The Assignment of the Mission: 2:1–3 For some reason, Nehemiah had to wait four months after receiving the bad news about Jerusalem, before his chance came to present his case to the king. Verse 1 describes the procedure for serving the wine: servants brought it into the royal presence and Nehemiah poured it, probably after sampling it to check for poison. Evidently he had hidden his grief while on duty, but this time it showed—perhaps on purpose—and attracted the king’s attention. His concerned question about Nehemiah’s unhappiness launches the first of three interchanges in verses 2–8. Each question Artaxerxes asks is more specific as the dialogue continues, and his courtier gives answers ever more germane to the mission he wanted to fulfill. His reaction of acute anxiety seems to reflec…