Nehemiah 2:11–16

Nehemiah prepares to rebuild the walls

I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days 12I set out during the night with a few men. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on.

13 By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. 14 Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through; 15 so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate. 16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.

Nehemiah tried to keep his plan as secret as possible. No doubt Sanballat and Tobiah had informants in Jerusalem who would report every move Nehemiah made. The goal of Nehemiah’s night inspection of the ruins was to organize the work so that it could be completed as quickly as possible after it was begun. In this way Sanballat and Tobiah would have little opportunity to organize their opposition.

Nehemiah soon won the support of Jerusalem’s leaders when he presented his credentials and his plan. He persuaded them that he not only had authority from the Persian king, but, more important, he had the blessing of God on his project. The restoration of Jerusalem’s walls would remove the disgrace and sad reminder of its destruction and would provide security for the returnees. The people were eager to begin the work: “Let us start rebuilding.”