’s sins, including his own, and appeals to God’s covenant promise to gather his scattered people. The closing line identifies him as the king’s cup bearer.

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1The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the palace,
2Hanani, one of my brothers, came, he and certain men out of Judah; and I asked them about the Jews who had escaped, who were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
3They said to me, “The remnant who are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”
4When I heard these words, I sat down and wept, and mourned several days; and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven,
5and said, “I beg you, LORD, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and loving kindness with those who love him and keep his commandments,
6let your ear now be attentive and your eyes open, that you may listen to the prayer of your servant which I pray before you at this time, day and night, for the children of Israel your servants, while I confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against you. Yes, I and my father’s house have sinned.
7We have dealt very corruptly against you, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances, which you commanded your servant Moses.
8“Remember, I beg you, the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you trespass, I will scatter you among the peoples;
9but if you return to me, and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts were in the uttermost part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and will bring them to the place that I have chosen, to cause my name to dwell there.’
10“Now these are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand.
11Lord, I beg you, let your ear be attentive now to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name; and please prosper your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” Now I was cup bearer to the king.
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected.
Key verses
Nehemiah 1:5Nehemiah begins his plea with God’s greatness and covenant faithfulness, grounding his request in who God is.
Nehemiah 1:6His prayer for Israel includes confession of his own household’s sins, placing him among the people who need mercy.
Nehemiah 1:11The request for mercy before the king connects Nehemiah’s prayer with his position and the action he anticipates.
Where this chapter reaches

Nehemiah’s appeal to Moses shares Deuteronomy’s warning of scattering for disobedience and its promise of gathering when God’s people return to him. His confession also shares Daniel’s pattern of acknowledging the people’s sin, appealing to God’s covenant faithfulness, and asking God to hear.

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After reading the whole chapter

What do you notice about how Nehemiah moves from hearing the report to praying?

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How might Nehemiah’s appeal to God’s character and promises shape a concern you bring in prayer?

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Questions people ask about Nehemiah 1

Who is “this man” in Nehemiah 1:11?

The closing statement that Nehemiah was cup bearer to the king identifies the king as the person he means. Nehemiah asks God to grant him mercy in that man’s sight. The chapter ends before any conversation with the king and does not yet describe the request Nehemiah intends to make.

Why does Nehemiah confess Israel’s sins in chapter 1?

Nehemiah connects Israel’s distress with disobedience to the commands God gave through Moses. He includes himself and his father’s house in that confession. His prayer appeals to the same covenant words that warn of scattering and promise gathering when the people return to God and keep his commands.

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Nehemiah · 13 chapters
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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).