Old/New Testament

Working and Watching at the Same Time

4 When Sanballat heard that we were building the wall again, he became very angry. He was filled with anger and he made fun of the Jews. ² He said to his brothers and the rich men of Samaria, “What are these weak Jews doing? Are they going to build things again for themselves? Will they give gifts on the altar in worship? Will they finish in a day? Will they get good stones for building from the dust, seeing they are burned?” ³ Tobiah the Ammonite was near him and said, “If a fox would jump on what they build, he would break their stone wall down!”

⁴ Hear, O our God, how we are hated! Return their shame on their own heads. Let them be taken as servants to a strange land. ⁵ Do not forgive their sin. Do not let their sin be covered from Your eyes. For they have made much fun of the builders. ⁶ But we built the wall, and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.

⁷ When Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the work of building the walls of Jerusalem went on, and that the broken places began to be closed, they were very angry. ⁸ And all of them made plans together to come and fight against Jerusalem and cause trouble in it. ⁹ But we prayed to our God because of them. And we had men watching for them day and night. ¹⁰ So in Judah it was said, “Those who carry the loads are becoming weaker, and there is much dust. We are not able to work on the wall.” ¹¹ Those who hated us said, “They will not know it or see us until we are among them, kill them, and stop the work.” ¹² When the Jews who lived by them came, they told us ten times, “They will come up against us from all the places where they live.” ¹³ So I put men in the lowest parts of the places behind the wall, in the open places. I put the people in place by their families with their swords, spears and bows. ¹⁴ When I saw their fear, I got up and said to the rulers and leaders and the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord Who is great and honored with fear. And fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”

¹⁵ When those who hated us heard that it was known to us, and that God had brought trouble to their plan, then all of us returned to the wall. Each one returned to his work. ¹⁶ From that day on, half of my servants did the work while half of them held the spears, battle-coverings, bows, and battle-clothes. And the captains stood behind the whole house of Judah. ¹⁷ Those who were building the wall and those who carried loads did their work with one hand, and held something to fight with in the other hand. ¹⁸ Each builder wore his sword at his side as he built. The man who blew the horn stood beside me. ¹⁹ I said to the rulers, leaders, and the rest of the people, “There is very much work to do, and we are separated on the wall far from one another. ²⁰ In whatever place you hear the sound of the horn, gather together to us there. Our God will fight for us.”

²¹ So we did the work with half of them holding spears from sunrise until the stars came out. ²² At that time I also said to the people, “Let every man and his servant spend the night within Jerusalem so they may watch for us during the night and work during the day.” ²³ So none of us, I, my brothers, my servants, or the soldiers who followed me, took off our clothes. Each man kept something to fight with in his hand, even when he went to wash.

Help for Poor People

5 Now the people and their wives began to cry in a loud voice against their Jewish brothers. ² For some said, “We, our sons and our daughters are many. Let us get grain, that we may eat and live.” ³ And some said, “We are giving up our fields, our grape-vines and our houses, that we might get grain because of no food.” ⁴ Others said, “We have taken money from others to pay the king’s tax on our fields and our grape-vines, and we must pay back this money. ⁵ Our flesh is like the flesh of our brothers. Our children are like their children. Yet we are made to sell our sons and daughters to work for others. Some of our daughters have already been sold and taken away. We cannot do anything, because our fields and vines belong to others.”

⁶ I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words. ⁷ I thought about it, and spoke sharp words to the rulers and leaders. I said to them, “You are making the people pay back more money than you give them to use!” So I gathered many people together against them. ⁸ And I said to them, “As we have been able, we have bought and freed our Jewish brothers who were sold to the nations. But you would even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us!” They were quiet and could not find a word to say. ⁹ So I said, “What you are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our God to stop the nations who hate us from putting us to shame? ¹⁰ I, my brothers and my servants are giving them money and grain. Let us stop making them pay back more than they are given. ¹¹ Return to them this very day their fields, vines, olive trees, and houses. Also return to them one-hundredth part of the money, grain, new wine, and oil, that you have been making them pay.” ¹² Then they said, “We will give these back and will ask nothing from them. We will do just as you say.” So I called the religious leaders, and had them promise that they would keep their word. ¹³ I shook out the front of my clothing and said, “So may God shake out every man from his house and from all he has worked for, who does not keep this promise. So may he be shaken out and made empty.” And all the people said, “Let it be so!” and praised the Lord. Then they did as they had promised.

Nehemiah Does Not Think of Himself

¹⁴ Also, in the twelve years after I was chosen to be their ruler in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, I and my brothers did not eat the food allowed to the ruler. ¹⁵ The rulers who were before me made the people work very hard. They took bread and wine from them, besides forty pieces of silver. Even their servants ruled over the people. But I did not do so because of the fear of God. ¹⁶ I also worked on this wall myself, and we did not buy any land. And all my servants were gathered there for the work. ¹⁷ Also, there were 150 Jews and leaders at my table, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us. ¹⁸ One bull, six of the best sheep, and birds were made ready for me each day. All kinds of wine were brought in every ten days. Yet for all this I did not make them give me the food allowed to me as ruler, because the work was very hard for these people. ¹⁹ O my God, remember me for good for all I have done for these people.

