²⁸ and who has shown favor to me before the king,^(A) his counselors, and all his powerful officers. So I took courage because I was strengthened by the hand of the Lord my God,^[a](B) and I gathered Israelite leaders to return with me.^(C)

¹⁸ Since the gracious hand of our God was on us,^(A) they brought us Sherebiah^(B)—a man of insight from the descendants of Mahli, a descendant of Levi son of Israel—along with his sons and brothers, 18 men,

Arrival in Jerusalem

³¹ We set out from the Ahava River on the twelfth day of the first month to go to Jerusalem. We were strengthened by our God,^[a](A) and he kept us from the grasp of the enemy and from ambush along the way.^(B)

⁸ And let me have a letter written to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so that he will give me timber to rebuild the gates of the temple’s fortress,^(A) the city wall, and the home where I will live.”^[a](B) The king granted my requests, for the gracious hand of my God was on me.^(C)

¹⁸ I told them how the gracious hand of my God had been on me,^(A) and what the king had said to me.

They said, “Let’s start rebuilding,” and their hands were strengthened^[a] to do this good work.