The Promise of Restoration
(Nehemiah 1:1–11)

1And it being when all these words shall come upon thee, the blessing, and the curse which I gave before thee, and thou shalt turn back to thy heart in all these nations where Jehovah thy God thrust thee away there, 2And thou turnedst back to Jehovah thy God, and heardst to his voice according to all which I command thee this day, thou and thy sons, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul: 3And Jehovah thy God turned back thy captivity, and pitied thee, and he turned back and gathered thee from all the peoples, where Jehovah thy God scattered thee there. 4If thy expelling shall be to the end of the heavens, from there thy God will gather thee, and from there he will take thee: 5And Jehovah thy God brought thee to the land which thy fathers inherited, and thou inheritedst it: and he did good to thee and multiplied thee above thy fathers.

6And Jehovah thy God circumcised thy heart and the heart of thy seed, to love Jehovah thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, for the sake of thy life. 7And Jehovah thy God gave all these curses upon thine enemies and upon those hating thee, who chased thee. 8And thou shalt turn back and hear to the voice of Jehovah, and do all his commands which I command thee this day. 9And Jehovah thy God caused thee to abound in every work of thy hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land for good: for Jehovah will turn back to be glad over thee for good as he was glad over thy fathers: 10If thou shalt hear to the voice of Jehovah thy God to watch his commands and his laws written in the book of this law, if thou shalt turn back to Jehovah thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

The Choice of Life or Death

11For this command which I command thee this day, it was not great for thee, and it was not far off. 12It is not in the heavens to say, Who shall go up for us to the heavens to take it to us and cause us to hear it and do it? 13And it is not beyond the sea, to say, Who shall pass over for us to the other side of the sea, and take it to us and cause us to hear it and do it? 14For the word is very near to thee in thy mouth and in thy heart to do it.

15See, I gave before thy face this day the life and the good, and the death and the evil; 16That I command thee this day to love Jehovah thy God, to go in his ways, to watch his commands and his laws and his judgments, and live thou and multiply: and Jehovah thy God blessed thee in the land which thou wentest there to possess it. 17And if thy heart shall turn aside and thou shalt not hear, and be thrust away and worship to other gods, and serve them; 18I announced to you this day that perishing, ye shall perish; ye shall not prolong the days upon the land which thou passest over Jordan to go in there to possess it. 19I called to witness against you this day the heavens and the earth, the life and the death I gave before thee, the blessing and the curse: and choose upon life, so that thou shalt live, thou and thy seed: 20To love Jehovah thy God; to hear to his voice and to cleave to him (for this thy life and the length of thy days) to dwell upon the land which Jehovah aware to thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaak, and to Jacob, to give to them.