Neighbors Do Not Want the Wall Built

6 It was told to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and to the rest of those who hated us that I had built the wall again. They were told that the wall had no more open places, but I had not yet set up the doors in the gates. ² So Sanballat and Geshem sent word to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono.” But they were planning to hurt or kill me. ³ So I sent men with word 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 They sent word to me four times in this way, and I gave them the same answer. ⁵ Then Sanballat sent his servant to me in the same way for a fifth time, with an open letter in his hand. ⁶ In it was written, “It is said among the nations, and Gashmu says that you and the Jews are planning to turn against the king. This is why you are building the wall again. It is said that you wish to be their king. ⁷ You have also chosen men who tell what will happen to speak to the people in Jerusalem about you, saying, ‘A king is in Judah!’ Now this will be told to the king. So come now, let us meet to speak with each other.” ⁸ Then I sent word to him, saying, “No such things as you say have been done. You are making them up in your own mind.” ⁹ For they all wanted to make us afraid, thinking, “Their hands will become weak and the work will not be done.” But now, O God, strengthen my hands.

¹⁰ When I went into the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was at home said, “Let us meet together inside the house of God, and close the doors of the Lord’s house for they are coming to kill you. They are coming to kill you at night.” ¹¹ But I said, “Should a man like me run away? And could a man such as I go into the house of God to save his life? I will not go in.” ¹² Then I understood that God had not sent him. He had spoken these words against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had paid him to do it. ¹³ He had been paid to try to make me afraid and to do as he said and sin, so they would have sinful things to say about me and put me to shame. ¹⁴ O my God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat by these works of theirs. And remember Noadiah and the rest of the men who tell what will happen who were trying to make me afraid.

The Wall Is Finished

¹⁵ So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul, in fifty-two days. ¹⁶ When all those who hated us heard about it, all the nations around us were afraid and troubled. For they saw that this work had been done with the help of our God. ¹⁷ In those days the rulers of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them. ¹⁸ For many in Judah were joined by promise to him because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah. And his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam, son of Berechiah. ¹⁹ Also they spoke about Tobiah’s good works in front of me, and told my words to him. Then Tobiah sent letters to make me afraid.

7 When the wall was built and I had set up the doors, and the gate-keepers and singers and Levites were chosen, ² I gave my brother Hanani, and Hanaiah the captain of the strong place, the work of watching over Jerusalem. For he was a faithful man and honored God with fear more than many. ³ I said to them, “Do not let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot. And while the soldiers are on duty watching the gates, let them shut and lock the doors. Choose soldiers from the people of Jerusalem, each one for the place he is to keep watch, and each in front of his own house.”

The Jews Return to Jerusalem

⁴ Now the city was wide and large, but the people in it were few and the houses were not built. ⁵ Then my God put it into my heart to gather together the rulers, the leaders and the people to have their names written down by families. And I found the book of the family names of those who came up first. This is what I found written in it: ⁶ These are the people who left the land of Babylon and returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own city. Their families had been taken away to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon. ⁷ These people returned with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.

The number of the men of Israel: ⁸ 2,172 sons of Parosh, ⁹ 372 sons of Shephatiah, ¹⁰ 652 sons of Arah, ¹¹ 2,818 sons of Pahath-moab, of the sons of Jeshua and Joab, ¹² 1,254 sons of Elam, ¹³ 845 sons of Zattu, ¹⁴ 760 sons of Zaccai, ¹⁵ 648 sons of Binnui, ¹⁶ 628 sons of Bebai, ¹⁷ 2,322 sons of Azgad, ¹⁸ 667 sons of Adonikam, ¹⁹ 2,067 sons of Bigvai, ²⁰ 655 sons of Adin, ²¹ 98 sons of Ater, of Hezekiah, ²² 328 sons of Hashum, ²³ 324 sons of Bezai, ²⁴ 112 sons of Hariph, ²⁵ 95 sons of Gibeon, ²⁶ 188 sons of Bethlehem and Netophah, ²⁷ 128 sons of Anathoth, ²⁸ 42 sons of Beth-azmaveth, ²⁹ 743 sons of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, ³⁰ 621 sons of Ramah and Geba, ³¹ 122 sons of Michmas, ³² 123 sons of Bethel and Ai, ³³ 52 sons of the other Nebo, ³⁴ 1,254 sons of the other Elam, ³⁵ 320 sons of Harim, ³⁶ 345 sons of Jericho, ³⁷ 721 sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, ³⁸ and 3,930 sons of Senaah.

³⁹ The religious leaders: 973 sons of Jedaiah of the house of Jeshua, ⁴⁰ 1,052 sons of Immer, ⁴¹ 1,247 sons of Pashhur, ⁴² 1,017 sons of Harim.

⁴³ The Levites: 74 sons of Jeshua, of Kadmiel, of the sons of Hodevah. ⁴⁴ The singers: 148 sons of Asaph. ⁴⁵ The gate-keepers: 138 sons of Shallum, of Ater, of Talmon, of Akkub, of Hatita, and of Shobai.

