Nehemiah 2:3

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

But I said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire?"

Additional Resources

Other Translations

  • King James Version 1769 (Standard 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?

  • KJV1611 – Modern English

    And 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 are consumed with fire?

  • King James Version 1611 (Original)

    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?

  • American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

    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 with Strong's Numbers

    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?

  • 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.

  • Geneva Bible (1560)

    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?

  • Bishops' 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?

  • Authorized King James Version (1611)

    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?

  • Webster's Bible (1833)

    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?

  • Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

    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?'

  • American Standard Version (1901)

    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?

  • American Standard Version (1901)

    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 (1941)

    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?

  • World English Bible (2000)

    I said to the king, "Let the king live forever! Why shouldn't my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies waste, and its gates have been consumed with fire?"

  • NET Bible® (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?”

Referenced Verses

  • Neh 1:3 : 3 They said to me, 'Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.'
  • 1 Kgs 1:31 : 31 Then Bathsheba bowed down with her face to the ground to pay homage to the king and said, "May my lord King David live forever!"
  • Dan 2:4 : 4 Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic, "O king, live forever! Tell the dream to your servants, and we will reveal its interpretation."
  • Dan 5:10 : 10 The queen, hearing the words of the king and his nobles, entered the banquet hall. She said, 'May the king live forever! Don’t let your thoughts terrify you, and don’t let your face be pale.'
  • Ps 137:6 : 6 Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my greatest joy.
  • 2 Chr 21:20 : 20 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. He passed away to no one's regret and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.
  • 2 Chr 28:27 : 27 Ahaz rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of Jerusalem, but he was not brought to the tombs of the kings of Israel. And his son Hezekiah succeeded him as king.
  • 2 Chr 32:33 : 33 Hezekiah rested with his ancestors, and they buried him in the upper part of the tombs of the descendants of David. All the people of Judah and Jerusalem honored him at his death. And his son Manasseh succeeded him as king.
  • Dan 6:6 : 6 Then these men said, 'We will not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless it is connected with the law of his God.'
  • Dan 6:21 : 21 When he approached the den, he called out to Daniel with a distressed voice. The king said to Daniel, 'Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you continually serve, been able to rescue you from the lions?'
  • Dan 3:9 : 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, 'May the king live forever!
  • Lam 2:9 : 9 Her gates have sunk into the ground; he has destroyed and broken her bars. Her king and princes are among the nations, and there is no law. Even her prophets receive no vision from the LORD.
  • Ps 102:14 : 14 You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show her favor; the appointed time has come.

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

  • Neh 2:1-2
    2 verses
    85%

    1In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought before him, I picked up the wine and gave it to the king. I had never been sad in his presence before.

    2The king asked me, "Why do you look so sad? You are not ill. This can only be sadness of heart." I was very afraid.

  • Neh 2:4-11
    8 verses
    80%

    4The king said to me, "What is it you want?" Then I prayed to the God of heaven,

    5and I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, send me to Judah, to the city where my ancestors are buried, so that I can rebuild it."

    6Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, "How long will your journey take, and when will you return?" It pleased the king to send me, so I set a time.

    7I also said to the king, "If it pleases the king, may letters be given to me for the governors of the region beyond the Euphrates, so they will allow me to pass through until I arrive in Judah,

    8and may I have a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the royal forest, that he might give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress by the temple, for the city wall, and for the house I will occupy." And the king granted my requests, because the gracious hand of my God was on me.

    9So I went to the governors of the region beyond the Euphrates and gave them the king's letters. The king also sent army officers and cavalry with me.

    10When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were deeply displeased that someone had come to seek the welfare of the Israelites.

    11I arrived in Jerusalem and stayed there for three days.

  • Neh 1:2-5
    4 verses
    79%

    2Hanani, one of my brothers, came with some men from Judah, and I asked them about the Jews who had survived the exile and about Jerusalem.

    3They said to me, 'Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.'

    4When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned, fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven.

    5Then I said, 'Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments,

  • Neh 2:15-18
    4 verses
    76%

    15So I went up the valley at night, inspecting the wall. Then I turned back and re-entered through the Valley Gate, returning the way I came.

    16The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, or any others who would be doing the work.

    17Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem is in ruins, and its gates have been burned by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we will no longer be a disgrace."

    18I told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me. They replied, "Let us arise and build!" So they strengthened their hands for the good work.

  • Ezra 4:12-16
    5 verses
    71%

    12Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have arrived in Jerusalem. They are rebuilding the rebellious and wicked city, completing the walls and repairing its foundations.

