⁹ For on the first of the first month ^[a]he began to go up from Babylon; and on the first of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, ^(A)because the good hand of his God was upon him.

²⁸ and ^(A)has extended lovingkindness to me before the king and his counselors and before all the king’s mighty princes. Thus I was strengthened according to ^(B)the hand of the Lord my God upon me, and I gathered ^[a]leading men from Israel to go up with me.

²² For I was ashamed to request from the king troops and horsemen to ^[a]protect us from the enemy on the way, because we had said to the king, “^(A)The hand of our God is ^[b]favorably disposed to all those who seek Him, but ^(B)His power and His anger are against all those who ^(C)forsake Him.”