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:

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.

Psalm 144

Of David.

The Two Witnesses

11 I was given a reed like a measuring rod^(A) and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers. ² But exclude the outer court;^(B) do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles.^(C) They will trample on the holy city^(D) for 42 months.^{(E) 3} And I will appoint my two witnesses,^(F) and they will prophesy for 1,260 days,^(G) clothed in sackcloth.”^{(H) 4} They are “the two olive trees”^(I) and the two lampstands, and “they stand before the Lord of the earth.”^{[a](J) 5} If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies.^(K) This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die.^{(L) 6} They have power to shut up the heavens^(M) so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying;^(N) and they have power to turn the waters into blood^(O) and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.

⁷ Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast^(P) that comes up from the Abyss^(Q) will attack them,^(R) and overpower and kill them. ⁸ Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city^(S)—which is figuratively called Sodom^(T) and Egypt—where also their Lord was crucified.^{(U) 9} For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nation^(V) will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial.^{(W) 10} The inhabitants of the earth^(X) will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts,^(Y) because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.

¹¹ But after the three and a half days^(Z) the breath^[b] of life from God entered them,^(AA) and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. ¹² Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.”^(AB) And they went up to heaven in a cloud,^(AC) while their enemies looked on.

¹³ At that very hour there was a severe earthquake^(AD) and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory^(AE) to the God of heaven.^(AF)

¹⁴ The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.^(AG)

The Seventh Trumpet

¹⁵ The seventh angel sounded his trumpet,^(AH) and there were loud voices^(AI) in heaven, which said:

¹⁶ And the twenty-four elders,^(AL) who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces^(AM) and worshiped God, ¹⁷ saying:

¹⁹ Then God’s temple^(AV) in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant.^(AW) And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder,^(AX) an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.^(AY)