A   In the moneth Nisan of the twentieth yeare of kynge Artaxerses, wh&abar; the wyne stode before him, I toke vp the wyne, and gaue it vnto þe; kynge, and I was heuy in his presence. Then sayde þe; kynge vnto me: Why lokest thou so sadly? Thou art not sicke, that is not þe; matter, but thou art heuy harted. Neuertheles I was sore afrayed, ∧ sayde vnto the kynge: God saue the kynges life for euer, shulde I not loke sadly? the cite of my fathers buryall lyeth wayest, ∧ the portes therof are consumed &wt; the fyre. Then sayde the kynge vnto me: What is th&ebar; thy request? Then made I my prayer to the God of heau&ebar;, and sayde vnto the kynge: yf it please the kynge, and yf thy seruaunt be fauoured in thy sighte, I beseke the sende me in to Iuda vnto þe; cite of my fathers buryall, that I maye buylde it.

B   And þe; kynge sayde vnto me, ∧ so dyd the quene þt; sat by him: How l&obar;ge shal thy iourney c&obar;tynue, and wh&abar; wilt thou come agayne? And it pleased þe; kynge to sende me, and I set him a tyme, ∧ sayde vnto the kynge: Yf it please the kynge, let him geue me letters to the Debites beyonde þe; water, þt; they maye conueye me ouer, tyll I come in to Iuda: ∧ letters vnto Assaph the lorde of the kynges wod, þt; he maye geue me wodd for balkes to the gates of the palace, which are harde on the house ∧ harde on the walles of the cite, ∧ for the house that I shal entre in to. And þe; kynge gaue me acordinge to the good hande of God vp&obar; me. And whan I came to þe; Debites beyonde the water, I gaue them þe; kynges letters. And the kynge sent captaynes and horsmen with me.

C   But whan Saneballath the Horonite, ∧ Tobias the seruaunt of the Ammonites herde þt;, it greued them sore, þt; there was come a man which soughte the welth of the children of Israel. And whan I came to Ierusalem, ∧ had bene there thre daies, I gat me vp in þe; night season, ∧ a fewe men with me: for I tolde no man what God had geu&ebar; me in my hert to do at Ierusalem: ∧ there was not one beest &wt; me, saue it þt; I rode vpon. And I rode by nighte vnto the valley porte

before the Dragon well, ∧ to the Dongporte, ∧ considered þe; walles of Ierusalem that were broken downe, ∧ the portes therof consumed &wt; the fyre. And I wente ouer vnto þe; Well porte, ∧ to the kynges condyte, ∧ there was no rowme for my beest, þt; it coulde go vnder me. Then w&ebar;te I on in the nighte by the broke syde, ∧ c&obar;sidered þe; wall, ∧ turned back, ∧ came home agayne to þe; valley porte.

D   And þe; rulers knewe not whither I w&ebar;te, or what I dyd: for hither to had I not tolde the Iewes ∧ the prestes, the councelers ∧ the rulers, ∧ the other þt; laboured in the worke, ∧ I saide vnto th&ebar;: Ye se the myserye þt; we are in, how Ierusal&ebar; lyeth wayst, ∧ how þe; gates therof are brent &wt; fyre, come, let vs buylde vp þe; walles of Ierusal&ebar;, þt; we be nomore a rebuke. And I tolde th&ebar; of the good h&abar;de of my God which was vp&obar; me: And þe; kynges wordes þt; he had spok&ebar; vnto me. And they saide: Then let vs get vp. And we buylded, and their handes were strengthed to good.

But whan Saneballat þe; Horonite, and Tobias the seruaunt of þe; Ammonites, ∧ Gosem the Arabian herde it, they laughed vs to scorne, and despised vs, ∧ sayde: What is this that ye do? Wyll ye fall awaye agayne from the kynge? Then answered I them, and sayde: The God of heauen shal cause vs to prospere: for we his seruauntes are gotten vp, ∧ are buyldinge. As for you, ye haue no porci&obar; ner right, ner remembraunce in Ierusal&ebar;.

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