The Book of Nehemiah - Chapter 1

[00:00:00] Welcome to the reading of the King James Bible.

[00:00:03] Hello, my name is Bill Kelley and I will be your host.

[00:00:07] This is a reading from the Book of Nehemiah.

[00:00:11] This is Chapter 1.

[00:00:13] The words of Nehemiah, the son of Hacolaya,

[00:00:17] and it came to pass in the month Chis-Lu,

[00:00:21] in the 20th year, as I was, in Shushan, the palace.

[00:00:27] That, Hannani, one of my brethren came.

[00:00:31] He and certain men of Judah,

[00:00:34] and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped,

[00:00:39] which were left of the captivity and concerning Jerusalem.

[00:00:45] And they said unto me,

[00:00:48] the remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province

[00:00:52] are in great affliction and reproach.

[00:00:57] The wall of Jerusalem also is broken down,

[00:01:01] and the gates thereof are burned with fire.

[00:01:05] And it came to pass when I heard these words

[00:01:09] that I sat down and wept and mourned certain days

[00:01:14] and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.

[00:01:19] And said, I besieged thee,

[00:01:22] Old Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible God

[00:01:27] that keepeth covenant and mercy for them

[00:01:30] that love him and observe his commandments.

[00:01:35] Let thine ear now be attentive

[00:01:38] and thine eyes open that thou mayest hear

[00:01:43] the prayer of thy servant, which I pray

[00:01:47] before thee now. Day and night for the children of Israel

[00:01:53] thy servants and confess the sins of the children of Israel,

[00:01:59] which we have sinned against thee,

[00:02:02] both I and my father's house have sinned.

[00:02:07] We have dealt very corruptly against thee

[00:02:11] and have not kept the commandments nor the statutes,

[00:02:16] nor the judgments which thou commanded thy servant Moses.

[00:02:22] Remember, I besieged thee, the word that thou commanded

[00:02:26] thy servant Moses saying, if he transgress,

[00:02:31] I will scatter you abroad among the nations.

[00:02:34] But if he turn unto me and keep my commandments

[00:02:39] and do them, though there were of you,

[00:02:43] cast out under the uttermost part of the heaven,

[00:02:48] yet will I gather them from thents

[00:02:51] and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen

[00:02:56] to set my name there. Now these are thy servants

[00:03:01] and thy people whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power

[00:03:07] and by thy strong hand,

[00:03:10] all Lord, I besieged thee, let now thy

[00:03:14] near be attentive to the prayer of thy servant

[00:03:18] and to the prayer of thy servants who desire to fear

[00:03:24] thy name and prosper. I pray thee,

[00:03:28] thy servant this day and grant him mercy in the sight

[00:03:32] of this man for I was the king's cupbearer.