God’s Word Translation
Nehemiah 1:6
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.
Nehemiah 1:6 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father’s house have sinned.
- New International Version (NIV)let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you.
- English Standard Version (ESV)let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father's house have sinned.
- New King James Version (NKJV)please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, 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 my father’s house and I have sinned.
Context of Nehemiah 1:6
4When I heard this, I sat down and cried. I mourned for days. I continued to fast and pray to the God of heaven. 5I said, “Lord God of heaven, great and awe-inspiring God, you faithfully keep your promise and show mercy to those who love you and obey your commandments. Open 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. 7We have done you a great wrong. We haven’t obeyed the commandments, laws, or regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses. 8Please remember what you told us through your servant Moses: ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations.
Read all of Nehemiah 1Nehemiah 1:6 word by word
תְּהִ֣י נָ֣א אָזְנְךָֽ־קַשֶּׁ֣בֶת וְֽעֵינֶ֪יךָ פְתֻוּח֟וֹת לִשְׁמֹ֣עַ אֶל־תְּפִלַּ֣ת עַבְדְּךָ֡ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָנֹכִי֩ מִתְפַּלֵּ֨ל לְפָנֶ֤יךָ הַיּוֹם֙ יוֹמָ֣ם וָלַ֔יְלָה עַל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל עֲבָדֶ֑יךָ וּמִתְוַדֶּ֗ה עַל־חַטֹּ֤אות בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר חָטָ֣אנוּ לָ֔ךְ וַאֲנִ֥י וּבֵית־אָבִ֖י חָטָֽאנוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Let thine earאֹ֫זֶן'ôzen · earH241
- now be attentiveקַשָּׁבqashshâb qashshûb · attentiveH7183
- and thine eyesעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869
- openפָּתַחpâthach · to openH6605
- that thou mayest hearשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: hearH8085
- the prayerתְּפִלָּהtephillâh · prayerH8605
- of thy servantעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
- which I prayפָּלַלpâlal · to prayH6419
- beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
- thee nowיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
- dayיוֹמָםyômâm · by dayH3119
- and nightלַ֫יְלָהlayil lêyl layelâh · nightH3915
- for the childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
- of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- and confessיָדָהyâdâh · to give thanksH3034
- the sinsחַטָּאתchaţţâ'âh chaţţâ'th · sinH2403
- which we have sinnedחָטָאchâţâ' · to sinH2398
- against thee: both I and my father’sאָב'âb · fatherH1
- houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: householdH1004
Cross-references for Nehemiah 1:6
- 1 Kings 8:28Nevertheless, my Lord God, please pay attention to my prayer for mercy. Listen to my cry for help as I pray to you today.
- 2 Chronicles 6:40“Finally, my God, may your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayers ⌞offered⌟ in this place.
- Psalms 34:15The Lord’s eyes are on righteous people. His ears hear their cry for help.
- Psalms 130:2O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be open to my pleas for mercy.
- Daniel 9:17“Our God, listen to my prayer and request. For your own sake, Lord, look favorably on your holy place, which is lying in ruins.
- 1 Samuel 15:11“I regret that I made Saul king. He turned away from me and did not carry out my instructions.” Samuel was angry, and he prayed to the Lord all night.
- Psalms 55:17Morning, noon, and night I complain and groan, and he listens to my voice.
- Psalms 88:1O Lord God, my savior, I cry out to you during the day and at night.
- Luke 2:37and she had been a widow for 84 years. Anna never left the temple courtyard but worshiped day and night by fasting and praying.
- Luke 18:7Won’t God give his chosen people justice when they cry out to him for help day and night? Is he slow to help them?
- 1 Timothy 5:5A widow who has no family has placed her confidence in God by praying and asking for his help night and day.
- 2 Timothy 1:3I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day when I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience as my ancestors did.
- Ezra 9:6and said, “I am ashamed, my God. I am embarrassed to look at you. Our sins have piled up over our heads, and our guilt is so overwhelming that it reaches heaven.
- Ezra 10:11Confess to the Lord God of your ancestors what you have done, and do what he wants. Separate yourselves from the people of this land and from your foreign wives.”
- Psalms 32:5I made my sins known to you, and I did not cover up my guilt. I decided to confess them to you, O Lord. Then you forgave all my sins. Selah
- Isaiah 64:6We’ve all become unclean, and all our righteous acts are like permanently stained rags. All of us shrivel like leaves, and our sins carry us away like the wind.
Commentaries on Nehemiah 1:6
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6Let thine ear - Hear what we say and confess. Thine eyes open - see what we suffer.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6I confess the sins that we Israelites have committed: Like Ezra (Ezra 9:5–15) and Daniel (Daniel 9:4–19), Nehemiah identified with his people's sins. He made no excuses and accepted his own responsibility and that of the larger covenant group that had sinned against God.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 4-114. when I heard these words, that I sat down ... and mourned ... and fasted, and prayed--The recital deeply affected the patriotic feelings of this good man, and no comfort could he find but in earnest and protracted prayer, that God would favor the purpose, which he seems to have secretly formed, of asking the royal permission to go to Jerusalem.Read the comment
Topics related to Nehemiah 1:6
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
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