Immerse: Chronicles Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 131
1:4–2:8
CHRONICLES–EZRA–NEHEMIAH
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When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned,
fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. Then I said,
“O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps
his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his
commands, listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night
and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against
you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! We have sinned
terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that
you gave us through your servant Moses.
“Please remember what you told your servant Moses: ‘If you are
unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations. But if you return
to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are
exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have
chosen for my name to be honored.’
“The people you rescued by your great power and strong hand are
your servants. O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers
of those of us who delight in honoring you. Please grant me success
today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be
kind to me.”
In those days I was the king’s cup-bearer.
Early the following spring, in the month of Nisan, during the twentieth
year of King Artaxerxes’ reign, I was serving the king his wine. I had never
before appeared sad in his presence. So the king asked me, “Why are you
looking so sad? You don’t look sick to me. You must be deeply troubled.”
Then I was terrified, but I replied, “Long live the king! How can I not be
sad? For the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins, and the gates
have been destroyed by fire.”
The king asked, “Well, how can I help you?”
With a prayer to the God of heaven, I replied, “If it please the king, and
if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the
city where my ancestors are buried.”
The king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked, “How long will you
be gone? When will you return?” After I told him how long I would be
gone, the king agreed to my request.
I also said to the king, “If it please the king, let me have letters addressed
to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates River, instructing
them to let me travel safely through their territories on my way to Judah.
And please give me a letter addressed to Asaph, the manager of the king’s
forest, instructing him to give me timber. I will need it to make beams
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