Nehemiah

Nehemiah son of Hacaliah was the cupbearer of the Persian king Artaxerxes I who, upon hearing of Jerusalem's ruined walls and gates, obtained royal authorization and led a group of Jews back to rebuild the city in approximately 445 BCE. Despite opposition from Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem—who alternated between mockery, conspiracy, and threats—Nehemiah organized the work so that the entire wall was rebuilt in fifty-two days (Nehemiah 6:15). His administration included social reforms against usury and exploitation of the poor, enforcement of Sabbath observance, and attention to tithes and Temple service. He served two terms as governor and his memoirs, preserved in the book bearing his name, are among the most personal first-person narratives in the Old Testament.