²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”

¹⁶ From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and ^(A)coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah, ¹⁷ who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. ¹⁸ And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me. ¹⁹ And I said to ^(B)the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. ²⁰ In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. ^(C)Our God will fight for us.”

²¹ So we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out.

The People Confess Their Sin

10 ^(A)While Ezra prayed and ^(B)made confession, weeping and ^(C)casting himself down ^(D)before the house of God, a very great assembly of men, women, and children, gathered to him out of Israel, for the people wept bitterly. ² And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, addressed Ezra: ^(E)“We have broken faith with our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land, but even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. ³ Therefore ^(F)let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and ^(G)their children, according to the counsel of my lord^[a] and of ^(H)those who tremble at the commandment of our God, and let it be done ^(I)according to the Law. ⁴ Arise, for it is your task, and we are with you; ^(J)be strong and do it.” ⁵ Then Ezra arose and made the leading priests and Levites and all Israel ^(K)take an oath that they would do as had been said. So they took the oath.

³² And David said to Abigail, ^(A)“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me!

³¹ And he said, “Please do not leave us, for you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you will serve ^(A)as eyes for us. ³² And if you do go with us, ^(B)whatever good the Lord will do to us, the same will we do to you.”