Nehemiah 4:1-14
New American Standard Bible
Work Is Ridiculed
4 [a]Now it came about that when (A)Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious and very angry, and he mocked the Jews. 2 And he spoke in the presence of his brothers and (B)the [b]wealthy people of Samaria and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Are they going to restore the temple for themselves? Can they offer sacrifices? Can they finish it in a day? Can they revive the stones from the (C)heaps of rubble, even the burned ones?” 3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was near him, and he said, “Even what they are building—(D)if a fox were to [c]jump on it, it would break their stone wall down!”
4 (E)Hear, O our God, how we are an object of contempt! (F)Return their taunting on their own heads, and turn them into plunder in a land of captivity. 5 Do not [d](G)forgive their guilt and do not let their sin be wiped out before You, for they have [e]demoralized the builders.
6 So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a [f]mind to work.
7 [g]Now when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the [h]repair of the walls of Jerusalem went [i]on, and that the breaches began to be closed, they were very angry. 8 So all of them (H)conspired together to come to fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it.
Discouragement Overcome
9 But we prayed to our God, and because of them we (I)set up a guard against them day and night.
10 And so [j]in Judah it was said:
“The strength of the burden bearers is failing,
Yet there is much rubble;
And we ourselves are unable
To rebuild the wall.”
11 And our enemies said, “They will not know or see until we come among them, kill them, and put a stop to the work.” 12 When the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times, “[k]They will come up against us from every place where you may turn,” 13 then I stationed men in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, the exposed places, and I (J)stationed the people in families with their swords, spears, and bows. 14 When I saw their fear, I stood and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people: “(K)Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and (L)fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Nehemiah 4:1 Ch 3:33 in Heb
- Nehemiah 4:2 Or army
- Nehemiah 4:3 Lit go up
- Nehemiah 4:5 Lit cover
- Nehemiah 4:5 Lit offended against
- Nehemiah 4:6 Lit heart
- Nehemiah 4:7 Ch 4:1 in Heb
- Nehemiah 4:7 Lit healing
- Nehemiah 4:7 Lit up
- Nehemiah 4:10 Lit Judah said
- Nehemiah 4:12 As in LXX; MT omits they...up
Nehemiah 4:1-14
International Standard Version
Sanballat Opposes the Reconstruction
4 [a]When Sanballat heard that we were reconstructing the wall, he flew into a rage, became indignant, and mocked the Jews. 2 He addressed his allies and the Samaritan officials,[b] saying “What are these pathetic Jews doing? Are they intending to rebuild it by themselves? Do they intend to offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a single day? Can they make stones from this burned out rubble?”
3 Tobiah the Ammonite stood to the side, commenting, “If a fox were to jump onto what they’re building, it would collapse their stone wall!”
Nehemiah’s Prayer
4 “Listen, our God, because we are being mocked. Let their insults fall back on them,[c] and let them be dragged away as captives into exile. 5 Don’t atone their iniquity, and don’t let their sin be blotted out from before you, because they have demoralized the builders.”
6 So we rebuilt the wall, completing it halfway up, because the people were committed to working.
Sanballat Reacts to the Progress
7 [d]But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repair work on the Jerusalem wall was progressing and that its breaches were being repaired, they flew into a rage. 8 So they all conspired together to invade and fight against Jerusalem, creating confusion there.
Nehemiah Reacts to Sanballat
9 But we prayed to our God. We also set up guards day and night because of them.
10 Meanwhile, the people of[e] Judah said, “The builders are tired and there’s so much rubble that we can’t reconstruct the wall!”
11 Our enemies said, “Before they notice or see us, we’ll penetrate their midst, kill them, and stop the work!”
12 The Jews who lived near them kept coming to us, reporting at least[f] ten times, “They’ll attack us from every direction.” 13 So I stationed the people by families behind the wall in the lower exposed areas, equipping them with their swords, spears, and bows.
14 Looking things over, I stood up and spoke to the officials, the military leaders, and the rest of the people: “Don’t fear them. Remember the great and awe-inspiring Lord. Fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Nehemiah 4:1 This v. is 3:33 in MT, and so through v. 6.
- Nehemiah 4:2 Or army
- Nehemiah 4:4 Lit. on their heads
- Nehemiah 4:7 This v. is 4:1 in MT, and so through v. 23.
- Nehemiah 4:10 The Heb. lacks the people of
- Nehemiah 4:12 The Heb. lacks at least
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