John Gill Commentary Nehemiah 1:6

"Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee at this time, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants while I confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee. Yea, I and my father`s house have sinned:" — Nehemiah 1:6 (ASV)

Let your ear be now attentive
To his prayer, as in (Nehemiah 1:11) ,

and your eyes open ;
to behold with pity and compassion the distressed case of Jerusalem, and the Jews in it:

I pray before you now, day and night, for the children of Israel your
servants ;
this he had continued to do ever since he heard of their trouble and calamity:

and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned
against you: both I and my father's house have sinned ;
he considered sin as the cause of all this evil that had befallen his people, and confesses it with sorrow and humiliation, and not their sins only, but his own personal and family sins.