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Nehemiah 4:1-14
English Standard Version
Nehemiah 4:1-14
English Standard Version
Opposition to the Work
4 [a] Now when (A)Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews. 2 And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of (B)Samaria, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves?[b] Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?” 3 (C)Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Yes, what they are building—(D)if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!” 4 (E)Hear, O our God, for we are despised. (F)Turn back their taunt on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives. 5 (G)Do not cover their guilt, and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders.
6 So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.
7 [c] But when (H)Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry. 8 (I)And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it. 9 And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.
10 In Judah it was said,[d] “The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall.” 11 And our enemies said, “They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work.” 12 At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, “You must return to us.”[e] 13 So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 14 And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, (J)“Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, (K)who is great and awesome, (L)and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Nehemiah 4:1 Ch 3:33 in Hebrew
- Nehemiah 4:2 Or Will they commit themselves to God?
- Nehemiah 4:7 Ch 4:1 in Hebrew
- Nehemiah 4:10 Hebrew Judah said
- Nehemiah 4:12 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
Nehemiah 4:1-14
New International Version
Nehemiah 4:1-14
New International Version
Opposition to the Rebuilding
4 [a]When Sanballat(A) heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, 2 and in the presence of his associates(B) and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble(C)—burned as they are?”
3 Tobiah(D) the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!”(E)
4 Hear us, our God, for we are despised.(F) Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. 5 Do not cover up their guilt(G) or blot out their sins from your sight,(H) for they have thrown insults in the face of[b] the builders.
6 So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.
7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah,(I) the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. 8 They all plotted together(J) to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. 9 But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.
10 Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers(K) is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”
11 Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”
12 Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”
13 Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. 14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid(L) of them. Remember(M) the Lord, who is great and awesome,(N) and fight(O) for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
Footnotes
- Nehemiah 4:1 In Hebrew texts 4:1-6 is numbered 3:33-38, and 4:7-23 is numbered 4:1-17.
- Nehemiah 4:5 Or have aroused your anger before
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 International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.