Nehemiah 2:3 — Meaning and Application

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.

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, {lieth} waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?

Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou 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.