God’s Word Translation
Nehemiah 1:11
11Lord, please pay attention to my prayer and to the prayers of all your other servants who want to worship your name. Please give me success today and make this man, King Artaxerxes, show me compassion.” I was cupbearer to the king at this time.
Nehemiah 1:11 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king’s cupbearer.
- New International Version (NIV)Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” I was cupbearer to the king.
- English Standard Version (ESV)O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man." Now I was cupbearer to the king.
- New King James Version (NKJV)O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” For I was the king’s cupbearer.
Context of Nehemiah 1:11
9But if you return to me and continue to obey my commandments, though your people may be driven to the most distant point on the horizon, I will come and get you from there and bring you to the place where I chose to put my name.’ 10These are your servants and your people whom you have saved by your great power and your strong hand. Lord, please pay attention to my prayer and to the prayers of all your other servants who want to worship your name. Please give me success today and make this man, King Artaxerxes, show me compassion.” I was cupbearer to the king at this time.
Read all of Nehemiah 1Nehemiah 1:11 word by word
אָנָּ֣א אֲדֹנָ֗י תְּהִ֣י נָ֣א אָזְנְךָֽ־קַ֠שֶּׁבֶת אֶל־תְּפִלַּ֨ת עַבְדְּךָ֜ וְאֶל־תְּפִלַּ֣ת עֲבָדֶ֗יךָ הַֽחֲפֵצִים֙ לְיִרְאָ֣ה אֶת־שְׁמֶ֔ךָ וְהַצְלִֽיחָה־נָּ֤א לְעַבְדְּךָ֙ הַיּ֔וֹם וּתְנֵ֣הוּ לְרַחֲמִ֔ים לִפְנֵ֖י הָאִ֣ישׁ הַזֶּ֑ה וַאֲנִ֛י הָיִ֥יתִי מַשְׁקֶ֖ה לַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃ פRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- O Lordאֲדֹנָי'ădônây · LordH136
- I beseechאָֽנָּ֫א'ân'â 'ânnâh · Please!H577
- thee, let now thine earאֹ֫זֶן'ôzen · earH241
- be attentiveקַשָּׁבqashshâb qashshûb · attentiveH7183
- to the prayerתְּפִלָּהtephillâh · prayerH8605
- of thy servantעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
- who desireחָפֵץchâphêts · delightingH2655
- to fearיָרֵאyârê' · to fear: revereH3372
- thy nameשֵׁםshêm · nameH8034
- and prosperצָלֵחַtsâlach tsâlêach · to prosperH6743
- this dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
- and grantנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
- him mercyרַחֲמִיםracham · compassionH7356
- in the sightפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
- of this manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- For I was the king’sמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- cupbearerשָׁקָהshâqâh · to water: wateringH8248
Cross-references for Nehemiah 1:11
- Nehemiah 1:6Open your eyes, and pay close attention with your ears to what I, your servant, am praying. I am praying to you day and night about your servants the Israelites. I confess the sins that we Israelites have committed against you as well as the sins that my father’s family and I have committed.
- Psalms 86:6Open your ears to my prayer, O Lord. Pay attention when I plead for mercy.
- Psalms 130:2O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be open to my pleas for mercy.
- Proverbs 1:29because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord.
- Isaiah 26:8Certainly, we wait with hope for you, O Lord, ⌞as we follow⌟ the path of your guiding principles. We want to remember you and your name.
- Hebrews 13:18Pray for us. We are sure that our consciences are clear because we want to live honorably in every way.
- Nehemiah 2:8Also, let me have a letter addressed to Asaph, the supervisor of Your Majesty’s forest. In the letter order him to give me wood for the gates of the fortress near the temple, for the city wall, and for the house I’ll move into.” (The king let me have the letters, because God was guiding me.)
- Genesis 32:11Please save me from my brother Esau, because I’m afraid of him. I’m afraid that he’ll come and attack me and the mothers and children too.
- Genesis 43:14May God Almighty make him merciful to you so that he will send your other brother and Benjamin ⌞home⌟ with you. If I lose my children, I lose my children.”
- Ezra 1:1The promise the Lord had spoken through Jeremiah was about to come true in Cyrus’ first year as king of Persia. The Lord inspired the king to make this announcement throughout his whole kingdom and then to put it in writing.
- Ezra 7:6As a scribe, Ezra was an expert in Moses’ Teachings, which the Lord God of Israel had given. The king gave Ezra everything he requested because the Lord his God was guiding him.
- Proverbs 21:1The king’s heart is like streams of water. Both are under the Lord’s control. He turns them in any direction he chooses.
- Nehemiah 2:1In the month of Nisan, in Artaxerxes’ twentieth year as king, after some wine was brought for the king, I picked up the cup of wine and gave it to the king. I had never been sad in his presence before.
- Genesis 40:2Pharaoh was angry with his chief cupbearer and his chief baker.
- Genesis 41:9Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, “I remember a promise I failed to keep.
Commentaries on Nehemiah 1:11
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11Mercy in the sight of this man - Favour before the king, Ahasuerus. He seems then to have been giving him the cup. For I was the king's cup-bearer - The king's butler, (the Persians call him saky ), which gave him the opportunity of being frequently with the king; and to be in such a place of trust, he must be in the king's confidence. No Eastern potentate would have a cup-bearer with whom he could not trust his life, poison being frequently administered…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 11A Persian king had numerous cup-bearers, each of whom probably discharged the office in his turn.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 11grant him mercy in the sight of this man: Nehemiah knew God could make the king kind to him. As a cup-bearer, Nehemiah tasted the king’s wine to ensure it was safe. This role gave him daily access to King Artaxerxes.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1111. I was the king's cupbearer--This officer, in the ancient Oriental courts, was always a person of rank and importance; and, from the confidential nature of his duties and his frequent access to the royal presence, he possessed great influence.Read the comment
Topics related to Nehemiah 1:11
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Nehemiah 1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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