⁴ Then ^(A)the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building,

³ Though fear had come upon them because of the people of those countries, they set the altar on its ^[a]bases; and they offered ^(A)burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening burnt offerings.

⁴ Therefore the princes said to the king, “Please, ^(A)let this man be put to death, for thus he ^[a]weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man does not seek the ^[b]welfare of this people, but their harm.”

⁹ For they all were trying to make us afraid, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will not be done.”

Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.

¹¹ And our adversaries said, “They will neither know nor see anything, till we come into their midst and kill them and cause the work to cease.”

⁷ Now it happened, ^(A)when Sanballat, Tobiah, ^(B)the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the ^[a]gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry, ⁸ and all of them ^(C)conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion.