Nehemiah 1:11

Translations

Modern

O Lord, may Your ear be attentive to my prayer and to the prayers of Your servants who delight to revere Your name. Give Your servant success this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” (At that time I was the cupbearer to the king.)

Traditional

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.

Literal

Please, O Lord, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name, and let prosper, please, Your servant this day, and grant him mercy in the eyes of this man.” (For I was cupbearer to the king.)

Latin

Obsecro, Domine, sit auris tua attendens ad orationem servi tui, et ad orationem servorum tuorum, qui volunt timere nomen tuum: et dirige servum tuum hodie, et da ei misericordiam ante virum hunc. Ego enim eram pincerna regis.

Original

Hebrew

English

O Lord, may Your ear be attentive to my prayer and to the prayers of Your servants who delight to revere Your name. Give Your servant success this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” (At that time I was the cupbearer to the king.)

Notes

Nehemiah 1:11

grant him mercy in the sight of this man: Nehemiah knew God could make the king kind to him.
As a cup-bearer, Nehemiah tasted the king’s wine to ensure it was safe. This role gave him daily access to King Artaxerxes.

Nehemiah 1:5–11

Nehemiah’s prayer includes:

Praise (Nehemiah 1:5)
Confession (Nehemiah 1:6–7)
Remembering God’s promises (Nehemiah 1:8–9)
A request (Nehemiah 1:10–11)

Nehemiah understood that Israel’s situation was not due to God failing His covenant of unfailing love. Instead, Israel’s ongoing sin led to the punishments described in the covenant.

Nehemiah 1:1–2:20

When Nehemiah heard about Jerusalem's ruins, he prayed for God's help (Nehemiah 1:1–11) and asked the king to send him to Jerusalem (2:1–8). Upon arrival, he urged the people to rebuild the city's wall (Nehemiah 2:11–20).

Theme notes and profiles

Nehemiah God Works through Prayer Jerusalem Nehemiah’s Confidence in God

Related verses

Nehemiah 1:6
…let Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to hear the prayer that I, Your servant, now pray before You day and night for Your servants, the Israelites. I confess the sins that we Israelites have committed against You. Both I and my father’s house have sinned.
Nehemiah 2:8
And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so that he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house I will occupy.” And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.
Nehemiah 2:1
Now in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was set before him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had never been sad in his presence,
Proverbs 21:1
The king’s heart is a waterway in the hand of the LORD; He directs it where He pleases.
Hebrews 13:18
Pray for us; we are convinced that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way.
Psalm 130:2
O Lord, hear my voice; let Your ears be attentive to my plea for mercy.
Ezra 7:6
…this Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted Ezra all his requests, for the hand of the LORD his God was upon him.
Psalm 86:6
Hear my prayer, O LORD, and attend to my plea for mercy.
Ezra 1:1
In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah, the LORD stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to send a proclamation throughout his kingdom and to put it in writing as follows:
Genesis 40:21
Pharaoh restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.
Ezra 7:27–28
Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put into the heart of the king to so honor the house of the LORD in Jerusalem,
Isaiah 26:8–9
Yes, we wait for You, O LORD; we walk in the path of Your judgments. Your name and renown are the desire of our souls.

Parallels

Deuteronomy 30:1–10

People

LORD: Names or title used to refer to God

Glossary

Book of Nehemiah Cup-Bearer Nehemiah (Person) Postexilic Period Susa

Topics

Blessing: Temporal Blessings, Prayer For: Nehemiah Butler: Pharaoh's, Imprisoned and Released Country: Love of Cupbearer: General Scriptures Concerning Intercessory Prayer: Nehemiah Nation: Lamented Nehemiah: Son of Hachaliah: The Cupbearer of Artaxerxes, a Very Trusted Position

Nehemiah 1:11

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