Nehemiah 1:1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,

Nehemiah 1:2 That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity and concerning Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 1:3-8 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem also is broken down and the gates thereof are burned with fire. And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept and mourned certain days and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven and said, I beseech you, O Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keeps covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments. Let your ear now be attentive and your eyes open, that you maye hear the prayer of your servant, which I pray before you now, day and night, for the children of Israel your servants and confess the sins of the children of Israel.(the people of ancient Israel are today no more, so who then is Israel today?), which we have sinned against you. Both I and my father's house have sinned. We have dealt very corruptly against you.(they understood back then how things could be done against the Creator because they know He was the highest of consciousnesses).and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which you commanded your servant Moses. Remember, I beseech you, the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, If you transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations. 

Nehemiah 1:9 But if you turn unto me and keep my commandments.(Matthew 22:35-40).and do them, though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.

Nehemiah 1:10 Now these are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand.

Nehemiah 1:11 O Lord, I beseech you, let now your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants, who desire to fear your name and prosper, I pray you, your servant this day and grant him mercy in the sight of this man, for I was the king's cupbearer.

Nehemiah 2:1 And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him and I took up the wine and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.

Nehemiah 2:2-6 Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid, And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever. Why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lies waste and the gates thereof are consumed with fire? Then the king said unto me, For what do you make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said unto the king, If it please the king and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it. And the king said unto me, the queen also sitting by him, for how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me and I set him a time.

Nehemiah 2:7-20 Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah; And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me. Then I came to the governors beyond the river and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me. When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel. So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days. And I arose in the night, I and somefew men with me. Neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem; neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon. And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before the dragon well and to the dung port and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down and the gates thereof were consumed with fire. Then I went on to the gate of the fountain and to the king's pool, but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass. Then went I up in the night by the brook and viewed the wall and turned back and entered by the gate of the valley and so returned. And the rulers knew not whither I went or what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work. Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste and the gates thereof are burned with fire. Come and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach. Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work. But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn and despised us and said, What is this thing that ye do? will you rebel against the king? Then answered I them and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us. Therefore we his servants will arise and build but you have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 3:14 But the dung gate repaired Malchiah the son of Rechab, the ruler of part of Bethhaccerem. He built it and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof and the bars thereof.

Nehemiah 5:1-10 And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the tribe of Judah. For there were that said.(they were upset with injustices), We, our sons and our daughters are many and we take our corn to them, in order that even we may eat and live. We also have mortgaged our lands, vineyards and houses, that we might buy corn, because of the dearth. There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute.(taxes).and that upon our lands.(Numbers 26:53-56).and vineyards. Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children and lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants and some of our daughters are brought unto bondage already, neither is it in our power to redeem them, for other men have our lands and vineyards. And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words. Then I consulted with myself and I rebuked the nobles and the rulers and said unto them, You exact usury, every one of his brother. And I set a great assembly against them. And I said unto them, We after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the heathen and will you even sell your brethren? or shall they be sold unto us? Then held they their peace and found nothing to answer. Also I said, It is not good that you do. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies? I likewise and my brethren and my servants, might exact of them money and corn. I pray you, let us leave off this usury.

Nehemiah 5:11-13 Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money and of the corn, the wine and the oil, that you exact of them. Then said they, We will restore them and will require nothing of them, so will we do as you say. Then I called the priests and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this promise. Also I shook my lap.(Matthew Poole's Commentary:."this was a form of swearing then in use."; an action of contempt for what was being discussed).and said, So God shake out every man from his house and from his labour, that performs not this promise, even thus be he shaken out and emptied. And all the congregation said, Amen and praised the Lord. And the people did according to this promise.

Nehemiah 5:14 Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor.

Barnes Notes:."Have not, like other Persian governors, lived at the expense of the people under my government."

Nehemiah 5:15 But the former governors that had been before me were chargeable unto the people and had taken of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver, yea, even their servants bare rule over the people, but so did not I, because of the fear of God.

