Nehemiah 6
1 When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left—though to that time I had not yet installed the doors in the gates—
Forsothe it was doon, whanne Sanaballath hadde herd, and Tobie, and Gosem of Arabie, and oure other enemyes, that Y hadde bildide the wal, and nomore brekyng was therynne; sotheli `til to that tyme Y hadde not set leeuys of schittyng in the yatis;
2 Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” But they were planning to harm me.
Sanaballath, and Tobie, and Gosem of Arabie senten to me, and seiden, Come thou, and smyte we boond of pees in calues, `in o feeld; forsothe thei thouyten for to do yuel to me.
3 So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to go down to you?”
Therfor Y sente messangeris to hem, and Y seide, Y make a greet werk, and Y mai not go doun, lest perauenture it be doon retchelesli, whanne Y come, and go doun to you.
4 Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave the same reply.
Sotheli thei senten to me `bi this word bi foure tymes, and Y answeride to hem by the formere word.
5 The fifth time, Sanballat sent me this same message by his young servant, who had in his hand an unsealed letter
And Sanaballath sente to me the fyuethe tyme bi the formere word his child; and he hadde in his hond a pistle writun in this maner;
6 that read: “It is reported among the nations—and Geshem agrees—that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and this is why you are building the wall. According to these reports, you are to become their king,
It is herd among hethene men, and Gosem seide, that thou and the Jewis thenken for to rebelle, and therfor ye bilden, and thou wolt `reise thee king on hem;
7 and you have even appointed prophets in Jerusalem to proclaim on your behalf: ‘There is a king in Judah.’ Soon these rumors will reach the ears of the king. So come, let us confer together.”
for which cause also thou hast set profetis, that prechen of thee in Jerusalem, and seien, A king is in Jerusalem; the king schal here these wordis; therfor come thou now, that we take counsel togidere.
8 Then I sent him this reply: “There is nothing to these rumors you are spreading; you are inventing them in your own mind.”
And Y sente to hem, and seide, It is not doon bi these wordis whiche thou spekist; for of thin herte thou makist these thingis.
9 For they were all trying to frighten us, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will never be finished.” But now, my God, strengthen my hands.
Alle these men maden vs aferd, and thouyten that oure hondis schulden ceesse fro werkis, that we schulden reste; for which cause Y coumfortide more myn hond.
10 Later, I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his house. He said: “Let us meet at the house of God inside the temple. Let us shut the temple doors because they are coming to kill you— by night they are coming to kill you!”
And Y entride priueli in to the hows of Samaie, sone of Dalie, the sone of Methabehel, which seide, Trete we with vs silf in the hows of God, in the myddis of the temple, and close we the yatis of the hows; for thei schulen come to sle thee, `and thei schulen come `bi niyt to sle thee.
11 But I replied, “Should a man like me run away? Should one like me go into the temple to save his own life? I will not go!”
And Y seide, Whether ony man lijk me fledde, and who as Y schal entre in to the temple, and schal lyue?
12 I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had uttered this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.
Y schal not entre. And Y vndurstood that God `hadde not sent hym, but `he spak as profesiynge to me; and Tobie and Sanaballath `hadden hirid hym for meede.
13 He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would sin by doing as he suggested, so they could give me a bad name in order to discredit me.
For he hadde take prijs, that Y schulde be aferd, and do, and that Y schulde do synne; and thei schulden haue yuel, which thei schulden putte to me with schenschip.
14 O my God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat for what they have done, and also Noadiah the prophetess and the other prophets who tried to intimidate me.
Lord, haue mynde of me, for Tobye and Sanaballath, bi siche werkis `of hem; but also of Noadie, the profete, and of othere profetis, that maden me aferd.
15 So the wall was completed in fifty-two days, on the twenty-fifth of Elul.
Forsothe the wal was fillid in the fyue and twentithe dai of the monethe Ebul, in two and fifti daies.
16 When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and disheartened, for they realized that this task had been accomplished by our God.
Sotheli it was doon, whanne alle oure enemyes hadden herd, that alle hethene men dredden, that weren in oure cumpas, and thei felden doun with ynne hem silf, and wiste, that this work was maad of God.
17 Also in those days, the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came back to them.
But also in tho daies many pistlis of the principal men of Jewis weren sent to Tobie, and camen fro Tobie to hem.
18 For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, since he was a son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah.
For many men weren in Judee, and hadden his ooth; for he hadde weddid the douyter of Sechenye, the sone of Rotel; and Johannam, his sone, hadde take the douyter of Mosallam, sone of Barachie.
19 Moreover, these nobles kept reporting to me Tobiah’s good deeds, and they relayed my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.
But also thei preisiden hym bifor me, and telden my wordis to hym; and Tobie sente lettris, for to make me aferd.
