尼希米記 4
1 參巴拉聽見我們修造城牆就發怒，大大惱恨，嗤笑猶大人，
But when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry, and was very indignant, and mocked the Jews.
2 對他弟兄和撒馬利亞的軍兵說：「這些軟弱的猶大人做甚麼呢？要保護自己嗎？要獻祭嗎？要一日成功嗎？要從土堆裏拿出火燒的石頭再立牆嗎？」
He spoke before his brothers and the army of Samaria, and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, since they are burned?”
3 亞捫人多比雅站在旁邊，說：「他們所修造的石牆，就是狐狸上去也必跐倒。」
Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, “What they are building, if a fox climbed up it, he would break down their stone wall.”
4 我們的上帝啊，求你垂聽，因為我們被藐視。求你使他們的毀謗歸於他們的頭上，使他們在擄到之地作為掠物。
“Hear, our God, for we are despised. Turn back their reproach on their own head. Give them up for a plunder in a land of captivity.
5 不要遮掩他們的罪孽，不要使他們的罪惡從你面前塗抹，因為他們在修造的人眼前惹動你的怒氣。
Don’t cover their iniquity. Don’t let their sin be blotted out from before you; for they have insulted the builders.”
6 這樣，我們修造城牆，城牆就都連絡，高至一半，因為百姓專心做工。
So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.
7 參巴拉、多比雅、阿拉伯人、亞捫人、亞實突人聽見修造耶路撒冷城牆，着手進行堵塞破裂的地方，就甚發怒。
But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabians, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, and that the breaches began to be filled, they were very angry;
8 大家同謀要來攻擊耶路撒冷，使城內擾亂。
and they all conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion among us.
9 然而，我們禱告我們的上帝，又因他們的緣故，就派人看守，晝夜防備。
But we made our prayer to our God, and set a watch against them day and night because of them.
10 猶大人說：「灰土尚多，扛抬的人力氣已經衰敗，所以我們不能建造城牆。」
Judah said, “The strength of the bearers of burdens is fading and there is much rubble, so that we are not able to build the wall.”
11 我們的敵人且說：「趁他們不知不見，我們進入他們中間，殺他們，使工作止住。」
Our adversaries said, “They will not know or see, until we come in among them and kill them, and cause the work to cease.”
12 那靠近敵人居住的猶大人十次從各處來見我們，說：「你們必要回到我們那裏。」
When the Jews who lived by them came, they said to us ten times from all places, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”
13 所以我使百姓各按宗族拿刀、拿槍、拿弓站在城牆後邊低窪的空處。
Therefore I set guards in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in the open places. I set the people by family groups with their swords, their spears, and their bows.
14 我察看了，就起來對貴冑、官長，和其餘的人說：「不要怕他們！當記念主是大而可畏的。你們要為弟兄、兒女、妻子、家產爭戰。」
I looked, and rose up, and said to the nobles, to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them! Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”
15 仇敵聽見我們知道他們的心意，見上帝也破壞他們的計謀，就不來了。我們都回到城牆那裏，各做各的工。
When our enemies heard that it was known to us, and God had brought their counsel to nothing, all of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work.
16 從那日起，我的僕人一半做工，一半拿槍、拿盾牌、拿弓、穿鎧甲，官長都站在猶大眾人的後邊。
From that time forth, half of my servants did the work, and half of them held the spears, the shields, the bows, and the coats of mail; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah.
17 修造城牆的，扛抬材料的，都一手做工一手拿兵器。
Those who built the wall, and those who bore burdens loaded themselves; everyone with one of his hands did the work, and with the other held his weapon.
18 修造的人都腰間佩刀修造，吹角的人在我旁邊。
Among the builders, everyone wore his sword at his side, and so built. He who sounded the trumpet was by me.
19 我對貴冑、官長，和其餘的人說：「這工程浩大，我們在城牆上相離甚遠；
I said to the nobles, and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and widely spread out, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another.
20 你們聽見角聲在哪裏，就聚集到我們那裏去。我們的上帝必為我們爭戰。」
Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally there to us. Our God will fight for us.”
21 於是，我們做工，一半拿兵器，從天亮直到星宿出現的時候。
So we did the work. Half of the people held the spears from the rising of the morning until the stars appeared.
22 那時，我又對百姓說：「各人和他的僕人當在耶路撒冷住宿，好在夜間保守我們，白晝做工。」
Likewise at the same time I said to the people, “Let everyone with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and may labor in the day.”
23 這樣，我和弟兄僕人，並跟從我的護兵都不脫衣服，出去打水也帶兵器。
So neither I, nor my brothers, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me took off our clothes. Everyone took his weapon to the water.
