A   It fortuned, that in the moneth ^note Nisan in the twentyeth yeare of kynge Arthaxerses, the wyne stode before hym, and I toke vp the wyne, and gaue it vnto the kynge, and I was heuy in his presence. And the kyng sayde vnto me: why lokest thou so sadly, whan þu; art not sycke? it is nothynge els, but þt; thou art heuy herted. And I was sore afrayed, and sayed vnto the kynge: God saue the kynges life for euer. How shulde I not loke sadly, whan þe; cytie and place of my fathers buryall lyeth waste, and the gates therof are so consumed with fyre? And þe; kyng sayde vnto me: what is then thy request? I made my prayer also to the God of heauen, and sayde vnto the kyng: yf it please þe; kyng, and yf thy seruaunt haue founde fauoure in thy syghte, sende me into Iuda vnto the cytie of my fathers buryall, þt; I maye buylde it.

B   And the kynde sayde vnto me (the quene his wyfe sytting by him) howe l&obar;ge shall thy iourney continue, and wh&ebar; wylt thou come agayne? And it pleased þe; kynge to sende me, and I sett him a tyme, ∧ sayde vnto þe; kyng: yf it please the kyng, let him geue me letters to the captaynes which are beyonde the water, that they maye conuaye me ouer, tyll I come into Iuda: and letters vnto Asaph the Lord of the kinges wood, that he maye geue me tymber to make beames &rhand; for the gates of the palace (which is harde by þe; house) ∧ for the walles of the cytie, and for the house that I shall entre into. And the kynge gaue me accordinge to the h&abar;de of my God, which was good vpon me. And wh&ebar; I came to the captaynes beyonde the water, I gaue them the kynges letters And the kynge had sent captaynes and horsmen with me.

Sanabalat also the Horonite and Tobia a seruaunt (the Ammonite) hearde of it, and it greued them sore, C   that there was come a man which soughte the welth of the chyldr&ebar; of Israel. And I came to Ierusalem, ∧ was there thre dayes, &abar;d I gat me vp in the night season, and a fewe men with me: nether tolde I anye man, what God had geuen me in my hert to be at Ierusalem: and there was not one beast with me saue it þt; I rode vpon. And I departed in the nyghte by the valley porte, before the Dragon well, ∧ to the D&obar;ge porte, and considered the walles of Ierusalem, how they were broken downe, &abar;d the portes therof consumed with the fyre. And I went ouer vnto the wellporte, and to the kynges condyte, and there was no rowme for the beast þt; was vnder me, to passe. Then wente I on in the nyght by the brooke syde and consydered the wall, and turned backe, and came home agayne by the valley porte.

And þe; rulers knewe not whither I wente or what I dyd: neyther dyd I as yet tell it vnto the Iewes, D   to the preastes, to the noble men, to the rulers, and to the other that laboured in the worcke. Then sayde I vnto them: ye se the miserye that we are in, how Ierusalem lyeth waste, and how the gates therof are br&ebar;t with fyre: come therfore, that we maye buylde vp the wall of Ierusal&ebar;, ∧ þt; we be no more a rebuke. And I told th&ebar; of the hande of my God, (that it was gracious ouer me) and the kynges wordes that he had spoken vnto me. And they sayde: let us get vp and buylde: and &rhand; they str&ebar;gthed their hande to goode.

But when Sanabalat the Horonite, and Tobia the serua&ubar;t (an Ammonite,) &abar;d Gesem the Arabian herde it, they laughed vs to skorne, and mocked vs, and sayde: what is thys that ye do? Wyll ye fall awaye from þe; kynge? Then answered I them, and sayde: the God of heauen, he it is that hath graunted vs prosperite: and we be his seruauntes. Let vs get up and buylde. As for you, ye haue no porcyon nor right, nor remembra&ubar;ce in Ierusalem.

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