⁴⁶ The servants of the house of God: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth, ⁴⁷ the sons of Keros, the sons of Sia, the sons of Padon, ⁴⁸ the sons of Lebana, the sons of Hagaba, the sons of Shalmai, ⁴⁹ the sons of Hanan, the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, ⁵⁰ the sons of Reaiah, the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, ⁵¹ the sons of Gazzam, the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, ⁵² the sons of Besai, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nephushesim, ⁵³ the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur, ⁵⁴ the sons of Bazlith, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha, ⁵⁵ the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah, ⁵⁶ the sons of Neziah, and the sons of Hatipha.

⁵⁷ The sons of Solomon’s servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sophereth, the sons of Perida, ⁵⁸ the sons of Jaala, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel, ⁵⁹ the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-hazzebaim, and the sons of Amon. ⁶⁰ All the servants in the house of God and the sons of Solomon’s servants were 392.

⁶¹ Now these were the men who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer. But they were not able to prove their fathers’ houses or that they were children of Israel: ⁶² 642 sons of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda. ⁶³ And the sons of the religious leaders: the sons of Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai, who had married one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called by their name. ⁶⁴ These men looked for their names among the names of all the families, but could not find them. So they were thought of as being unclean, and were not allowed to work as religious leaders. ⁶⁵ And the leader told them that they should not eat from the most holy things until a religious leader learned God’s will by the Urim and Thummin.

⁶⁶ There were 42,360 people in all, ⁶⁷ besides the 7,337 men and women servants, and 245 singing men and women. ⁶⁸ They had 736 horses, 245 mules, ⁶⁹ 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.

⁷⁰ Some from among the heads of the family groups gave to the work. The ruler gave 1,000 gold pieces, fifty deep dishes, and 530 sets of clothing for the religious leaders. ⁷¹ And some of the leaders of family groups gave 20,000 gold pieces and 2,200 silver pieces. ⁷² The rest of the people gave 20,000 gold pieces, 2,000 silver pieces, and 67 sets of clothing for the religious leaders.

⁷³ Now the religious leaders, the Levites, the gate-keepers, the singers, some of the people, the servants in the house of the Lord, and all Israel, lived in their cities.

When the seventh month had come, the sons of Israel were in their cities.

Peter Preaches—Jesus Shows Who He Is by What He Did

²² “Jewish men, listen to what I have to say! You knew Jesus of the town of Nazareth by the powerful works He did. God worked through Jesus while He was with you. You all know this. ²³ Jesus was handed over to sinful men. God knew this and planned for it to happen. You had sinful men take Him and nail Him to a cross. ²⁴ But God raised Him up. He allowed Him to be set free from the pain of death. Death could not hold its power over Him.

Peter Preaches—Jesus Shows Who He Is by What He Said

²⁵ “David said this about Him, ‘I can see the Lord before me all the time. He is at my right side so that I do not need to be troubled. ²⁶ I am glad and my tongue is full of joy. My body rests in hope. ²⁷ You will not leave my soul in death. You will not allow Your Holy One to be destroyed. ²⁸ You have shown me the ways of life. I will be full of joy when I see Your face.’ ^(A)

²⁹ “Brothers, I can tell you in plain words that our early father David not only died but was buried. We know where his grave is today. ³⁰ He was one who spoke for God. He knew God had made a promise to him. From his family Christ would come and take His place as King. ³¹ He knew this before and spoke of Christ being raised from the dead. Christ’s soul would not be left in hell. His body would not be destroyed. ³² Jesus is this One! God has raised Him up and we have all seen Him.

³³ “This Jesus has been lifted up to God’s right side. The Holy Spirit was promised by the Father. God has given Him to us. That is what you are seeing and hearing now! ³⁴ It was not David who was taken up to heaven, because he said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right side, ³⁵ for those who hate You will be a place to rest Your feet.”’ ^{(B) 36} The whole Jewish nation must know for sure that God has made this Jesus, both Lord and Christ. He is the One you nailed to a cross!”

They Ask Peter What They Should Do

³⁷ When the Jews heard this, their hearts were troubled. They said to Peter and to the other missionaries, “Brothers, what should we do?” ³⁸ Peter said to them, “Be sorry for your sins and turn from them and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and your sins will be forgiven. You will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ This promise is to you and your children. It is to all people everywhere. It is to as many as the Lord our God will call.”

⁴⁰ He said many other things. He helped them understand that they should keep themselves from the sinful people of this day. ⁴¹ Those who believed what he said were baptized. There were about 3,000 more followers added that day.

The First Church

⁴² They were faithful in listening to the teaching of the missionaries. They worshiped and prayed and ate the Lord’s supper together. ⁴³ Many powerful works were done by the missionaries. Surprise and fear came on them all. ⁴⁴ All those who put their trust in Christ were together and shared what they owned. ⁴⁵ As anyone had need, they sold what they owned and shared with everyone. ⁴⁶ Day after day they went to the house of God together. In their houses they ate their food together. Their hearts were happy. ⁴⁷ They gave thanks to God and all the people respected them. The Lord added to the group each day those who were being saved from the punishment of sin.