Nehemiah 2:5
And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers’ sepulchres, that I may build it.
Cross-references
In Nehemiah 13:6, Nehemiah later returns to the king for leave — continuing the pattern of seeking permission begun here.
Ezra 5:17 uses the same 'if it seem good to the king' phrase in a similar petition to a Persian king about rebuilding.
Esther 1:19 also uses 'if it please the king' in a royal court request, showing typical Persian protocol.
Esther 5:8 combines 'found favour' and 'if it please the king' – identical phrasing for a queen's request.
Esther 7:3 repeats the exact formula 'if I have found favour... and if it please the king' – a precise parallel.
Esther 8:5 uses the same dual clause 'if it please the king' and 'found favour' in another royal petition.
In Isaiah 58:12, the promise to rebuild old wastes resonates with Nehemiah's mission to rebuild Jerusalem's walls.