Nehemiah 2:4-6

Good News Translation

⁴ The emperor asked, “What is it that you want?”

I prayed to the God of Heaven, ⁵ and then I said to the emperor, “If Your Majesty is pleased with me and is willing to grant my request, let me go to the land of Judah, to the city where my ancestors are buried, so that I can rebuild the city.”

⁶ The emperor, with the empress sitting at his side, approved my request. He asked me how long I would be gone and when I would return, and I told him.