The Promise of Restoration (Nehemiah 1:1–11)
1 WBS And it shall come to pass, when all these things have come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, BSB BSB: “When all these things come upon you—the blessings and curses I have set before you—and you call them to mind in all the nations to which the LORD your God has banished you,
2 WBS And shalt return to the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul; BSB BSB: and when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey His voice with all your heart and all your soul according to everything I am giving you today,
3 WBS That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee. BSB BSB: then He will restore you from captivity and have compassion on you and gather you from all the nations to which the LORD your God has scattered you.
4 WBS If any of thine shall be driven out to the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he bring thee: BSB BSB: Even if you have been banished to the farthest horizon, He will gather you and return you from there.
5 WBS And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it: and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. BSB BSB: And the LORD your God will bring you into the land your fathers possessed, and you will take possession of it. He will cause you to prosper and multiply more than your fathers.
6 WBS And the LORD thy God will circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. BSB BSB: The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.
7 WBS And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thy enemies, and on them that hate thee, who persecuted thee. BSB BSB: Then the LORD your God will put all these curses upon your enemies who hate you and persecute you.
8 WBS And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day. BSB BSB: And you will again obey the voice of the LORD and follow all His commandments I am giving you today.
9 WBS And the LORD thy God will make thee to abound in every work of thy hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers: BSB BSB: So the LORD your God will make you abound in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your land. Indeed, the LORD will again delight in your prosperity, as He delighted in that of your fathers,
10 WBS If thou shalt hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou shalt turn to the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul. BSB BSB: if you obey the LORD your God by keeping His commandments and statutes that are written in this Book of the Law, and if you turn to Him with all your heart and with all your soul.
The Choice of Life or Death 11 WBS For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hid from thee, neither is it far off. BSB BSB: For this commandment I give you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.
12 WBS It is not in heaven, that thou shouldst say, Who shall ascend for us to heaven, and bring it to us, that we may hear it, and do it? BSB BSB: It is not in heaven, that you should need to ask, ‘Who will ascend into heaven to get it for us and proclaim it, that we may obey it?’
13 WBS Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldst say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it to us, that we may hear it, and do it? BSB BSB: And it is not beyond the sea, that you should need to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea to get it for us and proclaim it, that we may obey it?’
14 WBS But the word is very nigh to thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. BSB BSB: But the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may obey it.
15 WBS See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; BSB BSB: See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, as well as death and disaster.
16 WBS In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. BSB BSB: For I am commanding you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, statutes, and ordinances, so that you may live and increase, and the LORD your God may bless you in the land that you are entering to possess.
17 WBS But if thy heart shall turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; BSB BSB: But if your heart turns away and you do not listen, but are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them,
18 WBS I denounce to you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. BSB BSB: I declare to you today that you will surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.
19 WBS I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: BSB BSB: I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore choose life, so that you and your descendants may live,
20 WBS That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave to him (for he is thy life, and the length of thy days) that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD swore to thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them. BSB BSB: and that you may love the LORD your God, obey Him, and hold fast to Him. For He is your life, and He will prolong your life in the land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.