Nehemiah 7:5-62 And my God put into mine heart to gather together the nobles and the rulers and the people, that they might be reckoned by genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy of them which came up at the first and found written therein. These are the children of the province, that went up out of the captivity, of those that had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away and came again to Jerusalem and to Judah, every one unto his city; Who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah. The number, I say, of the men of the people of Israel was this. The children of Parosh, two thousand an hundred seventy and two.The children of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy and two. The children of Arah, six hundred fifty and two. The children of Pahathmoab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand and eight hundred [and] eighteen. The children of Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four. The children of Zattu, eight hundred forty and five. The children of Zaccai, seven hundred and threescore. The children of Binnui, six hundred forty and eight. The children of Bebai, six hundred twenty and eight. The children of Azgad, two thousand three hundred twenty and two. The children of Adonikam, six hundred threescore and seven. The children of Bigvai, two thousand threescore and seven. The children of Adin, six hundred fifty and five. The children of Ater of Hezekiah, ninety and eight. The children of Hashum, three hundred twenty and eight. The children of Bezai, three hundred twenty and four. The children of Hariph, an hundred and twelve. The children of Gibeon, ninety and five. The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, an hundred fourscore and eight. The men of Anathoth, an hundred twenty and eight. The men of Bethazmaveth, forty and two. The men of Kirjathjearim, Chephirah and Beeroth, seven hundred forty and three. The men of Ramah and Geba, six hundred twenty and one. The men of Michmas, an hundred and twenty and two. The men of Bethel and Ai, an hundred twenty and three. The men of the other Nebo, fifty and two. The children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four. The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty. The children of Jericho, three hundred forty and five. The children of Lod, Hadid and Ono, seven hundred twenty and one. The children of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty. The priests: the children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred seventy and three. The children of Immer, a thousand fifty and two. The children of Pashur, a thousand two hundred forty and seven. The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen. The Levites: the children of Jeshua, of Kadmiel, [and] of the children of Hodevah, seventy and four. The singers: the children of Asaph, an hundred forty and eight. The porters: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, an hundred thirty and eight. The Nethinims: the children of Ziha, the children of Hashupha, the children of Tabbaoth, The children of Keros, the children of Sia, the children of Padon, The children of Lebana, the children of Hagaba, the children of Shalmai, The children of Hanan, the children of Giddel, the children of Gahar, The children of Reaiah, the children of Rezin, the children of Nekoda, The children of Gazzam, the children of Uzza, the children of Phaseah, The children of Besai, the children of Meunim, the children of Nephishesim, The children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur, The children of Bazlith, the children of Mehida, the children of Harsha, The children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the children of Tamah, The children of Neziah, the children of Hatipha. The children of Solomon’s servants: the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Perida, The children of Jaala, the children of Darkon, the children of Giddel, The children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth of Zebaim, the children of Amon. All the Nethinims and the children of Solomon’s servants were three hundred ninety and two. And these were they which went up also from Telmelah, Telharesha, Cherub, Addon and Immer, but they could not show their father's house, nor their seed, whether they were of Israel. The children of Delaiah, the children of Tobiah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred forty and two.

Nehemiah 7:65 And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and Thummim.

Nehemiah 7:70 And some of the chief of the fathers gave unto the work. The Tirshatha gave to the treasure a thousand drams of gold, fifty basons, five hundred and thirty priests' garments.

Nehemiah 8:3 And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday before the men and the women and those that could comprehend and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.

Nehemiah 8:4 And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose and beside him stood Mattithiah and Shema and Anaiah and Urijah and Hilkiah and Maaseiah, on his right hand and on his left hand, Pedaiah and Mishael and Malchiah and Hashum and Hashbadana, Zechariah and Meshullam.

Nehemiah 8:10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat and drink the sweet and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared.(care for others). This day is holy unto you God. Neither be you sorry.(sorry is being painful in heart, grieving; avoid prolonged.negative thinking; what is your frequency of being human right now?), for the joy of God is your strength.(original 'strengthen', 'safety', 'protection', 'refuge', one's ability to stand up for what's right).

How to deal with a 'heart in your shoe' feeling.

Joy is what strengthened Christ to go through what he did:.Hebrews 12:2.

2Corinthians 1:24; 1John 1:4.

Nehemiah 9:6 You even you are God alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens with all their host, the Earth and all things that are therein, the seas and all that is therein and you preserve.(word 'preserve' in original is also 'quicken', 'revive', 'refresh'; God sustains the creation because.God is the great programmer).them all and the host of heaven worships.(word 'worship' means 'to give attention to' that which  is the absolute.ultimate of all we may know to be of intelligence, kindness, power and high consciousness:.Revelation 4:9,10).you.

Nehemiah 9:7 You are God, who did choose Abram and brought him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees and gave him the name of Abraham.

Nehemiah 9:11-15 And you did divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land and their persecutors you threw into the deeps as a stone into the mighty waters.(*). Moreover you led them in the day by a cloudy pillar and in the night by a pillar of fire to give them light in the way wherein they should go. You came down also upon mount Sinai and spake with them from heaven and gave them right judgments and true laws, good statutes and commandments and made known unto them your holy sabbath and commanded them precepts, statutes and laws, by the hand of Moses your servant and gave them bread from heaven.(*).for their hunger and brought forth water.(*).for them out of the rock for their thirst and promised them that they should go into and possess.(possess the land by taking it from those evil ones who were inhabiting it).the land which you had sworn to give them. 

Nehemiah 9:16 But they and our fathers dealt proudly and hardened their necks and hearkened not to your instructions.

What were the instructions, aka commandments, back then and what are they today?.Matthew 22:36-40.

