敵人陰謀阻撓重建

參巴拉、多比雅、阿拉伯人基善和我們其餘的敵人聽說我已修完城牆,沒有留下任何缺口——那時我還沒有為城門安上門扇—— 參巴拉和基善就派人告訴我說:「來,我們在阿挪平原的一個村莊見面吧。」其實他們想要害我。 我派人回覆他們說:「我正在做一件大工程,不能下去見你們。我怎能停止工作下去見你們呢?」 他們四次派人來告訴我,每次我都這樣拒絕了。 參巴拉第五次派人送來一封未封口的信, 上面寫著:「各國都在謠傳,基善也說,你和猶太人計劃謀反,因而才修建城牆,據說你要做他們的王。 你還派先知在耶路撒冷指著你預言說,『猶大有王了。』如今王必聽到這些傳聞。所以你還是來與我們一同商議吧。」 我就派人答覆他說:「你所說的並非事實,是你心裡捏造的。」 因為他們想恐嚇我們,以為我們會嚇得手發軟,無法完成工程。但上帝啊,求你使我的手有力量!

10 我到米希達別的孫子、第來雅的兒子示瑪雅的家中,那時他正閉門不出。他對我說:「我們在上帝的殿裡會面,要關上殿門,因為他們要來殺你,要在夜間殺你。」 11 但我回答說:「像我這樣的人豈能逃跑?豈能進入殿裡保命?我決不進去。」 12 我察覺上帝並沒有差派他,他是被多比雅和參巴拉收買才說預言攻擊我的。 13 他們收買他是為了恐嚇我,使我依從他去犯罪,好毀壞我的名聲、羞辱我。 14 我的上帝啊,求你按照他們的行為報應多比雅、參巴拉、女先知挪亞底及其他恐嚇我的先知。

工程竣工

15 以祿月[a]二十五日城牆竣工,前後用了五十二天。 16 我們的敵人和周圍各國聽說後,都感到懼怕和氣餒,因為他們知道這工作是在上帝的幫助下完成的。 17 在那些日子,多比雅和猶大貴族之間多有書信來往。 18 在猶大有很多人與多比雅結盟,因為他是亞拉的兒子示迦尼的女婿,他兒子約哈難又娶了比利迦的兒子米書蘭的女兒為妻。 19 他們常告訴我有關多比雅的善行,並把我的話告訴他。多比雅不斷寫信恐嚇我。

Footnotes

  1. 6·15 以祿月」即希伯來曆的六月,陽曆是八月中旬到九月中旬。

Conspiracy Against Nehemiah

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), 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. 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?” And they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner. In the same way Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand. 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. 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.” 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.” 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

  1. Nehemiah 6:6 Hebrew Gashmu
  2. Nehemiah 6:9 Hebrew lacks O God
  3. Nehemiah 6:11 Or would go into the temple to save his life

Further Opposition to the Rebuilding

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— 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; 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?” Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.

Then, the fifth time, Sanballat(D) sent his aide to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter 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 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.”

I sent him this reply: “Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.”

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

  1. Nehemiah 6:2 Or in Kephirim
  2. Nehemiah 6:6 Hebrew Gashmu, a variant of Geshem