⁴ Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build,^(A)

³ They set up the altar on its foundation because they were in dread of the people of the lands, and they offered burnt offerings upon it to the Lord, morning and evening.^(A)

⁹ for they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.” But now, strengthen my hands.

⁴ Then the officials said to the king, “This man ought to be put to death because he is discouraging the soldiers who are left in this city and all the people by speaking such words to them. For this man is not seeking the welfare of this people, but their harm.”^(A)

¹¹ And our enemies said, “They will not know or see anything before we come upon them and kill them and stop the work.”

^7 [a]But when 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 the gaps were beginning to be closed, they were very angry^{(A) 8} and all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it.