The Restoration of Israel

⁸ and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of ^(A)the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, ^(B)for the good hand of my God was upon me.

⁶ So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.

^3 (A)Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Yes, what they are building—^(B)if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!”

Rebuilding the Wall

3 Then ^(A)Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built ^(B)the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and ^(C)set its doors. They consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the ^(D)Tower of Hananel. ² And next to him ^(E)the men of Jericho built. And next to them^[a] Zaccur the son of Imri built.

³ The sons of Hassenaah built ^(F)the Fish Gate. ^(G)They laid its beams and ^(H)set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. ⁴ And next to them ^(I)Meremoth the son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz repaired. And next to them ^(J)Meshullam the son of Berechiah, son of Meshezabel repaired. And next to them Zadok the son of Baana repaired. ⁵ And next to them ^(K)the Tekoites repaired, but their nobles would not stoop to serve their Lord.^[b]

⁶ Joiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah ^(L)repaired the Gate of Yeshanah.^{[c] (M)}They laid its beams and ^(N)set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. ⁷ And next to them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and of Mizpah, the seat of ^(O)the governor of the province Beyond the River. ⁸ Next to them Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, goldsmiths, repaired. Next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, repaired, and they restored Jerusalem as far as ^(P)the Broad Wall. ⁹ Next to them Rephaiah the son of Hur, ^(Q)ruler of half the district of^[d] Jerusalem, repaired. ¹⁰ Next to them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph repaired opposite his house. And next to him Hattush the son of Hashabneiah repaired. ¹¹ Malchijah the son of Harim and Hasshub the son of Pahath-moab repaired another section and ^(R)the Tower of the Ovens. ¹² Next to him Shallum the son of Hallohesh, ^(S)ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, repaired, he and his daughters.

¹³ Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired ^(T)the Valley Gate. They rebuilt it and ^(U)set its doors, its bolts, and its bars, and repaired a thousand cubits^[e] of the wall, as far as ^(V)the Dung Gate.

¹⁴ Malchijah the son of Rechab, ruler of the district of ^(W)Beth-haccherem, repaired ^(X)the Dung Gate. He rebuilt it and ^(Y)set its doors, its bolts, and its bars.

¹⁵ And Shallum the son of Col-hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah, repaired ^(Z)the Fountain Gate. He rebuilt it and covered it and ^(AA)set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. And he built the wall of ^(AB)the Pool of Shelah of ^(AC)the king's garden, as far as ^(AD)the stairs that go down from the city of David. ¹⁶ After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, ruler of half the district of Beth-zur, repaired to a point opposite ^(AE)the tombs of David, as far as ^(AF)the artificial pool, and as far as the house of the mighty men.

¹⁷ Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, ^(A)how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer ^(B)suffer derision.”

¹² be it known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are ^(A)finishing the walls and repairing the foundations. ¹³ Now be it known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and the walls finished, they will not pay ^(B)tribute, custom, or toll, and the royal revenue will be impaired. ¹⁴ Now because we eat the salt of the palace^[a] and it is not fitting for us to witness the king's dishonor, therefore we send and inform the king, ¹⁵ in order that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. You will find in the book of the records and learn that this city is a rebellious city, hurtful to kings and provinces, and that sedition was stirred up in it from of old. That was why this city was laid waste. ¹⁶ We make known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls finished, you will then have no possession in the province Beyond the River.”

The King Orders the Work to Cease

¹⁷ The king sent an answer: “To Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe and the rest of their associates who live in Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River, greeting. And now ¹⁸ the letter that you sent to us has been ^(C)plainly read before me. ¹⁹ And I made a decree, and search has been made, and it has been found that this city from of old has risen against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made in it. ²⁰ And mighty kings have been over Jerusalem, ^(D)who ruled over the whole province Beyond the River, to whom ^(E)tribute, custom, and toll were paid. ²¹ Therefore make a decree that these men be made to cease, and that this city be not rebuilt, until a decree is made by me. ²² And take care not to be slack in this matter. Why should damage grow to the hurt of the king?”

²³ Then, when the copy of King Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their associates, they went in haste to the Jews at Jerusalem and by force and power made them cease. ²⁴ Then the work on the house of God that is in Jerusalem stopped, and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.