The Wall Defended Against Enemies

4 But it so happened, ^(A)when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant, and mocked the Jews.

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.

³⁶ Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and ^(A)of chains and imprisonment.

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?”

Imprisoned Apostles Freed

^17 (A)Then the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with ^[a]indignation,

^29 (A)When they had ^[a]twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

Resistance to Rebuilding the Temple

4 Now when ^(A)the ^[a]adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the Lord God of Israel, ² they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers’ houses, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him ^(B)since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.” ³ But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel said to them, ^(C)“You may do nothing with us to build a ^[b]house for our God; but we alone will build to the Lord God of Israel, as ^(D)King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.” ⁴ Then ^(E)the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building, ⁵ and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of ^(F)Darius king of Persia.