Jephthah

11 Now ^(A)Jephthah the Gileadite was ^(B)a mighty man of valor, but he was the son of a harlot; and Gilead begot Jephthah. ² Gilead’s wife bore sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out, and said to him, “You shall have ^(C)no inheritance in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman.” ³ Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and dwelt in the land of ^(D)Tob; and ^(E)worthless men banded together with Jephthah and went out raiding with him.

⁴ It came to pass after a time that the ^(F)people of Ammon made war against Israel. ⁵ And so it was, when the people of Ammon made war against Israel, that the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. ⁶ Then they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our commander, that we may fight against the people of Ammon.”

Conspiracy Against Nehemiah

6 Now it happened ^(A)when Sanballat, Tobiah, ^[a]Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall, and that there were no breaks left in it ^(B)(though at that time I had not hung the doors in the gates), ² that Sanballat and ^[b]Geshem ^(C)sent to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together ^[c]among the villages in the plain of ^(D)Ono.” But they ^(E)thought to do me harm.

³ So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?”

⁴ But they sent me this message four times, and I answered them in the same manner.

⁵ Then Sanballat sent his servant to me as before, the fifth time, with an open letter in his hand. ⁶ In it was written:

⁸ Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say are being done, but you invent them in your own heart.”

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.

¹⁰ Afterward I came to the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was a secret informer; and he said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, within the ^[e]temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you; indeed, at night they will come to kill you.”

¹¹ And I said, “Should such a man as I flee? And who is there such as I who would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in!” ¹² Then I perceived that God had not sent him at all, but that ^(G)he pronounced this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. ¹³ For this reason he was hired, that I should be afraid and act that way and sin, so that they might have cause for an evil report, that they might reproach me.

^14 (H)My God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat, according to these their works, and the ^(I)prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who would have made me afraid.

The Wall Completed

¹⁵ So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days.

Prayer for Boldness^(A)

²³ And being let go, ^(B)they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. ²⁴ So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, ^(C)You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, ²⁵ who ^[a]by the mouth of Your servant David have said:

²⁷ “For ^(E)truly against ^(F)Your holy Servant Jesus, ^(G)whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together ^28 (H)to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. ²⁹ Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants ^(I)that with all boldness they may speak Your word, ³⁰ by stretching out Your hand to heal, ^(J)and that signs and wonders may be done ^(K)through the name of ^(L)Your holy Servant Jesus.”

³¹ And when they had prayed, ^(M)the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, ^(N)and they spoke the word of God with boldness.