²⁸ And one of the sons ^(A)of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was a son-in-law of ^(B)Sanballat the Horonite; therefore I drove him from me.

¹⁹ But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they laughed at us and despised us, and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? ^(A)Will you rebel against the king?”

²² During the reign of Darius the Persian, a record was also kept of the Levites and priests who had been ^(A)heads of their fathers’ houses in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua.

¹⁰ Jeshua begot Joiakim, Joiakim begot Eliashib, Eliashib begot Joiada,

¹⁷ Also in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came to them. ¹⁸ For many in Judah were pledged to him, because he was the ^(A)son-in-law of Shechaniah the son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of ^(B)Meshullam the son of Berechiah. ¹⁹ Also they reported his good deeds before me, and reported my ^[a]words to him. Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.

Rebuilding the Wall

3 Then ^(A)Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests ^(B)and built the Sheep Gate; they consecrated it and hung its doors. They built ^(C)as far as the Tower of ^[a]the Hundred, and consecrated it, then as far as the Tower of ^(D)Hananel.

¹⁰ When ^(A)Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite ^[a]official heard of it, they were deeply disturbed that a man had come to seek the well-being of the children of Israel.

³ For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? ^(A)Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. ⁴ For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.