Nehemiah 1:4

King James Version (KJV)

And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

Translations

Nehemiah 1:4 - Amplified Bible

When I heard this, I sat down and wept and mourned for days and fasted and prayed [constantly] before the God of heaven,

Nehemiah 1:4 - American Standard Version

And it came to pass, 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 1:4 - Bible in Basic English

Then, after hearing these words, for some days I gave myself up to weeping and sorrow, seated on the earth; and taking no food I made prayer to the God of heaven,

Nehemiah 1:4 - Darby Bible

And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat and wept, and mourned for days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of the heavens,

Nehemiah 1:4 - English Standard Version

As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

Nehemiah 1:4 - King James Version

And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

Nehemiah 1:4 - La Biblia de las Americas

Y cuando oì estas palabras, me senté y lloré, e hice duelo algunos dìas, y estuve ayunando y orando delante del Dios del cielo.

Nehemiah 1:4 - The Message

When I heard this, I sat down and wept. I mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God-of-Heaven.

Nehemiah 1:4 - New American Standard Bible

When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

Nehemiah 1:4 - Nueva Biblia Latinoamericana de Hoy

Cuando oì estas palabras, me senté y lloré; hice duelo algunos dìas, y estuve ayunando y orando delante del Dios del cielo.

Nehemiah 1:4 - World English Bible

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 1:4 - Young's Living Translation

And it cometh to pass, at my hearing these words, I have sat down, and I weep and mourn [for] days, and I am fasting and praying before the God of the heavens.

Nehemiah 1:4 - Additional Comments

Whether Nehemiah ever had the opportunity to visit Jerusalem during his life, his heart certainly was there, mostly from his upbringing, as his parents built into him his heritage. While his residence was Persia, Jerusalem was his home. Compare this to those who grew up in the U.S. and call Cuba home, but have never been able to go there. We need to build this same sense of heritage in our children, where this earth is our residence (we are foreigners, aliens, strangers, pilgrims - Heb 11:13, 1 Peter 1:1, 1:17, 2:11), but heaven is our home.
So often in society we joke at some of the things that cause God to weep. May we weep as Nehemiah did, for the things that sadden God.
The first thing that Nehemiah did when he heard about the walls being down, was to go to God. As the king's cupbearer (1:11), he had the king's ear. No one was closer to the king, except his family. It may have been tempting to first go to the king for help.
(Later when he was given the position of governor of Judah (Neh 5:14), that position was actually a demotion).
Nehemiah immediately realized there was a need. The Holy Sprit spoke to his spirit. We need to listen to the voice of the Spirit - he lets us know when there is a need.
Interesting that Nehemiah fasted, yet he was the cupbearer. His fasting may have been no food for himself, even though he partook of some of the king's food.

Comments are closed.