1 Now in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was set before him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had never been sad in his presence, 2 so the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, though you are not ill? This could only be sadness of the heart.” I was overwhelmed with fear 3 and replied to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should I not be sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
Nehemiah 2:1–3
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Nehemiah 1:3–5
3 And they told me, “The remnant who survived the exile are there in the province, in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.” 4 When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for days, fastin…
1 Esdras 4:42–44
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2 Samuel 14:14–16
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1 Esdras 8:70–72
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1 Maccabees 2:6–8
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Esther 7:3–5
3 Queen Esther replied, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, grant me my life as my petition, and the lives of my people as my request. 4 For my people and I have been sold out to destruction, death, and annihilation. If we had…
1 Maccabees 6:7–9
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Nehemiah 13:5–7
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