Conspiracy Against Nehemiah

6 Now when ^(A)Sanballat and Tobiah and ^(B)Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left in it (^(C)although up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates), ² Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of ^(D)Ono.” But they intended to do me harm. ³ And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” ⁴ And they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner. ⁵ In the same way Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand. ⁶ In it was written, “It is reported among the nations, and Geshem^[a] also says it, that you and ^(E)the Jews intend to rebel; that is why you are building the wall. And according to these reports you wish to become their king. ⁷ And you have also set up prophets to proclaim concerning you in Jerusalem, ‘There is a king in Judah.’ And now the king will hear of these reports. So now come and let us take counsel together.” ⁸ Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say have been done, for you are inventing them out of your own mind.” ⁹ For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.” But now, O God,^[b] strengthen my hands.

¹⁰ Now when I went into the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was ^(F)confined to his home, he said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple. Let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you. They are coming to kill you by night.” ¹¹ But I said, “Should such a man as I run away? And what man such as I could go into the temple and live?^[c] I will not go in.” ¹² And I understood and saw that God had not sent him, ^(G)but he had pronounced the prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. ¹³ For this purpose he was hired, that I should be afraid and act in this way and sin, and so they could give me a bad name in order to taunt me. ^14 (H)Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, according to these things that they did, and also ^(I)the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who wanted to make me afraid.

The Wall Is Finished

¹⁵ So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. ¹⁶ And ^(J)when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, ^(K)for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. ¹⁷ Moreover, in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah's letters came to them. ¹⁸ For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of ^(L)Arah: and his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of ^(M)Meshullam the son of Berechiah as his wife. ¹⁹ Also they spoke of his good deeds in my presence and reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to make me afraid.

The Way of Wisdom

The Way of Folly

The Throne in Heaven

4 After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me ^(A)like a trumpet, said, ^(B)“Come up here, and ^(C)I will show you what must take place after this.” ² At once ^(D)I was in the Spirit, and behold, ^(E)a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. ³ And he who sat there had the appearance of ^(F)jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was ^(G)a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. ⁴ Around the throne were ^(H)twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, ^(I)clothed in white garments, with ^(J)golden crowns on their heads. ⁵ From the throne came ^(K)flashes of lightning, and rumblings^[a] and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning ^(L)seven torches of fire, ^(M)which are the seven spirits of God, ⁶ and before the throne there was ^(N)as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are ^(O)four living creatures, ^(P)full of eyes in front and behind: ^7 (Q)the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. ⁸ And the four living creatures, ^(R)each of them with six wings, are ^(S)full of eyes all around and within, and ^(T)day and night they never cease to say,

⁹ And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, ^(W)who lives forever and ever, ¹⁰ the twenty-four elders ^(X)fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast ^(Y)their crowns before the throne, saying,

The Scroll and the Lamb

5 Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne ^(AC)a scroll written within and on the back, ^(AD)sealed with seven seals. ² And ^(AE)I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” ³ And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, ⁴ and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. ⁵ And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, ^(AF)the Lion ^(AG)of the tribe of Judah, ^(AH)the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

⁶ And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw ^(AI)a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with ^(AJ)seven eyes, which are ^(AK)the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. ⁷ And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. ⁸ And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders ^(AL)fell down before the Lamb, ^(AM)each holding a harp, and ^(AN)golden bowls full of incense, ^(AO)which are the prayers of the saints. ⁹ And they sang ^(AP)a new song, saying,

¹¹ Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering ^(AU)myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, ¹² saying with a loud voice,

¹³ And I heard ^(AW)every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,

¹⁴ And the four living creatures ^(AX)said, “Amen!” and the elders ^(AY)fell down and worshiped.

The Seven Seals

6 Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of ^(AZ)the seven seals, and I heard ^(BA)one of the four living creatures say ^(BB)with a voice like thunder, ^(BC)“Come!” ² And I looked, and behold, ^(BD)a white horse! And ^(BE)its rider had a bow, and ^(BF)a crown was given to him, and he came out ^(BG)conquering, and to conquer.

³ When he opened the second seal, I heard ^(BH)the second living creature say, “Come!” ⁴ And out came another horse, ^(BI)bright red. Its rider was permitted ^(BJ)to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.

⁵ When he opened the third seal, I heard the ^(BK)third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, ^(BL)a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. ⁶ And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, ^(BM)“A quart^[b] of wheat for a denarius,^[c] and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and ^(BN)do not harm the oil and wine!”

⁷ When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of ^(BO)the fourth living creature say, “Come!” ⁸ And I looked, and behold, ^(BP)a pale horse! And its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill ^(BQ)with sword and with famine and with pestilence and ^(BR)by wild beasts of the earth.

⁹ When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under ^(BS)the altar ^(BT)the souls of those who had been slain ^(BU)for the word of God and for ^(BV)the witness they had borne. ¹⁰ They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, ^(BW)holy and true, ^(BX)how long ^(BY)before you will judge and ^(BZ)avenge our blood on ^(CA)those who dwell on the earth?” ¹¹ Then they were each given ^(CB)a white robe and ^(CC)told to rest a little longer, ^(CD)until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers^{[d] (CE)}should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

¹² When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, ^(CF)there was a great earthquake, and ^(CG)the sun became black as ^(CH)sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, ¹³ and ^(CI)the stars of the sky fell to the earth ^(CJ)as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. ^14 (CK)The sky vanished ^(CL)like a scroll that is being rolled up, and ^(CM)every mountain and island was removed from its place. ¹⁵ Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave^[e] and free, ^(CN)hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, ^16 (CO)calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of ^(CP)him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, ¹⁷ for ^(CQ)the great day of their wrath has come, and ^(CR)who can stand?”