²⁸ and who has shown favor to me before the king,^(A) his counselors, and all his powerful officers. So I took courage because I was strengthened by the hand of the Lord my God,^[a](B) and I gathered Israelite leaders to return with me.^(C)

²² I did this because I was ashamed to ask the king for infantry and cavalry to protect us from enemies during the journey, since we had told him, “The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek him, but his fierce anger is against all who abandon him.”^(A)

⁸ And let me have a letter written to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so that he will give me timber to rebuild the gates of the temple’s fortress,^(A) the city wall, and the home where I will live.”^[a](B) The king granted my requests, for the gracious hand of my God was on me.^(C)

¹⁸ I told them how the gracious hand of my God had been on me,^(A) and what the king had said to me.

They said, “Let’s start rebuilding,” and their hands were strengthened^[a] to do this good work.