Beginning
Sanballat and Tobiah Mock the Jews’ Work
4 [a]Now it happened that when (A)Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and very vexed and mocked the Jews. 2 He spoke in the presence of his brothers and (B)the [b]wealthy men of Samaria and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Are they going to restore it for themselves? Can they offer sacrifices? Can they complete it in a day? Can they bring the stones to life from the [c](C)dusty rubble, though they are burned?” 3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was near him and he said, “Even what they are building—(D)if a fox should [d]jump on it, he would break their stone wall down!”
4 (E)Hear, O our God, for we are despised! (F)Return their reproach on their own heads and give them up for plunder in a land of captivity. 5 Do not [e](G)forgive their iniquity and let not their sin be blotted out before You, for they have [f]vexed the builders.
6 So we built the wall and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, and the people had a heart to work.
7 [g]Now it happened that when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the [h]repair of the walls of Jerusalem went on, and that the places broken down began to be closed, they were very angry. 8 All of them (H)joined together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause a disturbance in it. 9 But we prayed to our God, and because of them we (I)stood a guard against them day and night.
10 Then Judah said,
“The [i]strength of the burden bearers is failing,
Yet there is much [j]rubbish;
And we ourselves are unable
To rebuild the wall.”
11 Our adversaries said, “They will not know or see until we come among them, kill them, and put a stop to the work.” 12 Now it happened when the Jews who lived near them came and said to us ten times, “[k]They will come up against us from every place where you may turn,” 13 that I had men stand in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, the [l]exposed places, and I (J)had the people stand by families with their swords, spears, and bows. 14 Then I saw their fear. And I arose and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people: “(K)Do not fear them; remember the Lord who is great and fearsome, and (L)fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”
Doing the Work and Holding a Weapon
15 Now it happened that when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that (M)God had thwarted their counsel, then all of us returned to the wall, each one to his work. 16 And it happened that from that day on, half of my young men carried on the work while half of them took hold of the spears, the shields, the bows, and the breastplates; and the commanders were behind the whole house of Judah. 17 Those who were rebuilding the wall and those who carried burdens took their load with one hand doing the work and the other holding a weapon. 18 As for the builders, each wore his sword girded at his side as he built, while [m]the trumpeter stood near me. 19 I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is great and extensive, and we are separated on the wall far from one another. 20 At whatever place you hear the sound of the trumpet, there gather together to us. (N)Our God will fight for us.”
21 So we kept doing the work with half of them holding spears from [n]dawn until the stars came out. 22 At that time I also said to the people, “Let each man with his young man spend the night within Jerusalem so that they may be a guard for us by night and a worker by day.” 23 So neither I, my brothers, my young men, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us removed our clothes, each took his weapon even to the water.
Each Usury Is Forsaken
5 Then (O)there was a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their (P)Jewish brothers. 2 Now there were those who were saying, “We, with our sons and our daughters, are many; therefore let us (Q)get grain that we may eat and live.” 3 There were others who were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses, that we might get grain because of the famine.” 4 Also there were those who were saying, “We have borrowed money (R)for the king’s tax on our fields and our vineyards. 5 But now (S)our flesh is like the flesh of our brothers, our children like their children. Yet behold, (T)we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters are forced into subjugation, and we have no power in our hands to help, and our fields and vineyards belong to others.”
6 Then I was very (U)angry when I had heard their outcry and these words. 7 I consulted within my own heart and contended with the nobles and the officials and said to them, “(V)You are exacting usury, each from his brother!” Therefore, I held a great assembly against them. 8 I said to them, “We, according to our ability, (W)have bought back our Jewish brothers who were sold to the nations; and now would you also sell your brothers that they may be sold to us?” Then they were silent and could not find a word to say. 9 And I said, “The thing which you are doing is not good; should you not walk in the fear of our God because of (X)the reproach of the nations, our enemies? 10 And likewise I, my brothers, and my young men are lending them money and grain. Please, let us forsake this usury. 11 Please, give back to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money and of the grain, the new wine and the oil that you are exacting from them.” 12 Then they said, “We (Y)will give it back and (Z)will require nothing from them; we will do exactly as you are saying.” So I called the priests and (AA)made them swear that they would do according to this word. 13 I (AB)also shook out the [o]front of my garment and said, “Thus may God shake out every man from his house and from his possessions who does not establish this word; even thus may he be shaken out and emptied.” And (AC)all the assembly said, “Amen!” And they praised Yahweh. Then the people did according to this word.
Nehemiah as Governor
14 Moreover, from the day that I was put in command to be their governor in the land of Judah, from (AD)the twentieth year to the (AE)thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, for twelve years, neither I nor my [p]relatives have eaten the governor’s food allowance. 15 But the former governors who were before me [q]laid heavy burdens on the people and took from them bread and wine besides forty [r]shekels of silver; even their young men exerted their power over the people. But I did not do so (AF)because of the fear of God. 16 I also took hold of the work on this wall; we did not buy any land, and all my young men were gathered there for the work. 17 Moreover, (AG)there were at my table 150 Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us. 18 Now (AH)that which was prepared for each day was one ox and six choice sheep, also birds were prepared for me; and once in ten days all sorts of wine were furnished in abundance. Yet for all this (AI)I did not require the governor’s food allowance, because the slavery was heavy on this people. 19 (AJ)Remember me, O my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.
Enemies Try to Make Nehemiah Fearful
6 Now it happened when it was heard by Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall, and that no breach remained in it, (AK)although at that time I had not made the doors to stand in the gates, 2 that Sanballat and Geshem sent a message to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together at [s]Chephirim in the plain of (AL)Ono.” But they were planning to [t]do me harm. 3 So 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 messages to me four times in this manner, and I responded to them in the same manner. 5 Then Sanballat sent his young man to me in the same manner a fifth time with an open letter in his hand. 6 In it was written,
“It is heard among the nations, and [u]Gashmu says, that (AM)you and the Jews are planning to rebel; therefore you are rebuilding the wall. And you are to be their king, according to these words.
7 You have also [v]set up prophets to call out in Jerusalem concerning [w]you, ‘A king is in Judah!’ So now it will be heard by the king according to these words. So now, come, let us take counsel together.”
8 Then I sent a message to him, saying,
“Such words as you are saying have not been done, but you are (AN)devising them in your own heart.”
9 For all of them were trying to frighten us, [x]thinking, “Their hands will [y]become limp in doing the work, and it will not be done.” But now, (AO)O God, strengthen my hands.
10 Now I entered the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, (AP)who was [z]confined at home, and he said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you, and they are coming to kill you at night.” 11 But I said, “(AQ)Should a man like me flee? And could one such as I go into the temple just to live? I will not go in.” 12 Then I recognized [aa]that surely God had not sent him, but he spoke his prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 He was hired for this reason, (AR)that I might become afraid and act accordingly and sin, so that they could give me a bad name in order that they could reproach me. 14 (AS)Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat according to these works of theirs, and also Noadiah (AT)the prophetess and the rest of the prophets who were trying to make me afraid.
The Wall Is Finished
15 So (AU)the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 (AV)Now it happened that when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it, [ab]their confidence fell. And (AW)they knew that it was from our God that this work had been accomplished. 17 Also in those days many letters went from the nobles of Judah to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them. 18 For many in Judah were sworn by oath to him because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah as a wife. 19 Moreover, they were speaking about his good deeds in my presence and bringing my words to him. Then Tobiah sent letters to make me afraid.
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