¹⁸ Then I told them about how the gracious hand of God had been on me, and about my conversation with the king.

They replied at once, “Yes, let’s rebuild the wall!” So they began the good work.

¹³ For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

⁵ Then Hezekiah worked hard at repairing all the broken sections of the wall, erecting towers, and constructing a second wall outside the first. He also reinforced the supporting terraces^[a] in the City of David and manufactured large numbers of weapons and shields.

¹³ Be courageous! Let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. May the Lord’s will be done.”

The Whole Armor of God

¹⁰ A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

¹³ Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave the people this message from the Lord: “I am with you, says the Lord!”

¹⁴ So the Lord sparked the enthusiasm of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the enthusiasm of Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the enthusiasm of the whole remnant of God’s people. They began to work on the house of their God, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,

⁷ Now that Saul is dead, I ask you to be my strong and loyal subjects like the people of Judah, who have anointed me as their new king.”

²² Then they celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days. There was great joy throughout the land because the Lord had caused the king of Assyria^[a] to be favorable to them, so that he helped them to rebuild the Temple of God, the God of Israel.

David’s Mightiest Warriors

¹⁰ These are the leaders of David’s mighty warriors. Together with all Israel, they decided to make David their king, just as the Lord had promised concerning Israel.