³ Tobiah^(A) the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!”^(B)

¹⁹ But when Sanballat^(A) the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem^(B) the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us.^(C) “What is this you are doing?” they asked. “Are you rebelling against the king?”

¹⁰ When Sanballat^(A) the Horonite and Tobiah^(B) the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.^(C)

¹⁸ He said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; if they have come out for war, take them alive.”

¹⁰ Then Ben-Hadad sent another message to Ahab: “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if enough dust^(A) remains in Samaria to give each of my men a handful.”

Further Opposition to the Rebuilding

6 When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah,^(A) Geshem^(B) the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it—though up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates—