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—
Factum est autem, cum audisset Sanaballat, et Tobias, et Gossem Arabs, et ceteri inimici nostri, quod aedificassem ego murum, et non esset in ipso residua interruptio (usque ad tempus autem illud valvas non posueram in portis)
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.
miserunt Sanaballat, et Gossem ad me, dicentes: Veni, et percutiamus foedus pariter in vitulis in Campoono. Ipsi autem cogitabant ut facerent mihi malum.
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?”
Misi ergo ad eos nuncios, dicens: Opus grande ego facio, et non possum descendere: ne forte negligatur cum venero, et descendero ad vos.
4 Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave the same reply.
Miserunt autem ad me secundum verbum hoc per quattuor vices: et respondi eis iuxta sermonem priorem.
5 The fifth time, Sanballat sent me this same message by his young servant, who had in his hand an unsealed letter
Et misit ad me Sanaballat iuxta verbum prius quinta vice puerum suum, et epistolam habebat in manu sua scriptam hoc modo:
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,
IN GENTIBUS auditum est, et Gossem dixit, quod tu et Iudaei cogitetis rebellare, et propterea aedifices murum, et levare te velis super eos regem: propter quam causam
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.”
et prophetas posueris, qui praedicent de te in Ierusalem, dicentes: Rex in Iudaea est. Auditurus est rex verba haec: idcirco nunc veni, ut ineamus consilium pariter.
8 Then I sent him this reply: “There is nothing to these rumors you are spreading; you are inventing them in your own mind.”
Et misi ad eos, dicens: Non est factum secundum verba haec, quae tu loqueris: de corde enim tuo tu componis haec.
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.
Omnes enim hi terrebant nos, cogitantes quod cessarent manus nostrae ab opere, et quiesceremus. Quam ob causam magis confortavi manus meas:
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!”
et ingressus sum domum Semaiae filii Dalaiae filii Metabeel secreto. Qui ait: Tractemus nobiscum in domo Dei in medio templi, et claudamus portas aedis: quia venturi sunt ut interficiant te, et nocte venturi sunt ad occidendum te.
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!”
Et dixi: Num quisquam similis mei fugit? et quis ut ego ingredietur templum, et vivet? non ingrediar.
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.
Et intellexi quod Deus non misisset eum, sed quasi vaticinans locutus esset ad me, et Tobias, et Sanaballat conduxissent eum.
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.
acceperat enim pretium, ut territus facerem, et peccarem, et haberent malum, quod exprobrarent mihi.
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.
Memento mei Domine pro Tobia et Sanaballat, iuxta opera eorum talia: sed et Noadiae prophetae, et ceterorum prophetarum, qui terrebant me.
15 So the wall was completed in fifty-two days, on the twenty-fifth of Elul.
Completus est autem murus vigesimoquinto die mensis Elul, quinquaginta duobus diebus.
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.
Factum est ergo cum audissent omnes inimici nostri, ut timerent universae gentes, quae erant in circuitu nostro, et conciderent intra semetipsos, et scirent quod a Deo factum esset opus hoc.
17 Also in those days, the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came back to them.
Sed et in diebus illis multae optimatum Iudaeorum epistolae mittebantur ad Tobiam, et a Tobia veniebant ad eos.
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.
Multi enim erant in Iudaea habentes iuramentum eius, quia gener erat Secheniae filii Area, et Iohanan filius eius acceperat filiam Mosollam filii Barachiae:
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.
sed et laudabant eum coram me, et verba mea nunciabant ei: et Tobias mittebat epistolas ut terreret me.
