Nehemiah 13:6

Contemporary English Version

This happened in the thirty-second year that Artaxerxes ruled Babylonia. I was away from Jerusalem at the time, because I was visiting him. Later I received permission from the king

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
While all this was happening, I was not in Jerusalem, because I had returned to King Artaxerxes of Babylon in the thirty-second year of his reign. It was only later that I asked the king for a leave of absence

Hebrew Names Version
But in all this [time] I was not at Yerushalayim; for in the two and thirtieth year of Artachshasta king of Bavel I went to the king: and after certain days asked I leave of the king,

King James Version
But in all this time was not I at Jerusalem: for in the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon came I unto the king, and after certain days obtained I leave of the king:

English Standard Version
While this was taking place, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went to the king. And after some time I asked leave of the king

New Century Version
I was not in Jerusalem when this happened. I had gone back to Artaxerxes king of Babylon in the thirty-second year he was king. Finally I asked the king to let me leave.

New English Translation
During all this time I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes of Babylon, I had gone back to the king. After some time I had requested leave of the king,

Amplified Bible
But during all this time I was not at Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes [Persian] king of Babylon I went to the king. Then after some time I asked for a leave [of absence] from the king,

New American Standard Bible
But during all this time I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had come to the king. After some time, however, I requested a leave of absence from the king,

World English Bible
But in all this [time] I was not at Jerusalem; for in the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went to the king: and after certain days asked I leave of the king,

Geneva Bible (1587)
But in all this time was not I in Ierusalem: for in the two and thirtieth yere of Artahshashte King of Babel, came I vnto the King, and after certaine dayes I obteined of the King.

Legacy Standard Bible
But during all this time I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had gone to the king. After some time, however, I asked leave from the king,

Berean Standard Bible
While all this was happening, I was not in Jerusalem, because I had returned to King Artaxerxes of Babylon in the thirty-second year of his reign. Some time later I obtained leave from the king

Complete Jewish Bible
During all this time I wasn't present in Yerushalayim; because in the thirty-second year of Artach'shashta king of Bavel, I went to see the king; then, after some time had passed, I asked permission from the king

Darby Translation
And during all that [time] I was not at Jerusalem; for in the two-and-thirtieth year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I came to the king; and after some time I obtained leave of the king.

Easy-to-Read Version
I was not in Jerusalem while all of this was happening. I had gone back to the king of Babylon. I went back to Babylon in the 32nd year that Artaxerxes was king of Babylon. Later, I asked the king for permission to go back to Jerusalem.

George Lamsa Translation
But while these things took place I was not in Jerusalem; for in the thirty-second year of Artakhshist king of Babylon, I came to the king, and after certain days, I asked leave of the king;

Good News Translation
While this was going on, I was not in Jerusalem, because in the thirty-second year that Artaxerxes was king of Babylon I had gone back to report to him. After some time I received his permission

Lexham English Bible
During all of this, I was not in Jerusalem because in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went to the king. At the end of some days I asked permission from the king to leave.

Literal Translation
But in all this time I was not at Jerusalem. For in the thirty second year of Artaxerxes the king of Babylon, I came to the king. And after some days I asked leave from the king.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But in all this was not I at Ierusalem: for in ye two and thirtieth yeare of Artaxerses kynge of Babilon, came I vnto the kynge, and after certayne dayes optayned I lycence of the kynge

American Standard Version
But in all this time I was not at Jerusalem; for in the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went unto the king: and after certain days asked I leave of the king,

Bible in Basic English
But all this time I was not at Jerusalem: for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes, king of Babylon, I went to the king; and after some days, I got the king to let me go,

Bishop's Bible (1568)
But in all this time was not I at Hierusalem: for in the two and thirtie yere of Artaxerxes king of Babylon, came I vnto the king, & after certayne dayes obtayned I licence of the king to come to Hierusalem.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
But in all this time I was not at Jerusalem; for in the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went unto the king, and after certain days asked I leave of the king;

King James Version (1611)
But in all this time was not I at Ierusalem: for in the two and thirtieth yeere of Artaxerxes king of Babylon, came I vnto the king, and after certaine dayes, obtained I leaue of the King:

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
But in all this time I was not in Jerusalem; for in the thirty-second year of Arthasastha king of Babylon I came to the king, and after a certain time I made my request of the king;

English Revised Version
But in all this time I was not at Jerusalem: for in the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went unto the king, and after certain days asked I leave of the king:

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe in alle these thingis Y was not in Jerusalem; for in the two and thrittithe yeer of Artaxerses, kyng of Babiloyne, Y cam to the kyng, and in the ende of daies Y preiede the kyng.

Update Bible Version
But in all this [time] I was not at Jerusalem; for in the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went to the king: and after certain days I asked leave of the king,

Webster's Bible Translation
But in all this [time] I was not at Jerusalem: for in the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I came to the king, and after certain days I obtained leave of the king:

New King James Version
But during all this I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had returned to the king. Then after certain days I obtained leave from the king,

New Living Translation
I was not in Jerusalem at that time, for I had returned to King Artaxerxes of Babylon in the thirty-second year of his reign, though I later asked his permission to return.

