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4 But when Sanballat heard that we built the wall, he was angry and very grieved and mocked the Jews
2 and spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, “What are these weak Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish it in a day? Will they make the stones whole again out of the heaps of dust, seeing they are burnt?”
3 And Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and said, “Although they build, even if a fox goes up on it, yet he shall break down their stony wall!”
4 Hear, O our God, for we are despised! And turn their shame upon their own heads and give them to a prey in the land of their captivity.
5 And do not cover their iniquity or let their sin be put out in Your presence. For they have provoked us before the builders.
6 So, we built the wall. And the whole wall was joined to its half. And the heart of the people was to work.
7 But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabians and the Ammonite, and the Ashdodims heard that the walls of Jerusalem had been repaired (for the breaches began to be stopped), then they were very angry
8 and conspired together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder them.
9 Then we prayed to our God. And because of them we set watchmen against them, day and night.
10 And Judah said, “The strength of the bearers has weakened. And there is much earth, so that we are not able to build the wall.”
11 Also, our adversaries had said, “They shall neither know nor see until we come into the midst of them, and kill them, and cause the work to cease.”
12 But when the Jews who dwelt beside them came, they told us ten times, “From all places where you shall return, they will be upon us.”
13 Therefore I stationed men in the lower places, behind the wall, upon the tops of the stones, and placed the people by their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows.
14 Then I beheld, and rose up, and said to the princes and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them! Remember the great and fearful LORD! And fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses!”
15 And when our enemies heard that it was known to us, then God brought their plans to nothing. And we all turned to the wall again, each one to his work.
16 And from that day, half of the young men did the labor, and the other half of them held the spears, and shields, and bows, and armor. And the rulers stood behind the whole House of Judah,
17 those who built on the wall and those who bore burdens. Those who loaded did the work with one hand and held the sword with the other.
18 For every one of the builders had his sword girded on his loins and built. And he who blew the trumpet was beside me.
19 Then I said to the princes and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and large! And we are separated upon the wall, one far from another!
20 “In whatever place you hear the sound of the trumpet, return from there to us! Our God shall fight for us!”
21 So we labored in the work. And half of them held the spears, from the appearance of the morning until the stars came forth.
22 And at the same time, I said to the people, “Let everyone lodge with his servant within Jerusalem, so that they may be a watch for us in the night and labor in the day.”
23 So, neither I nor my brethren nor my servants nor the men of the ward who followed me (none of us) took off our clothes, except when everyone took them off for washing.
5 Now there was a great cry from the people, and from their wives, against their brethren the Jews.
2 For there were those who said, “We, our sons and our daughters, are many. Therefore, let us get grain, so that we may eat and live.”
3 And there were those who said, “We must gage our lands and our vineyards and our houses, and get grain for the famine.”
4 There were also those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tribute on our lands and our vineyards.
5 “And now, our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, and our sons as their sons. And lo, we bring our sons and our daughters into subjection, as servants. And our daughters are now in subjection. And there is no power in our hands. For other men have our lands and our vineyards.”
6 Then I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.
7 And I thought in my mind. And I rebuked the princes and the rulers and said to them, “Each of you lays burdens upon his brethren.” And I set a great assembly against them.
8 And I said to them, “We, according to our ability, have redeemed our brethren the Jews who were sold to the heathen. And will you sell your brethren back, or shall they be sold to us?” Then they held their peace and could not answer.
9 I also said, “That which you do is not good. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God for the reproach of the heathen, our enemies?
10 “For even I, my brethren, and my servants, lend them money and grain. Please, let us stop this usury!
11 “Please restore to them this day their lands, their vineyards, their olives, and their houses, and one hundredth of the silver and of the grain, of the wine, and of the oil that you exacted from them!”
12 Then they said, “We will restore it and will not require it of them. We will do as you have said.” Then I called the priests and required an oath from them that they would do according to this promise.
13 So I shook my lap, and said, “So let God shake out every man from His House, and from His labor, who will not perform this promise. Thus let him be shaken out and emptied!” And all the Congregation said, “Amen!” and praised the LORD. And the people did according to this promise.
14 And from the time that the king gave me charge to be governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes (twelve years), I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor.
15 For the former governors who were before me had laid burdens on the people, and had taken bread and wine from them, besides forty shekels of silver. Yea, and their servants bore rule over the people. But I did not do so, because of the fear of God.
16 But rather, I fortified a portion in the work of this wall. And we bought no land. And all my servants came there together to work.
17 Moreover, there were at my table one hundred fifty of the Jews and rulers who came to us from among the heathen who are around us.
18 And an ox was prepared daily, and six chosen sheep. And birds were prepared for me. And every ten days, there was wine for all in abundance. Yet for all this, I did not require the bread of the governor. For the bondage was grievous to this people.
19 Remember me, O my God, in goodness, according to all that I have done for this people.
6 And when Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arabian and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall, and that there were no more breaches in it (though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates),
2 then Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come, so that we may meet together in the villages in the plain of Ono.” And they thought to do me evil.
3 Therefore, I sent messengers to them, saying, “I have a great work to do, and I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and come down to you?”
4 Still, they sent to me four times in the same way. And I answered them in the same way.
5 Then Sanballat sent his servant to me as before for the fifth time, with an open letter in his hand,
6 in which was written, “It is reported among the heathen, and Gashmu has said so, that you and the Jews plan to rebel, for which reason you built the wall. And you will be their king according to these words.
7 “You have also ordained the Prophets to preach of you at Jerusalem, saying, “There is a king in Judah.” And now according to these words, it shall come to the king’s ears. Come now, therefore, and let us take counsel together.”
8 Then I sent to him, saying, “Nothing is done according to these words that you speak. For you feign them from your own heart.”
9 For they were all trying to frighten us, saying, “Their hands shall be weakened from the work, and it shall not be done.” Now, therefore, encourage me.
10 And I came to the house of Shemaiah, the son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel. And he was shut up. And he said, “Let us come together into the House of God, in the midst of the Temple, and shut the doors of the Temple. For they will come to kill you. Yea, in the night will they come to kill you.”
11 Then I said, “Should such a man as I flee? Who is he, being as I am, who would go into the Temple to live? I will not go in.”
12 And lo, I perceived that God had not sent him, but that he pronounced this prophecy against me. For Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.
13 Therefore, he was hired so that I might be afraid, and do such, and sin, so that they might have an evil report, so that they might reproach me.
14 My God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat, according to these their works, and Noadiah the prophetess also, and the rest of the prophets who would have put me in fear.
15 Notwithstanding, the wall was finished in fifty-two days, on the twenty-fifth day of Elul.
16 And when all our enemies heard of it, all the heathen who were around us, they were afraid. And their courage failed them. For they knew that this work was done by our God.
17 And in these days, there were many of the princes of Judah whose letters went to Tobiah. And those of Tobiah came to them.
18 For there were many in Judah who had sworn allegiance to him. For he was the son-in-law of Shechaniah, the son of Arah. And his son, Jehohanan, had the daughter of Meshullam, the son of Berechiah.
19 Yea, they spoke his praise before me, and told him my words. And Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear.
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