Hanani

So let me keep reading.

Now what happened in the month of Kislev in the 20th year as I was in Susa the citadel? The Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah.

And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem.

And they said to me, the remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame.

hello and welcome to day 263 in the not alone today chronological bible reading plan today we are reading nehemiah chapter one and we are still in the english standard version chapter one the words of nehemiah the son of akalaya Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year as I was in Susa the citadel, that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah.

And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem.

And they said to me, The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame.

And we're told that the enemies of the Jews, the enemies of those who were trying to make this rebuilding happen, they enforced that instruction from Artaxerxes by fire and by sword.

And so Nehemiah opens up almost as a continuation from that episode to say, now that King Artaxerxes, whom Nehemiah is also serving, by the way, As given this instruction that halted the construction on the walls of Jerusalem, it happened with some violence, with some burning down of things, with some sword, with some killings.

And one of the Imayas' relatives by the name of Hanani had come.

And the Imaya is making inquiries pretty much to say, how is everything back home? And he is saying, actually, those who survived the violence that came as a result of the decree of the king, they are not living well at all.

The city and the walls are in shambles and everything is burnt down.

reading from the first book of Kings, beginning with the 16th chapter, the first verse.

And the word of the Lord came to Jehu, the son of Hanani, against Baasha, saying, Since I exalted you out of the dust and made you leader over my people Israel, And you have walked in the way of Jeroboam, and have made my people Israel to sin, provoking me to anger with their sins.

Behold, I will utterly sweep away Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat.

Anyone belonging to Baasha who dies in the city, the dogs shall eat.

And anyone of his who dies in the field, the birds of the heavens shall eat.

Now the rest of the acts of Baasha and what he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? And Baasha slept with his fathers, and was buried at Tirzah, and Elah his son reigned in his place.

Moreover, the word of the Lord came by the prophet Jehu, the son of Hanani, against Baasha and his house, both because of all the evil that he did in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and also because he destroyed it.

In the twenty-sixth year of Asa, king of Judah, Elah, the son of Baasha, began to reign over Israel in Tirzah, and he reigned two years.

He fell hard to the floor and felt the cold sting of the stone floor against his cheek.

The words of Hanani, one of the men who had come from Judah, still echoed in his mind.

"People are in great trouble and disgrace, Nehemiah.

The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, her gates burned with fire."

His eyes remained on the eastern skies.

I leave for Jerusalem within the week.

Hanani let out a quiet breath of disbelief.

You're really going, after all these years?

Then King Asa took all of Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Basha had been building, and with them he built Geba and Mitzpah.

At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, Because you relied on the king of Syria and did not rely on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you.

Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the Lord, he gave them into your hand.

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.

The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah.

Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the capital, that Hanani, one of my brethren, came with certain men out of Judah.

And I asked them concerning the Jews that survived, who had escaped exile, and concerning Jerusalem.

And they said to me, “The survivors there in the province, who escaped exile, are in great trouble and shame.