Nehemiah 1 - Summary

In the month of Chislev in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes, Nehemiah, the king's cupbearer in the citadel of Susa, received news from his brother Hanani that the remnant in Judah was in great trouble and shame, with Jerusalem's wall broken down and its gates burned. Nehemiah sat down, wept, mourned for days, fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, confessing the sins of Israel including his own family's sins, acknowledging that they had not kept Moses' commandments and therefore been scattered among the nations. He reminded God of His promise to gather His people if they returned to Him and kept His commandments, and petitioned for success before the king, identifying himself as the king's cupbearer.