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.

Repent or Perish

13 There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood ^(A)Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. ² And he answered them, ^(B)“Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? ³ No, I tell you; but unless you ^(C)repent, you will all likewise perish. ⁴ Or those eighteen on whom the tower in ^(D)Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? ⁵ No, I tell you; but unless you ^(E)repent, you will all likewise perish.”

The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree

⁶ And he told this parable: “A man had ^(F)a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. ⁷ And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. ^(G)Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ ⁸ And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. ⁹ Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”

A Woman with a Disabling Spirit

¹⁰ Now ^(H)he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. ¹¹ And behold, there was a woman who had had ^(I)a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. ¹² When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” ¹³ And he ^(J)laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she ^(K)glorified God. ¹⁴ But ^(L)the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus ^(M)had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, ^(N)“There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” ¹⁵ Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! ^(O)Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? ¹⁶ And ought not this woman, ^(P)a daughter of Abraham whom ^(Q)Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” ¹⁷ As he said these things, ^(R)all his adversaries were put to shame, and ^(S)all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.

The Mustard Seed and the Leaven

^18 (T)He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? ¹⁹ It is like ^(U)a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”

²⁰ And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? ^21 (V)It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in ^(W)three measures of flour, until it was ^(X)all leavened.”

The Narrow Door

^22 (Y)He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and ^(Z)journeying toward Jerusalem. ²³ And someone said to him, “Lord, ^(AA)will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, ^24 (AB)“Strive ^(AC)to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. ^25 (AD)When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ^(AE)‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ^(AF)‘I do not know where you come from.’ ²⁶ Then you will begin to say, ^(AG)‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ ²⁷ But he will say, ‘I tell you, ^(AH)I do not know where you come from. ^(AI)Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ ^28 (AJ)In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see ^(AK)Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but ^(AL)you yourselves cast out. ²⁹ And ^(AM)people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and ^(AN)recline at table in the kingdom of God. ³⁰ And behold, ^(AO)some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

Lament over Jerusalem

³¹ At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from ^(AP)here, for ^(AQ)Herod wants to kill you.” ³² And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day ^(AR)I finish my course. ³³ Nevertheless, ^(AS)I ^(AT)must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that ^(AU)a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’ ^34 (AV)O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that ^(AW)kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! ^(AX)How often would I have ^(AY)gathered ^(AZ)your children together ^(BA)as a hen gathers her brood ^(BB)under her wings, and ^(BC)you were not willing! ³⁵ Behold, ^(BD)your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ^(BE)‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”