Beginning

4 ^(3:33) But it came to pass, that when Sanvalat heard that we were rebuilding the Chomah, he was angered, took great indignation, mocked the Yehudim.

^2 (3:34) And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Shomron, and said, What do these feeble Yehudim? Will they fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish in a day? Will they revive the avanim out of the heaps of the burned rubble?

^3 (3:35) Now Toviyah the Ammoni was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox climb up on it, even he shall break down their chomat avanim.

^4 (3:36) Shema, Eloheinu, for we are despised; turn their insults upon their own head, and give them as plunder in a land of captivity;

^5 (3:37) And cover not their avon, and let not their chattat be blotted out from before thee, for they threw insults in the face of HaBonim.

^6 (3:38) So we rebuilt HaChomah, and kol HaChomah was joined together unto half the height thereof, for HaAm had a mind to work.

^7 (4:1) But it came to pass, that when Sanvalat, and Toviyah, and the Arabs, and the Ammonim, and the Ashdodim, heard about the Chomat Yerushalayim, that its repairs had gone ahead, and that the gaps began to be closed up, then they were very angry,

^8 (4:2) And they plotted all of them together to come and to fight against Yerushalayim, and to hinder it.

^9 (4:3) Nevertheless we davened unto Eloheinu, and set a watch against them yomam valailah, because of them.

^10 (4:4) And Yehudah said, The koach of the bearers of burdens is giving out, and there is much rubble, so that we are not able to rebuild the Chomah (Wall).

^11 (4:5) And our adversaries said, They shall have no da’as, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the melachah (work) to cease.

^12 (4:6) And it came to pass, that when the Yehudim which dwelt near them came, they said unto us eser p’amim, Wherever ye turn, they will be upon us.

^13 (4:7) Therefore set I behind the lower places of the Chomah, and on the exposed places, I even set HaAm by their mishpekhot with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

^14 (4:8) And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the Nobles, and to the Officials, and to the rest of HaAm, Be not ye afraid of them. Remember Adonoi HaGadol vHaNorah, and fight for your achim, your banim, and your banot, your nashim, and your batim.

^15 (4:9) And it came to pass, when our enemies were aware that it was known unto us, and HaElohim had brought their etzah (plan) to nought, that we returned all of us to HaChomah, every one unto his melachah (work).

^16 (4:10) And it came to pass from that day forth, that half of my men did the melachah, and the other half of them held the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the body armor; and the officials posted themselves behind Kol Bais Yehudah

^17 (4:11) Who were HaBonim BaChomah. And they that bore burdens, carried their loads such that each one with one of his hands did the melachah, and with the other hand held a weapon.

^18 (4:12) For the Bonim, every one had his cherev girded by his side, and so built. And he that sounded the shofar was by me.

^19 (4:13) And I said unto the Nobles, and to the Officials, and to the rest of haAm, The melachah is great and spread out, and we are separated along the Chomah, one far from another.

^20 (4:14) In what place therefore ye hear the kol haShofar, rally ye thither unto us; Eloheinu shall fight for us.

^21 (4:15) So we labored in the melachah, and half of them held the spears from the break of dawn till the kokhavim appeared.

^22 (4:16) Likewise at the same time said I unto HaAm, Let every one with his servant lodge within Yerushalayim, that in halailah they may be a mishmar (guard) to us, and at hayom a melachah (workman).

^23 (4:17) So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my men, nor the anshei hamishmar (the men of the guard) which followed me, none of us put off our clothes; every one carried his weapon, even when he went for water.

5 And there was a great outcry of HaAm and of their nashim against their achim the Yehudim.

² For there were that said, We, our banim, and our banot, are rabbim (many); therefore we must get dagan (grain) for them, that we may eat, and live.

³ Some also there were that said, We have mortgaged our sadot (fields), kramim (vineyards), and batim (houses), that we might buy dagan, because of the ra’av (famine).

⁴ There were also that said, We have borrowed kesef for the tax of HaMelech, and that upon our sadot and kramim.

⁵ Yet now our basar is the same as the basar of acheinu (our brethren, countrymen), our banot as their banot; and, hinei, we bring into the bondage of slavery our banim and our banot, and some of our banot are brought unto bondage already, neither is it in our power to redeem them, for other men have our sadot and kramim.

⁶ And I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these devarim.

⁷ Then I consulted my own thoughts, and I rebuked the Nobles [see 3:5], and the officials, and said unto them, Ye exact massa (usury, i.e., seizing what is pledged against debts, whether people, land, or property), every one from his brother. And I called a kehillah gedolah against them.

⁸ And I said unto them, We as far as we have ability have redeemed acheinu (bought back our brethren) the Yehudim, which were sold unto the Goyim; and will ye even sell your brethren? Or shall they be sold back unto us? Then they were speechless, and found nothing to answer.

⁹ Also I said, It is not tov this thing ye are doing. Ought ye not to walk in the fear of Eloheinu and end the derision of the Goyim oyveinu (our enemies)?

