The Walls of Jerusalem

Let's go back a few years. Nehemiah, a servant of King Artaxerexes, was an Israelite who lived in the Persian city of  Shushan. Nehemiah's brother came from Judah with bad news:  'The people who returned to Jerusalem are no safe. The city walls and gates that the Babylonians destroyed have never been rebuilt.'  Nehemiah  was upset. He wanted to go to Jerusalem to help, so he prayed that the king would let him go.

Later, the king noticed that Nehemiah was looking sad. He said:  'I've never seen you like this. What's wrong?' Nehemiah said:  'Why should I not look sad when my city, Jerusalem is in ruins?'  The king asked: 'What do you want me to do for you?'  Immediately Nehemiah prayed silently.  Then he said:  'Please, let me go to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls.' King Artaxerexes told Nehemiah that he could god, and the king made sure that he would be safe on his long journey. He also made Nehemiah governor of Judah and gave him wood for the city gates.

When Nehemiah arrived at Jerusalem, he inspected the city walls. Then he gathered the priests and rulers and told them:  'This is terrible. We need to get to work.'  The people agreed, and they began to rebuild the walls.

Next time: Conclusion of The Walls of Jerusalem

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