Nehemiah as cup-bearer to Artaxerxes I (French bible, c. –) The Rebuilding of Jerusalem In the 20th year of Artaxerxes ( or BC), [5] Nehemiah was cup-bearer to the king. [6] Learning that the remnant population in Judea were in distress and that the walls of Jerusalem were broken down, he asked the king for permission to return and rebuild the city (Nehemiah ) around