Beginning

Chapter 4

¹ When Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the restoration of the walls of Jerusalem was progressing—for the gaps were beginning to be closed up—they became extremely angry. ² They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to throw us into confusion. ³ We prayed to our God and posted a watch against them day and night for fear of what they might do. ⁴ Meanwhile the Judahites were saying:

⁵ Our enemies thought, “Before they are aware of it or see us, we will come into their midst, kill them, and put an end to the work.”

⁶ When the Jews who lived near them had come to us from one place after another, and had told us ten times over that they were about to attack us, ⁷ I stationed guards down below, behind the wall, near the exposed points, assigning them by family groups with their swords, spears, and bows. ⁸ I made an inspection, then addressed these words to the nobles, the magistrates, and the rest of the people: “Do not fear them! Keep in mind the Lord, who is great and to be feared, and fight for your kindred, your sons and daughters, your wives and your homes.” ⁹ When our enemies realized that we had been warned and that God had upset their plan, we all went back, each to our own task at the wall.

^10 (A)From that time on, however, only half my work force took a hand in the work, while the other half, armed with spears, bucklers, bows, and breastplates, stood guard behind the whole house of Judah ¹¹ as they rebuilt the wall. The load carriers, too, were armed; each worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other. ¹² Every builder, while working, had a sword tied at his side. A trumpeter stood beside me, ¹³ for I had said to the nobles, the magistrates, and the rest of the people: “Our work is scattered and extensive, and we are widely separated from one another along the wall; ¹⁴ wherever you hear the trumpet sound, join us there; our God will fight with us.” ¹⁵ Thus we went on with the work, half with spears in hand, from daybreak till the stars came out.

¹⁶ At the same time I told the people to spend the nights inside Jerusalem, each with an attendant, so that they might serve as a guard by night and a working force by day. ¹⁷ Neither I, nor my kindred, nor any of my attendants, nor any of the bodyguard that accompanied me took off our clothes; everyone kept a weapon at hand.

Chapter 5

Social and Economic Problems. ^1 (B)Then there rose a great outcry of the people and their wives against certain of their Jewish kindred.^{[a] 2} Some said: “We are forced to pawn our sons and daughters in order to get grain to eat that we may live.” ³ Others said: “We are forced to pawn our fields, our vineyards, and our houses, that we may have grain during the famine.” ⁴ Still others said: “To pay the king’s tax we have borrowed money on our fields and vineyards. ^5 (C)And though these are our own kindred, and our children are as good as theirs, we have had to reduce our sons and daughters to slavery, and violence has been done to some of our daughters! Yet we can do nothing about it, for our fields and vineyards belong to others.”

⁶ I was extremely angry when I heard the reasons for their complaint. ^7 (D)After some deliberation, I called the nobles and magistrates to account, saying to them, “You are exacting interest from your own kindred!”^[b] I then rebuked them severely, ^8 (E)saying to them: “As far as we were able, we bought back our Jewish kindred who had been sold to Gentiles; you, however, are selling your own kindred, to have them bought back by us.” They remained silent, for they could find no answer. ⁹ I continued: “What you are doing is not good. Should you not conduct yourselves out of fear of our God rather than fear of the reproach of our Gentile enemies? ¹⁰ I myself, my kindred, and my attendants have lent the people money and grain without charge. Let us put an end to this usury! ¹¹ Return to them this very day their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses, together with the interest on the money, the grain, the wine, and the oil that you have lent them.” ¹² They answered: “We will return everything and exact nothing further from them. We will do just what you ask.” Then I called for the priests to administer an oath to them that they would do as they had promised. ¹³ I shook out the folds of my garment, saying, “Thus may God shake from home and fortune every man who fails to keep this promise, and may he thus be shaken out and emptied!” And the whole assembly answered, “Amen,” and praised the Lord. Then the people did as they had promised.

Nehemiah’s Record. ¹⁴ Moreover, from the time that King Artaxerxes appointed me governor in the land of Judah, from his twentieth to his thirty-second year—during these twelve years neither I nor my kindred lived off the governor’s food allowance. ¹⁵ The earlier governors,^[c] my predecessors, had laid a heavy burden on the people, taking from them each day forty silver shekels for their food; then, too, their attendants oppressed the people. But I, because I feared God, did not do this. ¹⁶ In addition, though I had acquired no land of my own, I did my part in this work on the wall, and all my attendants were gathered there for the work. ¹⁷ Though I set my table for a hundred and fifty persons, Jews and magistrates, as well as the neighboring Gentiles who came to us, ¹⁸ and though the daily preparations were made at my expense—one ox, six choice sheep, poultry—besides all kinds of wine in abundance every ten days, despite this I did not claim the governor’s allowance, for the labor lay heavy upon this people. ¹⁹ Keep in mind, my God, to my credit all that I did for this people.

Chapter 6

Plots Against Nehemiah. ¹ When it had been reported to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and our other enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and that there was no breach left in it (though up to that time I had not yet set up the doors in the gates), ² Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us hold council together at Chephirim in the plain of Ono.” They were planning to do me harm. ³ I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am engaged in a great enterprise and am unable to come down. Why should the work stop, while I leave it to come down to you?” ⁴ Four times they sent me this same proposal, and each time I gave the same reply. ⁵ Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent me the same message by one of his servants, who bore an unsealed letter ⁶ containing this text: “Among the nations it has been reported—Gashmu^[d] is witness to this—that you and the Jews are planning a rebellion; that for this reason you are rebuilding the wall; and that you are to be their king. ⁷ Also, that you have set up prophets in Jerusalem to proclaim you king of Judah. Now, since matters like these will reach the ear of the king, come, let us hold council together.” ⁸ I sent him this answer: “Nothing of what you report is happening; rather, it is the invention of your own mind.” ⁹ They were all trying to intimidate us, thinking, “They will be discouraged from continuing with the work, and it will never be completed.” But instead, I then redoubled my efforts.

¹⁰ I went to the house of Shemaiah, son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his house, and he said: “Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple building; let us lock the doors of the temple. For they are coming to kill you—by night they are coming to kill you.” ¹¹ My answer was: “A man like me take flight? Should a man like me enter the temple to save his life? I will not go!” ¹² For on consideration, it was plain to me that God had not sent him; rather, because Tobiah and Sanballat had bribed him, he voiced this prophecy concerning me, ¹³ that I might act on it out of fear and commit this sin. Then they would have had a shameful story with which to discredit me. ^14 (F)Keep in mind Tobiah and Sanballat, my God, because of these things they did; keep in mind as well Noadiah the woman prophet and the other prophets who were trying to intimidate me.

Completion of the Work. ¹⁵ The wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul;^[e] the work had taken fifty-two days. ^16 (G)When all our enemies had heard of this, and all the neighboring Gentiles round about had taken note of it, they were very discouraged, for they knew that it was with our God’s help that this work had been completed. ¹⁷ At that same time, however, many letters were going to Tobiah from the nobles of Judah, and Tobiah’s letters were reaching them, ¹⁸ for many in Judah were in league with him, since he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah, son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam, son of Berechiah. ¹⁹ They would praise his good deeds in my presence and relate to him whatever I said; and Tobiah sent letters trying to intimidate me.