had

That Hanani, one of my brethren came, he and certaine men of Iudah, and I asked them concerning the Iewes that had escaped, which were left of the captiuitie, and concerning Ierusalem.

¶ And it came to passe, in the moneth Nisan, in the twentieth yeere of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I tooke vp the wine, and gaue it vnto the King: now I had not bene beforetime sad in his presence.

¶ Then I came to the gouernours beyond the riuer, and gaue them the kings letters: (now the king had sent captaines of the army, and horsemen with me.)

¶ And I arose in the night, I, and some few men with mee, neither tolde I any man what God had put in my heart to doe at Ierusalem: neither was there any beast with mee, saue the beast that I rode vpon.

And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did, neither had I as yet tolde it to the Iewes, nor to the Priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the worke.

Then I told them of the hand of my God, which was good vpon me; as also the kings wordes that he had spoken vnto me. And they said, Let vs rise vp and builde. So they strengthened their hands for this good worke.

So built we the wall, and all the wall was ioyned together vnto the halfe therof: for the people had a minde to worke.

And it came to passe when our enemies heard that it was knowen vnto vs, and God had brought their counsell to nought, that we returned all of vs to the wall, euery one vnto his worke.

For the builders, euery one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded: and he that sounded the trumpet was by mee.

1611 marginal noteHeb. on his loynes.

But the former gouernours that had bene before me, were chargeable vnto the people, and had taken of them bread, and wine, beside fourtie shekels of siluer, yea euen their seruants bare rule ouer the people: but so did not I, because of the feare of God.