Hostile Plots Thwarted

4 ^[a]Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he mocked the Jews.^{(A) 2} He said in the presence of his associates and of the army of Samaria, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it by themselves?^[b] Will they offer sacrifice? Will they finish it in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish—burned ones at that?”^{(B) 3} Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “That stone wall they are building—any fox going up on it would break it down!”^{(C) 4} Hear, O our God, for we are despised; turn their taunt back on their own heads, and give them over as plunder in a land of captivity.^{(D) 5} Do not cover their guilt, and do not let their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they have raged against the builders.^[c](E)

⁶ So we rebuilt the wall, and all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.

^7 [d]But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and the gaps were beginning to be closed, they were very angry^{(F) 8} and all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it. ⁹ So we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.^(G)

¹⁰ But Judah said, “The strength of the burden bearers is failing, and there is too much rubbish so that we are unable to work on the wall.” ¹¹ And our enemies said, “They will not know or see anything before we come upon them and kill them and stop the work.” ¹² When the Jews who lived near them came, they said to us ten times, “From all the places where they live^[e] they will come up against us.”^{[f] 13} So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people according to their families,^[g] with their swords, their spears, and their bows.^{(H) 14} After I looked these things over, I stood up and said to the nobles and the officials and the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your kin, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your households.”^(I)

¹⁵ When our enemies heard that their plot was known to us and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his work.^{(J) 16} From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and body-armor, and the leaders posted themselves behind the whole house of Judah ¹⁷ who were building the wall. The burden bearers carried their loads in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and with the other held a weapon. ¹⁸ And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me. ¹⁹ And I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “The work is great and widely spread out, and we are separated far from one another on the wall. ²⁰ Rally to us wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet. Our God will fight for us.”^(K)

²¹ So we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears from break of dawn until the stars came out. ²² I also said to the people at that time, “Let every man and his servant pass the night inside Jerusalem, so that they may be a guard for us by night and may labor by day.” ²³ So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me ever took off our clothes; each kept his weapon in his right hand.^[h]

Nehemiah Deals with Oppression

5 Now there was a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish kin.^{(L) 2} For there were those who said, “With our sons and our daughters, we are many; we must get grain, so that we may eat and stay alive.” ³ There were also those who said, “We are having to pledge our fields, our vineyards, and our houses in order to get grain during the famine.” ⁴ And there were those who said, “We are having to borrow money on our fields and vineyards to pay the king’s tax.^{(M) 5} Now our flesh is the same as that of our kindred; our children are the same as their children; and yet we are forcing our sons and daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have been ravished; we are powerless, and our fields and vineyards now belong to others.”^(N)

⁶ I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these complaints. ⁷ After thinking it over, I contended with the nobles and the officials; I said to them, “You are all taking interest from your own people.” And I called a great assembly to deal with them^{(O) 8} and said to them, “As far as we were able, we have bought back our Jewish kindred who had been sold to other nations, but now you are selling your own kin, who must then be bought back by us!” They were silent and could not find a word to say.^{(P) 9} So I said, “The thing that you are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our God, to prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies?^{(Q) 10} Moreover I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Let us stop this taking of interest. ¹¹ Restore to them, this very day, their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses, and the interest on money, grain, wine, and oil that you have been exacting from them.” ¹² Then they said, “We will restore everything and demand nothing more from them. We will do as you say.” And I called the priests and made them take an oath to do as they had promised.^{(R) 13} I also shook out the fold of my garment and said, “So may God shake out everyone from house and from property who does not perform this promise. Thus may they be shaken out and emptied.” And all the assembly said, “Amen,” and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised.^(S)

The Generosity of Nehemiah

¹⁴ Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the food allowance of the governor.^{(T) 15} The former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people and took food and wine from them, besides forty shekels of silver. Even their servants lorded it over the people. But I did not do so because of the fear of God.^{(U) 16} Indeed, I devoted myself to the work on this wall and acquired no land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work. ¹⁷ Moreover, there were at my table one hundred fifty people, Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations around us.^{(V) 18} Now that which was prepared for one day was one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and every ten days skins of wine in abundance, yet with all this I did not demand the food allowance of the governor, because of the heavy burden of labor on the people.^{(W) 19} Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people.^(X)

Psalm 84

The Joy of Worship in the Temple

To the leader: according to The Gittith. Of the Korahites. A Psalm.

Paul and the False Apostles

11 I wish you would put up with me in a little foolishness. Yes, do put up^[a] with me!^{(A) 2} I feel a divine jealousy for you, for I promised you in marriage to one husband, to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.^{(B) 3} But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by its cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure^[b] devotion to Christ.^{(C) 4} For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.^{(D) 5} I think that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles.^{(E) 6} Even if I am untrained in speech, I certainly am not with respect to knowledge; certainly in every way and in all things we have made this evident to you.^(F)

⁷ Did I commit a sin by humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I proclaimed God’s good news^[c] to you free of charge?^{(G) 8} I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you. ⁹ And when I was with you and was in need, I did not burden anyone, for my needs were supplied by the brothers who came from Macedonia. So I refrained and will continue to refrain from burdening you in any way.^{(H) 10} As the truth of Christ is in me, this boast of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia.^{(I) 11} And why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!^(J)

¹² And what I do I will also continue to do, in order to deny an opportunity to those who want an opportunity to be recognized as our equals in what they boast about. ¹³ For such boasters are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.^{(K) 14} And no wonder! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. ¹⁵ So it is not strange if his ministers also disguise themselves as ministers of righteousness. Their end will match their deeds.^(L)

Paul’s Sufferings as an Apostle

¹⁶ I repeat, let no one think that I am a fool, but if you do, then accept me as a fool, so that I, too, may boast a little. ¹⁷ What I am saying in regard to this boastful undertaking, I am saying not with the Lord’s authority but as a fool;^{(M) 18} since many boast according to human standards,^[d] I will also boast. ¹⁹ For you gladly put up with fools, being wise yourselves! ²⁰ For you put up with it when someone makes slaves of you or preys upon you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or gives you a slap in the face. ²¹ To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that!

But whatever anyone dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that.^{(N) 22} Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.^{(O) 23} Are they ministers of Christ? I am talking like a madman—I am a better one: with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless floggings, and often near death.^{(P) 24} Five times I have received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.^{(Q) 25} Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked; for a night and a day I was adrift at sea;^{(R) 26} on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from bandits, danger from my own people, danger from gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers and sisters;^{(S) 27} in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, hungry and thirsty, often without food,^[e] cold and naked.^{(T) 28} And, besides other things, I am under daily pressure because of my anxiety for all the churches. ²⁹ Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I am not indignant?^(U)

³⁰ If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.^{(V) 31} The God and Father of the Lord Jesus (blessed be he forever!) knows that I do not lie.^{(W) 32} In Damascus, the governor under King Aretas guarded the city of Damascus in order to^[f] seize me,^{(X) 33} but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall^[g] and escaped from his hands.