The Daily Audio Bible
Today's audio is from the CSB. Switch to the CSB to read along with the audio.
1 The words of Nehemiah, the son of Hachaliah: In the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in the palace of Shushan,
2 Hanani (one of my brethren) came, he and the men of Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who remained of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
3 And they said to me, “The remnant of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach. And the wall of Jerusalem is broken down. And its gates are burnt with fire.”
4 And when I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for some days. And I fasted and prayed before the God of Heaven,
5 and said, “O LORD God of Heaven, the great and terrible God, Who keeps Covenant and mercy for those who love Him and observe His Commandments,
6 “I pray, let Your Ears be attentive, and Your Eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant which I pray before You daily, day and night, for the children of Israel, Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both I and my father’s House have sinned.
7 “We have grievously sinned against You, and have not kept the Commandments, or the Statutes, or the Judgments, which You commanded Your servant Moses.
8 “I pray, remember the Word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘You will transgress. And I will scatter you among the nations.
9 ‘But if you return to Me, and keep My Commandments, and do them, though your scattering were to the uttermost part of the heaven, I will still gather you from there and will bring you to the place that I have chosen to place My Name.’
10 “Now these are Your servants and Your people whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your mighty Hand.
11 “O LORD, I pray, let Your Ear now listen to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your Name. And I pray, make Your servant prosper this day, and give him favor in the presence of this man. For I was the king’s butler.”
2 Now, in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, the wine stood before him. And I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before.
2 And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.” Then I was very afraid.
3 And I said to the king, “God save the king forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city and house of the sepulchers of my fathers lies waste; and its gates are devoured with fire?”
4 And the king said to me, “What thing do you request?” Then I prayed to the God of Heaven,
5 and said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I desire that you would send me to Judah, to the city of the sepulchers of my fathers, so that I may build it.”
6 And the king said to me (with the queen sitting by him), “How long shall your journey be? And when will you come back?” So, it pleased the king, and he sent me. And I gave him a time.
7 Afterward, I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let them give me letters to the captains beyond the River, so that they may allow me passage until I come into Judah,
8 and letters to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s park, so that he may give me timber to build the gates of the palace which pertained to the house and for the walls of the city and for the house into which I shall enter.” And the king gave to me according to the good Hand of my God upon me.
9 Then I came to the captains beyond the River and gave them the king’s letters. And the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.
10 But Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah (an Ammonite servant) heard it. And it sorely grieved them that there had come a man who sought the wealth of the children of Israel.
11 So, I came to Jerusalem, and was there for three days.
12 And I rose in the night, I and a few men with me. For I told no man what God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem. And there was not a beast with me, except the beast upon which I rode.
13 And I went out by night, by the gate of the valley, and came before the dragon well, and to the dung port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, how they were broken down, and their ports devoured with the fire.
14 Then I went forth to the gate of the fountain, and to the king’s fish pool. And there was no room for the beast that was under me to pass.
15 Then in the night, I went up by the brook and viewed the wall and turned back. And coming back, I entered by the gate of the valley and returned.
16 And the rulers did not know whether I was gone or what I did. Nor had I told it to the Jews yet, or to the priests, or to the noble men, or to the rulers, or to the rest who labored in the work.
17 Afterward I said to them, “You see the misery that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste and its gates are burnt with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, so that we are no longer a reproach.”
18 Then I told them of the Hand of my God which was good over me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise and build.” So they strengthened their hand to do good.
19 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arabian heard it, they mocked us and despised us, and said, “What thing is this that you do? Will you rebel against the king?”
20 Then I answered them, and said to them, “The God of Heaven, He will prosper us. And we, His servants, will rise up and build. But as for you, you have no portion or right or memorial in Jerusalem.”
3 Then Eliashib, the High Priest, arose with his brethren, the priests. And they built the Sheep Gate. They repaired it and set up its doors. They repaired it up to the Tower of Meah, and to the Tower of Hananel.
2 And the men of Jericho built next to him. And Zaccur, the son of Imri, was beside him.
3 But the sons of Senaah built the fish port. They also laid its beams and hung its doors, with its locks and its bars.
4 And Meremoth, the son of Urijah, the son of Koz, fortified next to them. And Meshullam, the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabel fortified next to them. And Zadok, the son of Baana, fortified next to them.
