Nehemiah 6:10-14
Christian Standard Bible
Attempts to Intimidate Nehemiah
10 I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was restricted to his house. He said:
Let’s meet at the house of God,
inside the temple.
Let’s shut the temple doors
because they’re coming to kill you.
They’re coming to kill you tonight![a]
11 But I said, “Should a man like me run away? How can someone like me enter the temple and live?(A) I will not go.” 12 I realized that God had not sent him, because of the prophecy he spoke against me. Tobiah and Sanballat(B) had hired him. 13 He was hired, so that I would be intimidated,(C) do as he suggested, sin, and get a bad reputation, in order that they could discredit me.
14 My God, remember(D) Tobiah and Sanballat for what they have done, and also the prophetess Noadiah(E) and the other prophets who wanted to intimidate me.
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- 6:10 Or by night
Nehemiah 6:10-14
New English Translation
10 Then I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel. He was confined to his home.[a] He said, “Let’s set up a time to meet in the house of God, within the temple. Let’s close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you. It will surely be at night that they will come to kill you.”
11 But I replied, “Should a man like me run away? Would someone like me flee to the temple in order to save his life?[b] I will not go!” 12 I recognized the fact that God had not sent him, for he had spoken the prophecy against me as a hired agent of Tobiah and Sanballat.[c] 13 He had been hired to scare me so that I would do this and thereby sin. They would thus bring reproach on me and I[d] would be discredited.[e]
14 Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat in light of these actions of theirs—also Noadiah the prophetess and the other prophets who have been trying to scare me!
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- Nehemiah 6:10 tn Heb “shut in.” The reason for his confinement is not stated. BDB 783 s.v. עָצַר suggests that it had to do with the fulfillment of a vow or was related to an issue of ceremonial uncleanness.
- Nehemiah 6:11 tn Heb “go into the temple and live.”
- Nehemiah 6:12 tn Heb “and Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.”
- Nehemiah 6:13 tc The translation reads לִי (li, “to me”) rather than the MT reading לָהֶם (lahem, “to them”).
- Nehemiah 6:13 tn Heb “would have a bad name.”
Nehemiah 6:10-14
New International Version
10 One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, “Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple(A), and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you—by night they are coming to kill you.”
11 But I said, “Should a man like me run away? Or should someone like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!” 12 I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me(B) because Tobiah and Sanballat(C) had hired him. 13 He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me.(D)
14 Remember(E) Tobiah and Sanballat,(F) my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophet(G) Noadiah and how she and the rest of the prophets(H) have been trying to intimidate me.
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