6.  Now  there  was  one  of  tliose  Jews  who  had
been  carried  captive,  who  was  cupbearer  to  king
Xerxes ;  his  name  was  Nehemiah.  As  this  man
was  walking  before  Susa,  the  metropolis  of  the
Persians,  he  heard  some  strangers  that  were
entering  the  city,  after  a  long  journey,  speaking
to  one  another  in  the  Hebrew  tongue ;  so  he  went
to  them  and  asked  from  whence  they  came;  and
when  their  answer  was,  that  they  came  from
Judea,  he  began  to  inquire  of  them  again  in
what  state  the  multitude  was,  And  in  what  con-
dition Jerusalem  was  :  and  when  they  reiilied
that  they  were  in  a  bad  state,*  for  that  their
walls  were  thrown  down  to  the  ground,  and  that
the  neighbouring  nations  did  a  great  deal  of  mis-
<;hief  to  the  Jews,  while  in  the  daytime  they
overran  the  country  and  pUlaged  it,  and  in  the
night  did  them  mischief,  insomuch  that  not  a
few  were  led  away  cajitive  out  of  the  country,
and  out  of  Jerusalem  itself,  and  that  the  roads
were  in  the  daytime  found  full  of  dead  men.