    13Now let it be known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, they will not pay tribute, taxes, or customs, and the king’s treasury will suffer.

    14Now, because we eat the salt of the palace and it is not fitting for us to witness the king’s dishonor, we are sending this message to inform the king.

    15So let a search be made in the book of the records of your fathers. You will find in the records and learn that this city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces, and that rebellion has been stirred up in it since ancient times. That is why this city was destroyed.

    16We are informing the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, then you will have no control over the region beyond the River.

  • Ezra 7:27-28
    2 verses
    71%

    27Blessed be the Lord, the God of our ancestors, who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king, to beautify the house of the Lord in Jerusalem.

    28And who has shown favor to me before the king, his counselors, and all his powerful officials. I was strengthened because the hand of the Lord my God was upon me, and I gathered leaders from Israel to go up with me.

  • Dan 5:10
    70%

    10The queen, hearing the words of the king and his nobles, entered the banquet hall. She said, 'May the king live forever! Don’t let your thoughts terrify you, and don’t let your face be pale.'

  • Esth 8:6
    69%

    6For how can I bear to see the disaster that will fall on my people? How can I endure the destruction of my kindred?

  • Ezra 9:9
    69%

    9'Though we are slaves, our God has not abandoned us in our slavery. He has shown us kindness in the sight of the kings of Persia. He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, and He has given us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem.'

  • Jer 38:26
    69%

    26then tell them, ‘I was pleading with the king not to send me back to Jonathan’s house to die there.’"

  • Ezra 5:8-9
    2 verses
    69%

    8'Let it be known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the temple of the great God. It is being rebuilt with large stones and timber is being placed in the walls. The work is being done diligently and is progressing well in their hands.'

    9'Then we asked those elders, and we said to them, "Who gave you the authority to rebuild this temple and complete this structure?"'

  • Neh 2:13
    69%

    13At night, I went out through the Valley Gate, toward the Dragon's Spring and the Dung Gate. I inspected the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and its gates, which had been consumed by fire.

  • Neh 2:20
    69%

    20I answered them, saying, "The God of heaven will give us success. We, his servants, will arise and build. But as for you, you have no share, no legal claim or historic right in Jerusalem."

  • Neh 6:11
    68%

    11But I said, "Should a man like me run away? How can someone like me enter the temple and live? I will not go!"

  • Dan 9:17-18
    2 verses
    68%

    17Now, our God, hear the prayer and petitions of Your servant. For Your sake, Lord, let Your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary.

    18Incline Your ear, my God, and hear. Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city that bears Your name. For we are not presenting our pleas before You on account of our righteousness, but because of Your great mercy.

  • Neh 13:6
    68%

    6While all of this was happening, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had returned to the king. Some time later, I asked the king for permission to leave.

  • Neh 1:11
    68%

    11O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Grant success to your servant today and show him mercy in the presence of this man. I was the cupbearer to the king.

  • Neh 4:2
    68%

    2They all conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem and cause confusion.

  • Ezra 4:22
    67%

    22Be diligent in carrying out this command, so that no damage may increase and harm the interests of the kings.

  • Zech 7:3
    67%

    3They asked the priests of the house of the LORD of Hosts and the prophets, 'Should I weep in the fifth month and abstain, as I have done for so many years?'

  • Ezra 3:12
    67%

    12But many of the priests, Levites, and family heads—the elderly who had seen the first temple—were weeping loudly when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy.

  • Ezra 8:22
    67%

    22For I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies along the way, since we had told the king, 'The hand of our God is favorable toward all who seek Him, but His power and wrath are against all who abandon Him.'

  • Ezra 7:23
    67%

    23Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven must be carried out diligently for the house of the God of heaven, so that there may not be wrath against the kingdom of the king and his sons.

  • Dan 3:9
    67%

    9They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, 'May the king live forever!

  • Jer 37:20
    67%

    20Now please hear me, my lord the king. Let my plea come before you: Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, or I will die there.

  • Neh 7:4
    67%

    4The city was spacious and large, but its people were few, and there were no houses built yet.

  • Ezra 5:12
    67%

    12'But because our ancestors angered the God of heaven, He gave them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon.'

  • Ezek 24:19
    67%

    19Then the people said to me, 'Will you not tell us what these things mean for us, since you are acting this way?'

  • Ezra 6:7
    67%

    7Leave the work on this house of God alone. Let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its original site.