New Life Bible
But during all this time I was not in Jerusalem. For in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon, I had gone to the king. Then after some time, I asked the king to let me go,

New Revised Standard
While this was taking place I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes of Babylon I went to the king. After some time I asked leave of the king

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But, throughout all this time , was I not in Jerusalem, - for, in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon, I came unto the king, and, at the end of certain days, obtained I leave of the king;

Douay-Rheims Bible
But in all this time I was not in Jerusalem, because in the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon, I went to the king, and after certain days I asked the king:

Revised Standard Version
While this was taking place I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Ar-ta-xerx'es king of Babylon I went to the king. And after some time I asked leave of the king

Young's Literal Translation
And during all this I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty and second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon did I come unto the king, and at the end of days I have asked of the king,

THE MESSAGE
When this was going on I wasn't there in Jerusalem; in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon, I had traveled back to the king. But later I asked for his permission to leave again. I arrived in Jerusalem and learned of the wrong that Eliashib had done in turning over to him a room in the courts of The Temple of God. I was angry, really angry, and threw everything in the room out into the street, all of Tobiah's stuff. Then I ordered that they ceremonially cleanse the room. Only then did I put back the worship vessels of The Temple of God, along with the Grain-Offerings and the incense.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
But during all this time I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had gone to the king. After some time, however, I asked leave from the king,

Contextual Overview

¹ On that day when the Law of Moses was read aloud to everyone, it was discovered that Ammonites and Moabites were forbidden to belong to the people of God. ² This was because they had refused to give food and water to Israel and had hired Balaam to call down a curse on them. However, our God turned the curse into a blessing. ³ Following the reading of the Law of Moses, the people of Israel started sending away anyone who had any foreign ancestors. ⁴ The priest Eliashib was a relative of Tobiah and had earlier been put in charge of the temple storerooms. ⁵ So he let Tobiah live in one of these rooms, where all kinds of things had been stored—the grain offerings, incense, utensils for the temple, as well as the tenth of the grain, wine, and olive oil that had been given for the use of the Levites, singers, and temple guards, and the gifts for the priests. ⁶ This happened in the thirty-second year that Artaxerxes ruled Babylonia. I was away from Jerusalem at the time, because I was visiting him. Later I received permission from the king ⁷ to return to Jerusalem. Only then did I find out that Eliashib had done this terrible thing of letting Tobiah have a room in the temple. ⁸ It upset me so much that I threw out every bit of Tobiah's furniture. ⁹ Then I ordered the room to be cleaned and the temple utensils, the grain offerings, and the incense to be brought back into the room.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

But: Exodus 32:1, 2 Chronicles 24:17, 2 Chronicles 24:18, Matthew 13:25

was: Nehemiah came to Jerusalem in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes, and remained there till the thirty-second, being twelve years; then returned to Babylon; and probably, after about a year, got leave to revisit his brethren, and found matters as here stated.

the two: Nehemiah 2:1, Nehemiah 5:14

after certain days: Heb. at the end of days, Nehemiah 2:5, Nehemiah 2:6

obtained I: or, I earnestly requested

Reciprocal: Genesis 4:3 - in process of time 2 Chronicles 18:2 - after certain years

Cross-References

Genesis 13:6
At this time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the same area, and so there wasn't enough pastureland left for Abram and Lot with all of their animals. Besides this, the men who took care of Abram's animals and the ones who took care of Lot's animals started quarreling.

Genesis 13:10
This happened before the Lord had destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. And when Lot looked around, he saw there was plenty of water in the Jordan Valley. All the way to Zoar the valley was as green as the garden of the Lord or the land of Egypt.

Genesis 13:11
So Lot chose the whole Jordan Valley for himself, and as he started toward the east, he and Abram separated.

Genesis 13:17
Now walk back and forth across the land, because I am giving it to you.

Genesis 13:18
Abram took down his tents and went to live near the sacred trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar in honor of the Lord .

1 Timothy 6:9
People who want to be rich fall into all sorts of temptations and traps. They are caught by foolish and harmful desires that drag them down and destroy them.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But in all this time was not I at Jerusalem,.... Nehemiah, who was absent all the while these things were done by Eliashib, or otherwise they would not have been suffered:

for in the thirty second year of Artaxerxes, king of Babylon, came I unto the king from Jerusalem; after he had governed there twelve years, to whom he came to give an account of affairs there; this was not Xerxes, as some b have thought, for he reigned but twenty one years; but Darius Hystaspis, who reigned thirty six years, according to Ptolemy's canon, and with which Herodotus c agrees; he is called king of Babylon, because that, with the whole empire, was in the hands of the king of Persia, as it had been from the times of Cyrus:

and after certain days obtained I leave of the king; to return to Jerusalem again; not after five years, as Dr. Prideaux d thinks; for it is not likely that Nehemiah would stay so long ere he asked leave of the king to return to Jerusalem, which was so much his care, and on whose prosperity his heart was so much set; rather at most it was but a full year he stayed ere he got leave to return, as Vatablus and Piscator interpret it; in which sense the phrase of certain days is used in Leviticus 25:29, and in other places quoted by the last mentioned interpreter.

b Apud Ganz. Tzemach David, par. 2. fol. 8. 2. c Polymnia, sive, l. 7. c. 1. d Connect. par. 1. p. 397.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Artaxerxes king of Babylon - See Nehemiah 1:1. Compare Ezra 6:22, where Darius Hystaspis is called “king of Assyria.”

After certain days - Or, “at the end of a year,” which is a meaning that the phrase often has Exodus 13:10; Leviticus 25:29-30; Numbers 9:22. Nehemiah probably went to the court at Babylon in 433 B.C., and returned to Jerusalem 432 B.C.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Nehemiah 13:6. Was not I at Jerusalem — Nehemiah came to Jerusalem in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes, and remained there till the thirty-second year, twelve years: then returned to Babylon, and staid one year; got leave to revisit his brethren; and found matters as stated in this chapter.