The Enemy’s Plot

6 Now when it was reported to Sanballat, Tobiah, to Geshem the Arab and to the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall, and that no breach remained in it, ^(A)although at that time I had not set up the doors in the gates, ² then Sanballat and Geshem sent a message to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together at ^[a]Chephirim in the plain of ^(B)Ono.” But they were planning to ^[b]harm me. ³ So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” ⁴ They sent messages to me four times in this manner, and I answered them in the same way. ⁵ Then Sanballat sent his servant to me in the same manner a fifth time with an open letter in his hand. ⁶ In it was written, “It is reported among the nations, and ^[c]Gashmu says, that ^(C)you and the Jews are planning to rebel; therefore you are rebuilding the wall. And you are to be their king, according to these reports. ⁷ You have also appointed prophets to proclaim in Jerusalem concerning ^[d]you, ‘A king is in Judah!’ And now it will be reported to the king according to these reports. So come now, let us take counsel together.” ⁸ Then I sent a message to him saying, “Such things as you are saying have not been done, but you are ^(D)inventing them ^[e]in your own mind.” ⁹ For all of them were trying to frighten us, ^[f]thinking, “^[g]They will become discouraged with the work and it will not be done.” But now, ^(E)O God, strengthen my hands.

¹⁰ When I entered the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, ^(F)who was ^[h]confined at home, he said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you, and they are coming to kill you at night.” ¹¹ But I said, “^(G)Should a man like me flee? And could one such as I go into the temple ^[i]to save his life? I will not go in.” ¹² Then I perceived ^[j]that surely God had not sent him, but he uttered his prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. ¹³ He was hired for this reason, ^(H)that I might become frightened and act accordingly and sin, so that they might have an evil report in order that they could reproach me. ^14 (I)Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat according to these works of theirs, and also Noadiah ^(J)the prophetess and the rest of the prophets who were trying to frighten me.

The Wall Is Finished

¹⁵ So ^(K)the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. ^16 (L)When all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it, they ^[k]lost their confidence; for ^(M)they recognized that this work had been accomplished ^[l]with the help of our God. ¹⁷ Also in those days many letters went from the nobles of Judah to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them. ¹⁸ For many in Judah were bound by oath to him because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah. ¹⁹ Moreover, they were speaking about his good deeds in my presence and reported my words to him. Then Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.

Prayer for Rescue and Prosperity.

A Psalm of David.

The Two Witnesses

11 Then there was given me a ^[a](A)measuring rod like a staff; ^[b]and ^(B)someone said, “Get up and measure the ^[c]temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. ^2 [d]Leave out the ^(C)court which is outside the ^[e]temple and do not measure it, for ^(D)it has been given to the nations; and they will ^(E)tread under foot ^(F)the holy city for ^(G)forty-two months. ³ And I will grant authority to my two ^(H)witnesses, and they will prophesy for ^(I)twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in ^(J)sackcloth.” ⁴ These are the ^(K)two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. ⁵ And if anyone wants to harm them, ^(L)fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to harm them, ^(M)he must be killed in this way. ⁶ These have the power to ^(N)shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during ^(O)the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to ^(P)turn them into blood, and ^(Q)to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.

⁷ When they have finished their testimony, ^(R)the beast that comes up out of the ^(S)abyss will ^(T)make war with them, and overcome them and kill them. ⁸ And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the ^(U)great city which ^[f]mystically is called ^(V)Sodom and ^(W)Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. ⁹ Those from ^(X)the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead ^[g]bodies for three and a half days, and ^[h](Y)will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. ¹⁰ And ^(Z)those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will ^(AA)send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented ^(AB)those who dwell on the earth.

¹¹ But after the three and a half days, ^(AC)the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them. ¹² And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “^(AD)Come up here.” Then they ^(AE)went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them. ¹³ And in that hour there was a great ^(AF)earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; ^[i]seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and ^(AG)gave glory to the ^(AH)God of heaven.

¹⁴ The second ^(AI)woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly.

The Seventh Trumpet—Christ’s Reign Foreseen

¹⁵ Then the ^(AJ)seventh angel sounded; and there were ^(AK)loud voices in heaven, saying,

“^(AL)The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of ^(AM)His ^[j]Christ; and ^(AN)He will reign forever and ever.” ¹⁶ And the twenty-four elders, who ^(AO)sit on their thrones before God, ^(AP)fell on their faces and worshiped God, ¹⁷ saying,

“We give You thanks, ^(AQ)O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to ^(AR)reign. ¹⁸ And ^(AS)the nations were enraged, and ^(AT)Your wrath came, and ^(AU)the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to ^[k]reward Your ^(AV)bond-servants the prophets and the ^[l]saints and those who fear Your name, ^(AW)the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”

¹⁹ And ^(AX)the ^[m]temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and ^(AY)the ark of His covenant appeared in His ^[n]temple, and there were flashes of ^(AZ)lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a ^(BA)great ^[o]hailstorm.