Nehemiah 2:1-7

1And it came about in the month Nisan, 1in the twentieth year of King 2Artaxerxes, that wine was before him, and 3I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence.

2So the king said to me, “Why is your face sad though you are not sick? 4This is nothing but sadness of heart.” Then I was very much afraid.

3I said to the king, “5Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad 6when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?”

4Then the king said to me, “What would you request?” 7So I prayed to the God of heaven.

5I said to the king, “If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”

6Then the king said to me, the queen sitting beside him, “How long will your journey be, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and 8I gave him a definite time.

7And I said to the king, “If it please the king, let letters be given me 9for the governors of the provinces beyond the River, that they may allow me to pass through until I come to Judah,