and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?”

Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our fellow Jews and though our children are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others.”

Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.

Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent his aide to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter

of Elam 1,254

of Hariph 112

the men of Bethlehem and Netophah 188

of Anathoth 128

of Mikmash 122

of Bethel and Ai 123

of the other Elam 1,254

of Immer 1,052

of Pashhur 1,247

of Harim 1,017

The musicians: the descendants of Asaph 148

The gatekeepers: the descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita and Shobai 138

Some of the heads of the families contributed to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 darics of gold, 50 bowls and 530 garments for priests.

The Israelites Confess Their Sins

On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads.

and his associates, who were men of standing—128. Their chief officer was Zabdiel son of Haggedolim.

The gatekeepers: Akkub, Talmon and their associates, who kept watch at the gates—172 men.

Didn’t your ancestors do the same things, so that our God brought all this calamity on us and on this city? Now you are stirring up more wrath against Israel by desecrating the Sabbath.”