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Nehemiah 6
New International Version
Nehemiah 6
New International Version
Further Opposition to the Rebuilding
6 When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah,(A) Geshem(B) the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it—though up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates— 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages[a] on the plain of Ono.(C)”
But they were scheming to harm me; 3 so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” 4 Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.
5 Then, the fifth time, Sanballat(D) sent his aide to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter 6 in which was written:
“It is reported among the nations—and Geshem[b](E) says it is true—that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you are building the wall. Moreover, according to these reports you are about to become their king 7 and have even appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem: ‘There is a king in Judah!’ Now this report will get back to the king; so come, let us meet together.”
8 I sent him this reply: “Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.”
9 They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.”
But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”
10 One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, “Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple(F), and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you—by night they are coming to kill you.”
11 But I said, “Should a man like me run away? Or should someone like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!” 12 I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me(G) because Tobiah and Sanballat(H) had hired him. 13 He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me.(I)
14 Remember(J) Tobiah and Sanballat,(K) my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophet(L) Noadiah and how she and the rest of the prophets(M) have been trying to intimidate me. 15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.
Opposition to the Completed Wall
16 When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.
17 Also, in those days the nobles of Judah were sending many letters to Tobiah, and replies from Tobiah kept coming to them. 18 For many in Judah were under oath to him, since he was son-in-law to Shekaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah. 19 Moreover, they kept reporting to me his good deeds and then telling him what I said. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.
Footnotes
- Nehemiah 6:2 Or in Kephirim
- Nehemiah 6:6 Hebrew Gashmu, a variant of Geshem
Nehemiah 6
English Standard Version
Nehemiah 6
English Standard Version
Conspiracy Against Nehemiah
6 Now when (A)Sanballat and Tobiah and (B)Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left in it ((C)although up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates), 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of (D)Ono.” But they intended to do me harm. 3 And 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 And they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner. 5 In the same way Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand. 6 In it was written, “It is reported among the nations, and Geshem[a] also says it, that you and (E)the Jews intend to rebel; that is why you are building the wall. And according to these reports you wish to become their king. 7 And you have also set up prophets to proclaim concerning you in Jerusalem, ‘There is a king in Judah.’ And now the king will hear of these reports. So now come and let us take counsel together.” 8 Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say have been done, for you are inventing them out of your own mind.” 9 For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.” But now, O God,[b] strengthen my hands.
10 Now when I went into the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was (F)confined to his home, he said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple. Let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you. They are coming to kill you by night.” 11 But I said, “Should such a man as I run away? And what man such as I could go into the temple and live?[c] I will not go in.” 12 And I understood and saw that God had not sent him, (G)but he had pronounced the prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 For this purpose he was hired, that I should be afraid and act in this way and sin, and so they could give me a bad name in order to taunt me. 14 (H)Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, according to these things that they did, and also (I)the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who wanted to make me afraid.
The Wall Is Finished
15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 And (J)when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, (K)for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. 17 Moreover, in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters 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 (L)Arah: and his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of (M)Meshullam the son of Berechiah as his wife. 19 Also they spoke of his good deeds in my presence and reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to make me afraid.
Footnotes
- Nehemiah 6:6 Hebrew Gashmu
- Nehemiah 6:9 Hebrew lacks O God
- Nehemiah 6:11 Or would go into the temple to save his life
Nehemiah 6
New American Standard Bible
Nehemiah 6
New American Standard Bible
The Enemy’s Plot
6 Now when it was reported to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and to the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall, and that no breach was left in it, (A)although at that time I had not installed the doors in the gates, 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent a message to me, saying, “Come, let’s meet together [a]at Chephirim in the plain of (B)Ono.” But they were plotting to [b]harm me. 3 So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and am unable to come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” 4 Then they sent messages to me four times worded in this way, and I answered them with the same wording. 5 Then Sanballat sent his servant to me in the same way 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 intend to rebel; for that reason 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’s consult together.” 8 Then I sent a message to him saying, “Nothing like these things that you are saying has 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)God, strengthen my hands.
10 When I entered the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, (F)who was confined at home, he said, “Let’s meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let’s 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 who is there like me who would go into the temple [h]to save his own life? I will not go in.” 12 Then I realized [i]that God certainly 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 would become frightened and act accordingly and sin, so that they might have an evil report in order that they could taunt me. 14 (I)Remember, my God, Tobiah and Sanballat in accordance with 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 about it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it, they [j]lost their confidence; for (M)they realized that this work had been accomplished [k]with the help of our God. 17 Also in those days many letters went from the nobles of Judah to Tobiah, and [l]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 were reporting my words to him. Then Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.
Footnotes
- Nehemiah 6:2 LXX in the villages in
- Nehemiah 6:2 Lit do evil to me
- Nehemiah 6:6 In v 1 and elsewhere, Geshem
- Nehemiah 6:7 Lit you, saying
- Nehemiah 6:8 Lit from your heart
- Nehemiah 6:9 Lit saying,
- Nehemiah 6:9 Lit Their hands will go slack from
- Nehemiah 6:11 Lit and live
- Nehemiah 6:12 Lit and behold God had not
- Nehemiah 6:16 Lit fell exceedingly in their own eyes
- Nehemiah 6:16 Lit from our God
- Nehemiah 6:17 Lit what was Tobiah’s came
Nehemiah 6
Common English Bible
Nehemiah 6
Common English Bible
Nehemiah avoids his enemies
6 Now when Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and that there were no gaps left in it (although I hadn’t yet hung the doors in the gates), 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let’s meet together in one of the villages[a] in the plain of Ono.”
