Nehemiah 4

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

And it came to pass, when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, that it displeased him, and he became very angry, and he mocked at the Jews.

2 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?

And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What are these feeble Jews doing? will people suffer them [to build]? will they sacrifice? will they complete it in one day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish, seeing that they have been burnt?

3 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.

And Tobiyah the 'Ammonite was near him, and he said, Even what they are building, if a fox were to run up, he would readily break through their stone wall.

4 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:

Hear, O our God! how we are become a scorn; and bring their reproach back upon their own head, and give them up for prey in the land of captivity.

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

And cover not up their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee; for they have taunted [us] in the presence of the builders.

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

But we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together up to the half thereof; for the people had a heart to work.

7 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;

And it came to pass, when Sanballat and Tobiyah, and the Arabians, and the 'Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were restored, and that the breaches began to be closed up, that it displeased them greatly.

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

And they conspired all of them together to come to fight against Jerusalem, and to do it an injury.

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

But we prayed unto our God, and set a watch over them day and night, because of the others.

10 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.

And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of the burden is failing, and there is much rubbish; and we are not able to build on the wall.

11 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.

And our adversaries said, “They shall not know, nor see until we come in the midst of them, and slay them, and so stop the work.”

12 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.

And it came to pass, when the Jews who dwelt near them came, that they said unto us ten times, “From all places whence ye may return home [they intend to come] over us.”

13 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.

I placed therefore on the lower parts of the place on the naked rocks behind the wall—there I placed the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

14 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.

And I looked [about], and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not afraid of them: think on the Lord, the great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.

15 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

And it came to pass, that, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, God frustrated their counsel: and we returned, all of us, to the wall, every one unto his work.

16 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.

And it came to pass from that day forth, that the half of my young men wrought at the work, while the other half of them were holding the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the coats of mail; and the princes stood behind all the house of Judah.

17 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;

Those that built on the wall, and those that bore burdens, with those that loaded, —every one with one of his hands wrought on the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.

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

And the builders had every one his sword fastened around his loins while they were building; and he that blew the cornet stood alongside of me.

19 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:

And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and extensive, and we are separated upon the wall, distant one from another.

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

In what place [then] ye hear the sound of the cornet, thither must ye assemble unto us: our God will fight for us.

21 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.

So we labored at the work, while the half of them were holding the spears from the rising of the morning-dawn till the stars appeared.

22 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.

Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let every one with his young man lodge within Jerusalem, so that they may be in the night a guard to us, and during the day for the labor.

23 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.

And neither I, nor my brothers, nor my young men, nor the men of the guard who followed me—none of us took off our clothes, no one leaving them off even for washing himself.