Beginning

Those Against the Rebuilding

4 Sanballat heard we were rebuilding the wall. He was very angry, even furious. He made fun of the Jews. ² He said to his friends and the army of Samaria, “What are these weak Jews doing? They think they can rebuild the wall. They think they will offer sacrifices. Maybe they think they can finish rebuilding it in only one day. They can’t bring stones back to life. These are piles of trash and ashes.”

³ Tobiah the Ammonite was next to Sanballat. Tobiah said, “A fox could climb up on what they are building. Even it could break down their stone wall.”

⁴ I prayed, “Hear us, our God. We are hated. Turn the insults of Sanballat and Tobiah back on their own heads. Let them be captured and taken away like valuables that are stolen. ⁵ Do not hide their guilt. Do not take away their sins so you can’t see them. The builders have seen them make you angry.”

⁶ So we rebuilt the wall until all of it went halfway up. The people were willing to work hard.

⁷ But Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the men from Ashdod were very angry. They heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls were continuing. And they heard that the holes in the wall were being closed. ⁸ So they all made plans against Jerusalem. They planned to come and fight and stir up trouble. ⁹ But we prayed to our God. And we appointed guards to watch for them day and night.

¹⁰ The people of Judah said, “The workers are getting tired. There is too much dirt and trash. We cannot rebuild the wall.”

¹¹ And our enemies said, “The Jews won’t know it or see us. But we will come among them and kill them. We will stop the work.”

¹² Then the Jews who lived near our enemies came. They told us ten times, “Everywhere you turn, the enemy will attack us.” ¹³ So I put some of the people behind the lowest places along the wall. And I put some at the open places. I put families together with their swords, spears and bows. ¹⁴ Then I looked around. I stood up and spoke to the important men, the leaders and the rest of the people. I said, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord. He is great and others are afraid of him. And fight for your brothers, your sons and daughters, your wives and your homes.”

¹⁵ Then our enemies heard that we knew about their plans. God had ruined their plans. So we all went back to the wall. Each person went back to his own work.

¹⁶ From that day on, half my men worked on the wall. The other half was ready with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers stood in back of the people of Judah ¹⁷ who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand. They carried a weapon in the other hand. ¹⁸ Each builder wore his sword at his side as he worked. The man who blew the trumpet to warn the people stayed next to me.

¹⁹ Then I spoke to the important men, the leaders and the rest of the people. I said, “This is a very big job. We are spreading out along the wall. We are far apart. ²⁰ So wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, assemble there. Our God will fight for us.”

²¹ So we continued to work. Half the men held spears. We worked from sunrise till the stars came out. ²² At that time I also said to the people, “Let every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night. They can be our guards at night. And they can be workmen during the day.” ²³ Neither I, my brothers, my men nor the guards with me ever took off our clothes. Each person carried his weapon even when he went for water.

Nehemiah Helps Poor People

5 The men and their wives complained loudly against their fellow Jews. ² Some of them were saying, “We have many sons and daughters in our families. To eat and stay alive, we need grain.”

³ Others were saying, “We are borrowing money to get grain. There is not much food. We might not be able to pay back the money we’ve borrowed. Then we will have to pay with our fields, vineyards and homes.”

⁴ And still others were saying, “We are having to borrow money. We have to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards. ⁵ We are just like our fellow Jews. Our sons are like their sons. But we have to sell our sons and daughters as slaves. Some of our daughters have already been sold. But there is nothing we can do. Our fields and vineyards already belong to other people.”

⁶ When I heard their complaints about these things, I was very angry. ⁷ I thought about it. Then I accused the important people and the leaders. I told them, “You are charging your own brothers too much interest.” So I called a large meeting to deal with them. ⁸ I said to them, “Our fellow Jews had been sold to non-Jewish nations. But, as much as possible, we have bought them back. Now you are making your fellow Jews sell themselves to us!” The leaders were quiet. They had nothing to say.

⁹ Then I said, “What you are doing is not right. You should live in fear of God. Don’t let our non-Jewish enemies shame us. ¹⁰ I, my brothers and my men are also lending money and grain to the people. But stop charging them too much for this! ¹¹ Give back their fields, vineyards, olive trees and houses right now. Also give them back the extra amount you charged them. That is the hundredth part of the money, grain, new wine and oil.”

¹² They said, “We will give it back. And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say.”

Then I called for the priests. And I made the important men and leaders promise to do what they had said. ¹³ Also I shook out the folds of my robe. I said, “In this way may God shake out every man who does not keep his promise. May God shake him out of his house. And may he shake him out of the things that are his. Let that man be shaken out and emptied!”

Then the whole group said, “Amen.” And they praised the Lord. So the people did what they had promised.

¹⁴ I was appointed governor in the land of Judah. This was in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ rule. I was governor till his thirty-second year. So I was governor of Judah for 12 years. During that time neither my brothers nor I ate the food that was allowed for the governor. ¹⁵ But the governors before me placed a heavy load on the people. They took about one pound of silver from each person. And they took food and wine. The governors’ helpers before me also controlled the people. But I did not do that because I feared God. ¹⁶ I worked on the wall. So did all my men who were gathered there. We did not buy any fields.

¹⁷ Also, I fed 150 Jews and officers at my table. And I fed those who came from the nations around us. ¹⁸ This is what was prepared every day for me and those who ate with me: one ox, six good sheep, and birds. And every ten days there were all kinds of wine. But I never demanded the food that was allowed for the governor. This was because the people were already working very hard.

¹⁹ Remember, my God, to be kind to me. Remember all the good I have done for these people.

More Problems for Nehemiah

6 Then Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and our other enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall. There was not one gap in it. But I had not yet set the doors in the gates. ² So Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, Nehemiah, let’s meet together in Kephirim on the plain of Ono.”

But they were planning to harm me. ³ So I sent messengers to them with this answer: “I am doing a great work. I can’t come down. I don’t want the work to stop while I leave to meet you.” ⁴ Sanballat and Geshem sent the same message to me four times. And I sent back the same answer each time.

⁵ The fifth time Sanballat sent his helper to me with the message. And in his hand was an unsealed letter. ⁶ This is what was written:

⁸ So I sent him back this answer: “Nothing you are saying is really happening. You are just making it up in your own mind.”

⁹ Our enemies were trying to scare us. They were thinking, “They will get too weak to work. Then the wall will not be finished.”

But I prayed, “God, make me strong.”

¹⁰ One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah. Delaiah was the son of Mehetabel. Shemaiah had to stay at home. He said, “Nehemiah, let’s meet in the Temple of God. Let’s go inside the Temple and close the doors. Men are coming at night to kill you.”

¹¹ But I said, “Should a man like me run away? Should I run into the Temple to save my life? I will not go.” ¹² I knew that God had not sent him. Tobiah and Sanballat had paid him to prophesy against me. ¹³ They paid him to frighten me so I would do this and sin. Then they could give me a bad name to shame me.

¹⁴ I prayed, “Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, my God. Remember what they have done. Also remember the prophetess Noadiah and the other prophets who have been trying to frighten me.”

The Wall Is Finished

¹⁵ So the wall of Jerusalem was completed. It was on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul. It took 52 days to rebuild. ¹⁶ Then all our enemies heard about it. And all the nations around us saw it. So they were shamed. They understood that the work had been done with the help of our God.

¹⁷ Also in those days the important men of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah. And Tobiah answered them. ¹⁸ Many Jews had promised to be faithful to Tobiah. This was because Tobiah was the son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah. And Tobiah’s son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah. ¹⁹ Those important men kept telling me about the good things Tobiah was doing. Then they would tell Tobiah what I said about him. So Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.