Report from Jerusalem

1 The words of ^aNehemiah the son of Hacaliah.

Now it happened in the month of ^bChislev, ^cin the twentieth year, as I was in ^dSusa the citadel, 2 that ^eHanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and ^fshame. ^gThe wall of Jerusalem is broken down, ^hand its gates are destroyed by fire.”

Nehemiah’s Prayer

4 As soon as I heard these words I ⁱsat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the ^jGod of heaven. 5 And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, ^kthe great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 ^llet 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, ^mconfessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even ⁿI and my father’s house have sinned.

11 And ^ysuch were some of you. But ^zyou were washed, ^ayou were sanctified, ^byou were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Flee Sexual Immorality

12 ^c“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. 13 ^d“Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one ^eand the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but ^ffor the Lord, and ^gthe Lord for the body. 14 And ^hGod raised the Lord and ⁱwill also raise us up ^jby his power. 15 Do you not know that ^kyour bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined¹ to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, ^l“The two will become one flesh.” 17 But he who is joined to the Lord ^mbecomes one spirit with him. 18 ⁿFlee from sexual immorality. Every other sin² a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person ^osins against his own body. 19 Or ^pdo you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? ^qYou are not your own, 20 ^rfor you were bought with a price. ^sSo glorify God in your body.