The Builders Complete the Wall

¹⁵ So on October 2^[a] the wall was finished—just fifty-two days after we had begun.

²⁵ Now listen and understand! Seven sets of seven plus sixty-two sets of seven^[a] will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until a ruler—the Anointed One^[b]—comes. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defenses,^[c] despite the perilous times.

Enemies Oppose the Rebuilding

4 ^[a]Sanballat was very angry when he learned that we were rebuilding the wall. He flew into a rage and mocked the Jews, ² saying in front of his friends and the Samarian army officers, “What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they’re doing? Do they think they can build the wall in a single day by just offering a few sacrifices?^[b] Do they actually think they can make something of stones from a rubbish heap—and charred ones at that?”

¹⁵ The Temple was completed on March 12,^[a] during the sixth year of King Darius’s reign.