About seventy years after the rebuilding of the temple at Jerusalem a committee of Jews went to Persia to seek aid for their distressed country from their more prosperous kinsfolk.  In the Persian capital, Susa, they found a man named Nehemiah, who was cup-bearer and personal adviser to the king of Persia.  He was a man of good sense, of kindly sympathy, and of great ability—­just the man to help them.  They told him how the walls of the city of their fathers had never been rebuilt in all these years since the Babylonians had captured it, and how the poor people suffered from robbers and oppressors, who took advantage of their helplessness.

NEHEMIAH’S GREAT ADVENTURE

All this was news to the young man.  They did not have newspapers and magazines in those days, and people in one part of the world knew little about what was going on in other parts, even those near by.  The stories told by his brother Jews made Nehemiah sad, and his sadness showed in his face even when he came before the king.  This was dangerous, for a part of his duty was to keep the king in a cheerful humor.  But his Majesty was not angry, but asked him “Why are you so sad?” Nehemiah answered by telling him the story of his native land and its pitiable condition; and then and there with a prayer in his heart he asked the king to give him a leave of absence, and to permit him to go to Jerusalem and help the people there to rebuild the walls.

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| [Illustration:  REMAINS OF WALLS OF THE CANAANITE CITY, MEGIDDO]   |
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| [Illustration:  PART OF CITY WALL AND GATE, SAMARIA]               |
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| Cuts on this page used by permission of the Palestine Exploration |
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=Why walls were greatly needed.=—­All cities in those days were surrounded by walls.  These were necessary, because no government had yet been strong enough to rid the country of the bands of robbers who made their dens in almost every cave or lonely valley.  Not only the road between Jerusalem and Jericho, of which Jesus tells, but on almost all roads one was in danger of falling among thieves.  In the deserts on the edge of Palestine whole tribes lived by robbery, and were large enough and well enough organized to defeat good-sized armies.  Hence no city was safe unless it was well fortified.

Nehemiah’s request was granted by the king of Persia.  So, with letters to the governors of the provinces through which he was to pass, the young leader set out, perhaps on camel-back, to Jerusalem.  After looking about and seeing for himself the condition of the city, and the work which needed to be done, he called the people together and proposed that they rebuild the walls.  His energy carried the day.  They answered, “Let us rise up and build.”