But they wanted to harm me, 3 so I sent messengers to tell them, “I’m doing important work, so I can’t come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to come down to you?”
4 They sent me a message like this four times, and every time I gave them a similar reply. 5 But the fifth time, Sanballat sent his servant to me in the same way, except that now he carried an open letter. 6 It stated:
It is reported among the nations and confirmed by Geshem[b] that you and the Jews intend to rebel. This is why you are rebuilding the wall. According to these reports, you intend to become their king. 7 You have also appointed prophets to make this announcement about you in Jerusalem: There is a king in Judah! Now, the king will hear of these reports, so come; let’s talk together.
8 So I sent him this reply: “Nothing that you say has happened. You are simply inventing this.”
9 All of them were trying to make us afraid, saying, “They will be discouraged, and the work won’t get finished.” But now, God, strengthen me!
10 Later I went to see Shemaiah, Delaiah’s son and Mehetabel’s grandson, who was confined to his house, and he said:
“Let’s meet together in God’s house,
inside the temple itself.
Let’s shut the doors of the temple,
for they are coming to kill you;
they are coming to kill you tonight!”
11 But I replied, “Should someone like me run away? Who like me would go into the temple to save his life? I won’t go in!” 12 Then I realized that God hadn’t sent him at all but that he spoke this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 He was hired to frighten me and to make me sin by acting in this way. Then they could give me a bad name and discredit me. 14 My God, remember these deeds of Tobiah and Sanballat! Also remember Noadiah the prophetess and the rest of the prophets who have been trying to frighten me.
15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul.[c] It took fifty-two days. 16 When our enemies heard about this, all of the nations around us were afraid and their confidence was greatly shaken. They knew that this work was completed with the help of our God.
17 In addition, in those days the officials of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters were coming to them. 18 Many in Judah were bound to him by solemn pledge because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah, Arah’s son, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam, Berechiah’s son. 19 They also kept talking about his good deeds in my presence and then reported back to him what I said. In addition, Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.
Footnotes
- Nehemiah 6:2 LXX, Vulg; MT at Hakkephirim
- Nehemiah 6:6 Or Gashmu
- Nehemiah 6:15 August–September
Nehemiah 6
Contemporary English Version
Nehemiah 6
Contemporary English Version
Plots against Nehemiah
6 Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem, and our other enemies learned that I had completely rebuilt the wall. All I lacked was hanging the doors in the gates. 2 Then Sanballat and Geshem sent a message, asking me to meet with them in one of the villages in Ono Valley. I knew they were planning to harm me in some way. 3 So I sent messengers to tell them, “My work is too important to stop now and go there. I can't afford to slow down the work just to visit with you.” 4 They invited me four times, but each time I refused to go.
5 Finally, Sanballat sent an official to me with an unsealed letter, 6 which said:
A rumor is going around among the nations that you and the other Jews are rebuilding the wall and planning to rebel, because you want to be their king. And Geshem[a] says it's true! 7 You even have prophets in Jerusalem, claiming you are now the king of Judah. You know the Persian king will hear about this, so let's get together and talk it over.
8 I sent a message back to Sanballat, saying, “None of this is true! You are making it all up.”
9 Our enemies were trying to frighten us and to keep us from our work. But I asked God to give me strength.
10 One day I went to visit Shemaiah.[b] He wasn't supposed to leave his house, but he said, “Let's hurry to the holy place of the temple and hide there.[c] We will lock the temple doors, because your enemies are planning to kill you tonight.”
11 I answered, “Why should someone like me have to run and hide in the temple to save my life? I won't go!”
12 Suddenly I realized that God had not given Shemaiah this message. But Tobiah and Sanballat had paid him to trick me 13 and to frighten me into doing something wrong, because they wanted to ruin my good name.
14 Then I asked God to punish Tobiah and Sanballat for what they had done. I prayed that God would punish the prophet Noadiah and the other prophets who, together with her, had tried to frighten me.
The Work Is Finished
15 On the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul,[d] the wall was completely rebuilt. It had taken 52 days. 16 When our enemies in the surrounding nations learned that the work was finished, they felt helpless, because they knew that our God had helped us rebuild the wall.
17 All this time the Jewish leaders and Tobiah had been writing letters back and forth. 18 Many people in Judah were loyal to Tobiah for two reasons: Shecaniah son of Arah was his father-in-law, and Tobiah's son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah.[e] 19 The people would always tell me about the good things Tobiah had done, and then they would tell Tobiah everything I had said. So Tobiah kept sending letters, trying to frighten me.
Footnotes
- 6.6 Geshem: Hebrew “Gashmu” (see verse 1 and 2.19).
- 6.10 Shemaiah: Hebrew “Shemaiah son of Delaiah son of Mehetabel.”
- 6.10 holy place … hide there: Only priests were allowed to enter the holy place; anyone else could be put to death.
- 6.15 Elul: The sixth month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-August to mid-September.
- 6.18 Shecaniah … Berechiah: Jews who had helped rebuild the Jerusalem wall (see 3.4,29, 30).
New International Version (NIV) 
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English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Common English Bible (CEB)
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible
Contemporary English Version (CEV) 
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.