1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah…
Nehemiah is believed to be from the tribe of Judah.
… And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,
We call Shushan Susa. This was the capital city of the Persian Empire.
It was the twentieth year of the reign of Darius, the son-in-law of Esther and Xerxes/Ahasuerus. So, about 13 years after Ezra went home, 422BC.
2 That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
Nehemiah was concerned about his homeland.
Very recently an archeological dig in Persia (Iran) found an actual, physical letter written by Nehemiah’s brother Hanani! SO COOL!
3 And they said unto me, “The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.”
Things weren’t going good in Jerusalem. They were having trouble with their neighbors again and hadn’t rebuilt their protective wall. There was likely a great deal of poverty, also.
4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,
Nehemiah had to figure out what God wanted him to do.
5 And said, “I beseech thee, O Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keeps covenant and mercy for them that love Him and observe His commandments:
6 “Let Thine ear now be attentive, and Thine eyes open, that Thou may hear the prayer of Thy servant, which I pray before Thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel Thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned.”
Nehemiah is confessing not only his own sins, but the sins of his family and his country.
7 “We have dealt very corruptly against Thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which Thou commanded Thy servant Moses.”
Nehemiah realizes his people deserve the punishment God gave them.
8 “Remember, I beseech thee, the word that Thou commanded Thy servant Moses, saying, ‘If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations:
9 “’But if ye turn unto Me, and keep My commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set My name there.’”
“You did promise to forgive us if we truly turned to You.”
10 “Now these are Thy servants and Thy people, whom Thou have redeemed by Thy great power, and by Thy strong hand.
11 “O Lord, I beseech Thee, let now Thine ear be attentive to the prayer of Thy servant, and to the prayer of Thy servants, who desire to fear Thy name: and prosper, I pray Thee, Thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” For I was the king's cupbearer.
Nehemiah was asking for God to go before him and prepare the heart of the king, since he needed to ask a big favor.