² Sanballat and Geshem sent a message to me, saying, “Come, let’s meet together ^[a]at Chephirim in the plain of ^(A)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.