Nehemiah 4

1 Now when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he was furious and filled with indignation. He ridiculed the Jews

Now, Sanballat, hearing that we were building the wall, was very angry, and in his wrath made sport of the Jews.

2 before his associates and the army of Samaria, saying, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Can they restore the wall by themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Can they bring these burnt stones back to life from the mounds of rubble?”

And in the hearing of his countrymen and the army of Samaria he said, What are these feeble Jews doing? will they make themselves strong? will they make offerings? will they get the work done in a day? will they make the stones which have been burned come again out of the dust?

3 Then Tobiah the Ammonite, who was beside him, said, “If even a fox were to climb up on what they are building, it would break down their wall of stones!”

Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Such is their building that if a fox goes up it, their stone wall will be broken down.

4 Hear us, O God, for we are despised. Turn their scorn back upon their own heads, and let them be taken as plunder to a land of captivity.

Give ear, O our God, for we are looked down on: let their words of shame be turned back on themselves, and let them be given up to wasting in a land where they are prisoners:

5 Do not cover up their iniquity or let their sin be blotted out from Your sight, for they have provoked the builders.

Let not their wrongdoing be covered or their sin washed away from before you: for they have made you angry before the builders.

6 So we rebuilt the wall until all of it was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.

So we went on building the wall; and all the wall was joined together half-way up: for the people were working hard.

7 When Sanballat and Tobiah, together with the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites, heard that the repair to the walls of Jerusalem was progressing and that the gaps were being closed, they were furious,

But when it came to the ears of Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabians and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites, that the building of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and the broken places were being made good, they were full of wrath;

8 and all of them conspired to come and fight against Jerusalem and create a hindrance.

And they made designs, all of them together, to come and make an attack on Jerusalem, causing trouble there.

9 So we prayed to our God and posted a guard against them day and night.

But we made our prayer to God, and had men on watch against them day and night because of them.

10 Meanwhile, the people of Judah said: “The strength of the laborer fails, and there is so much rubble that we will never be able to rebuild the wall.”

And Judah said, The strength of the workmen is giving way, and there is much waste material; it is impossible for us to put up the wall.

11 And our enemies said, “Before they know or see a thing, we will come into their midst, kill them, and put an end to the work.”

And those who were against us said, Without their knowledge and without their seeing us, we will come among them and put them to death, causing the work to come to a stop.

12 At that time the Jews who lived nearby came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”

And it came about that when the Jews who were living near them came, they said to us ten times, From all directions they are coming against us.

13 So I stationed men behind the lowest sections of the wall, at the vulnerable areas. I stationed them by families with their swords, spears, and bows.

So in the lowest part of the space at the back of the walls, in the open places, I put the people by families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

14 After I had made an inspection, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”

And after looking, I got up and said to the great ones and to the chiefs and to the rest of the people, Have no fear of them: keep in mind the Lord who is great and greatly to be feared, and take up arms for your brothers, your sons, and your daughters, your wives and your houses.

15 When our enemies heard that we were aware of their scheme and that God had frustrated it, each of us returned to his own work on the wall.

And when it came to the ears of those who were against us, that we had knowledge of their designs and that God had made their purpose come to nothing, we all went back to the wall, everyone to his work

16 And from that day on, half of my servants did the work while the other half held spears, shields, bows, and armor. The officers stationed themselves behind all the people of Judah

And from that time, half of my servants were doing their part of the work, and half kept the spears and body-covers and the bows and the metal war-dresses; and the chiefs were at the back of the men of Judah.

17 who were rebuilding the wall. The laborers who carried materials worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other.

Those who were building the wall and those who were moving material did their part, everyone working with one hand, with his spear in the other;

18 And each of the builders worked with his sword strapped at his side. But the trumpeter stayed beside me.

Every builder was working with his sword at his side. And by my side was a man for sounding the horn.

19 Then I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people: “The work is great and extensive, and we are spread out far from one another along the wall.

And I said to the great ones and the chiefs and the rest of the people, The work is great and widely spaced and we are far away from one another on the wall:

20 Wherever you hear the sound of the horn, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us!”

Wherever you may be when the horn is sounded, come here to us; our God will be fighting for us.

21 So we continued the work, while half of the men held spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out.

So we went on with the work: and half of them had spears in their hands from the dawn of the morning till the stars were seen.

22 At that time I also said to the people, “Let every man and his servant spend the night inside Jerusalem, so that they can stand guard by night and work by day.”

And at the same time I said to the people, Let everyone with his servant come inside Jerusalem for the night, so that at night they may keep watch for us, and go on working by day.

23 So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the guards with me changed out of our clothes; each carried his weapon, even to go for water.

So not one of us, I or my brothers or my servants or the watchmen who were with me, took off his clothing, everyone went armed to the water.