Nehemiah 2; Galatians 5

red bookmark icon blue bookmark icon gold bookmark icon
Nehemiah 2

Nehemiah Sent to Judah

In the month of Nisan, win the twentieth year of King xArtaxerxes, when wine was before him, yI took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. And the king said to me, Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but zsadness of the heart. Then I was very much afraid. I said to the king, aLet the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, bwhen the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire? Then the king said to me, What are you requesting? So I prayed cto the God of heaven. And I said to the king, If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ graves, that I may rebuild it. And the king said to me (dthe queen sitting beside him), How long will you be gone, and when will you return? So it pleased the king to send me ewhen I had given him a time. And I said to the king, If it pleases the king, let letters be given me fto the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of gthe fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy. And the king granted me what I asked, hfor the good hand of my God was upon me.

Nehemiah Inspects Jerusalem’s Walls

Then I came to ithe governors of the province Beyond the River and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen. 10 But when jSanballat the Horonite and kTobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, it displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel.

11 lSo I went to Jerusalem and was there three days. 12 Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. And I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me but the one on which I rode. 13 I went out by night by mthe Valley Gate to the Dragon Spring and to nthe Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem othat were broken down pand its gates that had been destroyed by fire. 14 Then I went on to qthe Fountain Gate and to rthe King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal that was under me to pass. 15 Then I went up in the night sby the valley and inspected the wall, and I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. 16 And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, and I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest who were to do the work.

17 Then I said to them, You see the trouble we are in, thow Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer usuffer derision. 18 And I told them vof the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. wSo they strengthened their hands for the good work. 19 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and xGeshem the Arab heard of it, ythey jeered at us and despised us and said, What is this thing that you are doing? zAre you rebelling against the king? 20 Then I replied to them, aThe God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim1 in Jerusalem.


Galatians 5

Christ Has Set Us Free

For sfreedom Christ has tset us free; ustand firm therefore, and do not submit again to va yoke of wslavery.

Look: I, Paul, say to you that xif you accept circumcision, yChrist will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that zhe is obligated to keep the whole law. You are asevered from Christ, byou who would be justified1 by the law; cyou have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly dwait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus eneither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but fonly faith working through love.

gYou were running well. Who hindered you from obeying hthe truth? This persuasion is not from ihim who calls you. jA little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 kI have confidence in the Lord that you will ltake no other view, and mthe one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. 11 But if I, brothers,2 still preach3 circumcision, nwhy am I still being persecuted? In that case othe offense of the cross has been removed. 12 I wish pthose who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!

13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. qOnly do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love rserve one another. 14 For sthe whole law is fulfilled in one word: tYou shall love your neighbor as yourself. 15 But if you ubite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

Keep in Step with the Spirit

16 But I say, vwalk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify wthe desires of the flesh. 17 For xthe desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, yto keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are zled by the Spirit, ayou are not under the law. 19 Now bthe works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, cdivisions, 21 envy,4 drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that dthose who do5 such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But ethe fruit of the Spirit is flove, joy, peace, patience, gkindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 hgentleness, iself-control; jagainst such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus khave crucified the flesh with its lpassions and desires.

25 If we live by the Spirit, mlet us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 nLet us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.