Beginning

Chapter 4

¹ When Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites^[a] heard that the repairs to the walls of Jerusalem were proceeding according to plan and that the gaps were beginning to be closed, they became infuriated. ² As a result, they all plotted together to launch an attack against Jerusalem and throw all of us into panic and confusion. ³ Therefore, we prayed to our God and posted guards against them day and night in an attempt to foil their plans.

⁴ Meanwhile, the Judahites were saying: “The strength of the laborers is beginning to falter, and the rubbish is so extensive that we will not be able to rebuild the wall.” ⁵ However, our enemies, who were adamant in their belief that we would not know or see anything before they came into our midst, prepared to kill us and put a stop to the work.

⁶ When the Jews who lived near them came to us, they warned us ten times over: “Whichever way you turn, they will be prepared to attack us.” ⁷ Therefore, I commanded men to position themselves in the lowest places behind the wall, and near them I stationed the people by families with their swords, spears, and bows.

⁸ After I made a thorough inspection, I addressed the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, saying: “Have no fear of them! Remember the Lord, who is great and awe-inspiring, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.” ⁹ When our enemies realized that we were forewarned and that God had thwarted their plans, they withdrew, and we all went back to the wall, each one to his particular task.

¹⁰ From that time on, however, half of my men did the construction work, while the other half posted themselves behind the whole house of Judah as they rebuilt the wall. ¹¹ Those who carried the building materials did their work with one hand while holding a spear with the other. ¹² Moreover, every worker involved in the task of building had his sword strapped to his side at all times. In addition, a trumpeter stood beside me.

^13 [b]I then said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people: “Our work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. ¹⁴ Whenever you hear the sound of a trumpet, come to our side to support us immediately. Our God will fight for us.”

¹⁵ Therefore, we continued to labor at the work, from the break of dawn until the stars came out. ¹⁶ At the same time I also told the people: “Let every man with his servant remain each night in Jerusalem, so that they may spend the night as a guard for us and be at work during the day.” ¹⁷ Therefore, neither I, nor my brothers, nor my servants, nor any of the bodyguards who accompanied me ever took off our clothes. In addition, each one kept his spear in his right hand.

Chapter 5

Antisocial Conduct.^{[c] 1} Soon thereafter, there arose a great outcry from the common people and from their wives against their Jewish brothers. ² Some were vehement in their complaints that they were forced to pledge their sons and daughters in order to obtain grain so that they might eat and stay alive. ³ Others asserted that they were forced to mortgage their fields, their vineyards, and their houses in order to survive.

⁴ Furthermore, there were those who said: “We are being forced to borrow money on our fields and vineyards in order to pay the king’s tax. ⁵ And although our flesh is identical to that of our kinsmen and our children are as good as theirs, we will have to subject our sons and daughters into slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, and our fields and our vineyards now belong to others.”

Nehemiah’s Action. ⁶ When I heard these complaints and the cries of the people, I was extremely angry. ⁷ After having considered the various options, I threatened to bring charges against the nobles and the magistrates, accusing them of exacting interest from their own kinsmen.

Then I summoned a great assembly to deal with them, ⁸ and I said to them: “As far as it was humanly possible, we have bought back our fellow Jews who had been sold to foreigners. However, now you are selling your own brothers and thus forcing us to purchase them back.” They remained silent, for they were unable to come up with a satisfactory reply.

⁹ Therefore, I said: “What you are doing is terribly wrong. Should you not walk in the fear of our God and make clear that you are not at all concerned with the taunts of the nations who are our enemies? ¹⁰ Moreover, I myself, along with my brothers and my servants, have lent the people money and grain without charge. Let us cease the custom of usury. ¹¹ I also ask that you restore to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, together with the interest on the money, the grain, the wine, and the oil that you have lent them.”

¹² They replied: “We will give it all back and demand nothing more from them. We will do just what you ask.” I then summoned the priests and made them swear to do what they had promised. ¹³ I also shook out the folds of my garment and said: “So may God shake out from home and property everyone who fails to adhere to this promise. May every such man be shaken out and emptied.”^[d]

All the assembled people said “Amen” and praised the Lord, and they did as they promised.

¹⁴ Nehemiah’s Lack of Self-Interest. Moreover, from the twentieth year that King Artaxerxes appointed me to be their governor in the land of Judah until the thirty-second year, neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor by the king. ¹⁵ On the other hand, the former governors, my predecessors, had laid a heavy burden on the people and exacted from them forty shekels of silver each day for food and wine, while their servants also oppressed the people. However, because I feared God, I did not act in this way.

¹⁶ Indeed, I devoted all my efforts to the work on the wall, and I acquired no land, while all my servants were gathered there for the work. ¹⁷ Moreover, there sat at my table guests who numbered one hundred and fifty people, Jews and officials, as well as those who came to us from the surrounding nations.

¹⁸ Every day one ox, six choice sheep, and some poultry were prepared for me, as well as skins of wine in abundance every ten days. Despite all this, I did not claim the governor’s food allowance because the people had such a heavy burden of labor.

¹⁹ O my God, please remember me favorably for all that I have done for this people.

Chapter 6

Plots against Nehemiah. ¹ When it had been reported to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and that not a single breach was left in it (although up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates), ² Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come here and confer with us in one of the villages in the plain of Ono.” Their intention was clearly to do me harm.

³ Therefore, I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am engaged in a great project, and I cannot come down to you at this particular time. Why should the work come to a grinding halt while I leave it and come down to you?” ⁴ They sent me the same invitation four times, and on each occasion I gave them the same reply.

⁵ Then, for the fifth time, Sanballat sent his servant to me with the same message, but this time in an unsealed letter. ⁶ In it was written: “It has been reported among the nations, and Geshem^[e] confirms it, that you and the Jews are planning a rebellion, that this is the reason you are building the wall, and that you are intending to become their king. ⁷ We have also heard that you have appointed prophets in Jerusalem to proclaim you king. Needless to say, such rumors will be brought to the attention of the king. So come at once and let us discuss this together.”

⁸ I sent the following reply to him: “No such thing that you are suggesting has taken place. It is all in your imagination.” ⁹ They all were trying to frighten us, hoping that we would become lax in our work and the job would not be completed. But instead I became more determined than ever.

¹⁰ One day I went to the house of Shemaiah, the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his house. He said to me:

¹¹ However, I said: “Should a man like me run away? Or should a man like me go into the temple to save his life?”

¹² Then I realized that God had not sent Shemaiah to say this, but rather that Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. ¹³ He had been bribed to intimidate me and make me sin by acting in this way. Then they could ruin my reputation and discredit me.

¹⁴ Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, according to those things they did, and also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets whose purpose was to intimidate me.

¹⁵ Conclusion of the Work. The wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul.^[f] It was completed in fifty-two days. ¹⁶ When all our enemies heard about this, and all the surrounding nations were completely aware of what had been happening, they realized that all this work had been completed with the help of God.

¹⁷ At the same time, however, the nobles of Judah were sending many letters to Tobiah, and in turn, letters from Tobiah kept coming to them, ¹⁸ for many in Judah were bound to him by oath, because 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 were always praising Tobiah’s good deeds in my presence, and they reported my words to him. Furthermore, Tobiah also sent letters to me in an attempt at intimidation.