5 And the Tekoites fortified next to them. But the great men of them did not put their necks to the works of their lords.
6 And Jehoiada, the son of Paseah, and Meshullam, the son of Besodeiah, fortified the gate of the old fish pool. They laid its beams and hung its doors, with its locks and its bars.
7 Next to them, Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, men of Gibeon and Mizpah, also fortified the throne of the duke beyond the River.
8 Next to him, Uzziel the son of Harhaiah of the goldsmiths fortified. Next to him, Hananiah the son of Harakkahim also fortified. And they repaired Jerusalem to the broad wall.
9 Also next to them, Rephaiah the son of Hur, the ruler of half of Jerusalem, fortified.
10 And next to him, Jedaiah the son of Harumaph fortified in front of his house. And next to him, Hattush the son of Hashabniah fortified.
11 Malchijah the son of Harim, and Hashub the son of Pahath-Moab, fortified the second portion and the tower of the furnaces.
12 Next to him, Shallum the son of Hallohesh, the ruler of half of Jerusalem also fortified, he and his daughters.
13 Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah fortified the Valley Gate. They built it and hung its doors, with its locks and bars, a thousand cubits on the wall to the dung port.
14 But, Malchijah the son of Rechab, the ruler of one fourth of Beth Haccarem fortified the dung port. He built it and hung its doors, with its locks and bars.
7 Now, concerning the things about which you wrote to me, it is good for a man not to touch a woman.
2 Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have a wife for himself, and let every woman have her own husband.
3 Let the husband give to the wife her due affection, and likewise also the wife to the husband.
4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband. And likewise, also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife.
5 Do not deprive one another, unless with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer. And come together again, so that Satan does not tempt you for your intemperance.
6 Yet, I speak this by permission, not by Commandment.
7 For I would that all were still as I myself. But everyone has his proper gift from God, one after this manner, and another after that.
8 Therefore I say to the unmarried, and to the widows, it is good for them if they remain just as I.
9 But if they cannot abstain, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn.
10 And to the married, I command: (not I, but the Lord) Let not the wife leave her husband.
11 But if she does leave, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband. And let not the husband leave his wife.
12 Now, to the rest I speak (I, not the Lord). If any brother has a wife who does not believe, if she is content to dwell with him, let him not leave her.
13 And the woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is content to dwell with her, let her not leave him.
14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified in the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified in the husband, or else your children would be unclean. But now they are holy.
15 But, if the unbeliever leaves, let him leave. A brother or a sister is not in bondage in such cases. But God has called us into peace.
16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you shall save your husband? Or how do you know, O man, whether you shall save your wife?
17 But as God has distributed to everyone, as the Lord has called everyone, so let him walk. And so I ordain in all churches.
18 Is any man called circumcised? Let him not be uncircumcised. Is any called uncircumcised? Let him not be circumcised.
19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the Commandments of God.
20 Let everyone remain in the same vocation to which he was called.
21 Are you called as a slave? Do not worry. But if you still may be free, rather use that.
22 For he who is called in the Lord as a slave is the Lord’s freeman. Likewise, he who is called in freedom, is Christ’s slave.
23 You are bought with a price. Do not become the slaves of man.
24 Brothers, let everyone, wherein he was called, remain therein with God.
19 How great is Your goodness which You have laid up for those who fear You; and done to those who trust in You before the sons of men!
20 You hide them from the pride of men in the secret place of Your presence. You keep them secretly in Your Tabernacle from the strife of tongues.
21 Blessed be the LORD. For He has shown His marvelous kindness toward me in a strong city.
22 Though I said in my haste, “I am cast out of Your sight!” Still, You heard the voice of my prayer when I cried to You.
23 Love the LORD, all His saints. The LORD preserves the faithful and abundantly repays the proud.
24 All you who trust in the LORD, be strong; and He shall establish your heart. A Psalm of David, to give instruction.
4 A haughty look and a proud heart (the light of the wicked) is sin.
© 2019, 2024 by Five Talents Audio. All rights reserved.