Nehemiah 9:17 And refused to obey, neither were mindful of your wonders that you did among them, but hardened their necks and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage.(they even wanted to go back into the bondage from whence they had been released:.Numbers 14:2-4), but you are a God.ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness and forsook them not.

Isaiah 19:20,21.

Nehemiah 9:18 Yea, when they had made them a molten calf.(Exodus 32:1-8).and said, This is your god.(*).that brought you up out of Egypt.(out of the bondage they were subjected to in Egypt). The people had wrought great provocations against the true God.

Nehemiah 9:19 Yet you.(speaking of the real God).in your manifold mercies forsook them not in the wilderness. The pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way, neither the pillar of fire by night to show them light and the way wherein they should go.

Exodus 13:21; Numbers 10:34.

Nehemiah 9:20 You.(speaking of God).gave also your good spirit to instruct them and withheld not your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst.(*).

Nehemiah 9:21 Yea, forty years did you sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing. Their clothes waxed not old.(their clothes didn't wear out from the time they came out of Egyptian bondage into this 40 years of what's been called 'the wilderness wandering').and their feet swelled not.

Nehemiah 9:22-24 Moreover you.(God).gave them kingdoms and nations and did divide them into corners, so they possessed the land of Sihon and the land of the king of Heshbon and the land of Og king of Bashan. Their children also you multiplied as the stars of heaven and you brought them into the land.(Numbers 13:25-28), concerning which you had promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it. So the children went in and possessed the land and you subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and gave them into their hands with their kings and the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would. 

Nehemiah 9:25 And they took strong cities and a fat land and possessed houses full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards and oliveyards and fruit trees in abundance, so they did eat and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in great goodness.

Nehemiah 9:26,27 Nevertheless they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their backs and slew your prophets which testified against them to turn them to you and they wrought great provocations. Therefore you delivered them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them and in the time of their trouble when they cried unto you, you heard them from heaven and according to your manifold mercies you gave them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.

Psalms 78:21,22.

Nehemiah 9:28 But after they had rest, they did evil again before you, therefore you left them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them. Yet when they returned.(from their bad way).and cried unto you for help, you heard them from heaven and many times did you deliver them according to your mercies.

Nehemiah 9:29 And testified against them, that you might bring them again unto your law. Yet they dealt proudly and hearkened not unto your commandments, but sinned against your judgments, which if a man do, he shall live in them.(example in Mark 10:22-26).and withdrew the shoulder and hardened their neck and would not hear. 

Nehemiah 9:30 Yet many years did you forbear them and testified against them by your spirit in your prophets, yet would they not give ear. Therefore gave you them into the hand of the people of the lands.

Nehemiah 9:31 Nevertheless for your great mercies' sake you did not utterly consume them, nor forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God. 

Nehemiah 9:32,33 Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty and the terrible God, who keeps covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before you, that has come upon us, on our kings, on our princes and on our priests and on our prophets and on our fathers and on all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day. Howbeit you art just in all that is brought upon us, for you have done right, but we have done wickedly.

Psalms 81:15.

Nehemiah 10:28 And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the porters, the singers, the Nethinims and all they that had separated themselves from the people of the lands unto the law of God, their wives, their sons and their daughters, every one having knowledge and having understanding.

Nehemiah 11:1 And the rulers of the people dwelt at Jerusalem. The rest of the people also cast lots, to bring one of ten to dwell in Jerusalem the holy city and nine parts to dwell in other cities.

Nehemiah 11:3 Now these are the chief of the province that dwelt in Jerusalem, but in the cities of Judah.(map).dwelt every one in his possession in their cities, to wit, Israel, the priests.(Leviticus 24:6-9).and the Levites and the Nethinims and the children of Solomon's servants.

Nehemiah 12:23-25 The sons of Levi, the chief of the fathers, were written in the book of the chronicles, even until the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib. And the chief of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brethren over against them, to praise and to give thanks, according to the commandment of David the man of God, ward over against ward. Mattaniah and Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, Akkub, were porters keeping the ward at the thresholds of the gates.

Nehemiah 12:26 These were in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua the son of Jozadak and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra the priest, the scribe.

Nehemiah 12:27,28 And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings and with singing, with cymbals, psalteries.(harp, lute, guitar, musical instrument).and with harps. And the sons of the singers gathered themselves together, both out of the plain country round about Jerusalem and from the villages of Netophathi.

Nehemiah 13:19 And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath. And some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day.

Nehemiah 13:24 And their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod and could not speak in the Jews' language, but according to the language of each people.

Nehemiah 13:25 And I contended with them and cursed them and smote certain of them and plucked off their hair and made them swear by God, saying, You shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons or for yourselves.

Nehemiah 13:26 Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? Yet among many nations was there no king like him.(why?), who was beloved of his God and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless.even he allowed did outlandish.(Solomon liked exotic women).women to cause him to sin.

Nehemiah 13:29 Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites.

....next Old Testament book is Esther