04/01/2026
Nehemiah 1:2-4 (WEB) that Hanani, one of my brothers, came, he and certain men out of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. They 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 also is broken down, and the gates of it are burned with fire. 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
Nehemiah 2:1-3 (WEB) It happened 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 to the king. Now I had not been before sad in his presence. The king said to me, Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid. 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?