¹⁰ I likewise, and my brethren, and my men, have allowed them to borrow kesef and dagan; let us stop now this massa (burden of debt).

¹¹ Restore, now, to them, even today, their sadot, their kramim, their zayit groves, and their batim (houses), also the usury of the hundredth part of the kesef, and of the dagan, the tirosh (new wine), and the yitzhar (olive oil), that ye exact of them.

¹² Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do as thou sayest. Then I summoned the Kohanim, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this promise.

¹³ Also I shook out the fold of my robe, and said, So may HaElohim shake out every man from his bais, and from that which belongs to him, that keepeth not this promise, even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And Kol HaKahal said, Omein, and praised Hashem. And HaAm did according to this promise.

¹⁴ Moreover, from the yom that I was appointed to be their governor in Eretz Yehudah, from the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artachshasta HaMelech, that is, twelve shanim, I and my brethren have not eaten the Lechem HaPechah (Allowance of the Governor).

¹⁵ But the former governors that had been before me placed a heavy burden on HaAm, and had taken of them lechem and yayin, in addition to the forty shekels of kesef; yea, even their assistants domineered HaAm; but so did not I, because of yirat Elohim.

¹⁶ But instead I continued in the melekhet HaChomah (work of this Wall), neither acquired we any sadeh; and all my men were gathered there unto the melachah (work).

¹⁷ Moreover there were at my shulchan a hundred and fifty of the Yehudim and officials, besides those that came unto us from among the Goyim around us.

¹⁸ Now that which was prepared daily was one shor (ox) and six choice sheep; also poultry were prepared at my expense, and every ten days skins of yayin in quantity of all kinds; yet for all this required not I the Lechem HaPechah, because the avodah was heavy upon this people.

¹⁹ Remember me, Elohai, for tovah, according to all that I have done for this people.

6 Now it came to pass when Sanvalat, and Toviyah, and Geshem the Arab, and the rest of oyveinu (our enemies), heard that I had rebuilt HaChomah, and that there was no peretz (gap) left therein (though at that time I had not set up the dalatot in the she’arim),

² That Sanvalat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they were choshevim (the ones scheming) to do me ra’ah (harm).

³ And I sent malachim unto them, saying, I am doing a melachah gedolah, so that I cannot come down. Why should the melachah cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?

⁴ Yet they sent unto me this message arbah pe’amim; and I answered them after the same manner.

⁵ Then sent Sanvalat his aid unto me in like manner the fifth time with an unsealed iggeret in his hand;

⁶ Wherein was written, It is reported among the Goyim, and Gashmu saith it, that thou and the Yehudim are choshevim (the ones scheming) revolt, for which cause thou buildest the Chomah, that thou mayest be their Melech, according to these reports.

⁷ And thou hast also appointed nevi’im to make this proclamation about thee at Yerushalayim, saying, There is a Melech in Yehudah! Now this report will get back to HaMelech. Come now therefore, and let us take counsel together.

⁸ Then I sent unto him, saying, There are no such devarim (things) done as thou sayest, but thou inventest them out of thine own lev.

⁹ For they all were trying to make us afraid, saying, Their hands shall get too weakened for the melachah, that it be not completed. Now therefore, strengthen my hands!

¹⁰ Afterward I came unto the bais Shemayah ben Delayah ben Mehetave’el, who was confined; and he said, Let us meet together in the Bais HaElohim, within the Heikhal, and let us close the dalatot of the Heikhal, for they will come to slay thee; yea, tonight they come to slay thee.

¹¹ And I said, Should such a man as I flee? And who is there, that, being as I am, would go into the Heikhal to save his life? I will not go in.

¹² And, hinei, I perceived that Elohim had not sent him; but that he pronounced this nevu’ah (prophecy) against me, for Toviyah and Sanvalat had hired him.

¹³ Therefore was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have given me a shem rah (bad name), that they might discredit me.

¹⁴ Remember, Elohai, Toviyah and Sanvalat according to these their ma’asim, and also the neviah (prophetess) Noadyah, and the rest of the nevi’im, that would have intimidated me.

¹⁵ So the Chomah was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days.

¹⁶ And it came to pass, that when all oyveinu (our enemies) heard thereof, and all the Goyim around us saw these things, they were much cast down in their own eyes, for they perceived that this melachah was accomplished by Eloheinu.

¹⁷ Moreover in those days the nobles of Yehudah sent many iggerot unto Toviyah, and the iggrot of Toviyah were making reply unto them.

¹⁸ For there were many ba’alei shevuah in Yehudah unto him, because he was the choson (son-in-law) of Shechanyah ben Arach, and his son Yehochanan had taken the bat Meshullam ben Berechyah.

¹⁹ Also they reported his [Toviyah’s supposed] merits before me, and uttered my words to him. And Toviyah sent letters with the intent of intimidating me. [T.N. We see that the work of G-d had to be accomplished, not in a vacuum of peace and tranquility, but against the backdrop of manipulation and intimidation. Nehemiah gives G-d the credit and the glory for his escaping every snare.]