Nehemiah 6
1 Now it happened that, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem, an Arab, and our other enemies, had heard that I had built the wall, and that there was no interruption remaining in it, (even though, at that time, I had not set up the double doors at 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 to me, saying: “Come, and let us strike a pact together in the villages, on the plain of Ono.” But they were thinking that they would do me harm.
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 Therefore, I sent messengers to them, saying: “I am doing a great work, and I cannot descend, lest perhaps it may be neglected when I go out and descend 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 Then they sent to me, with this same word, four times. And I responded to them with the same word as before.
Sotheli thei senten to me `bi this word bi foure tymes, and Y answeride to hem by the formere word.
5 And Sanballat sent his servant to me a fifth time, with the former word, and he had a letter in his hand written in this manner:
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 “It has been heard among the Gentiles, and Geshem has said it, that you and the Jews are planning to rebel, and because of this, you are building the wall and thinking to raise yourself as a king over them. For this reason,
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 you also have stationed prophets, who preach about you in Jerusalem, saying: ‘There is a king in Judea!’ But the king will hear about these words. Therefore, come now, so that we may go to counsel 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 And I sent to them, saying: “There has been nothing done according to these words, which you have spoken. For you are inventing these things from your own heart.”
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 all these men wished to frighten us, thinking that our hands would cease from the work, and that we would cease. For this reason, I strengthened my hands all the more.
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 And I entered into the house of Shemaiah, the son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, in secret. And he said: “Let us consult together in the house of God, in the midst of the temple. And let us close the doors of the temple. For they will come to kill you, and they will arrive in the night to put you to death.”
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 And I said: “How could anyone like me flee? And who like me should enter the temple, so that he may live? I will not enter.”
And Y seide, Whether ony man lijk me fledde, and who as Y schal entre in to the temple, and schal lyue?
12 And I understood that God had not sent him, but he had spoken to me as if he were prophesying, and that 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 For he had accepted money, so that I would be afraid, and would sin, and so that they would have some evil with which to rebuke 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 Remember me, O Lord, because of Tobiah and Sanballat, because of their works of this kind. Then, too, Noadiah, a prophetess, and the rest of the prophets, would have made me afraid.
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 Now the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul, in fifty-two days.
Forsothe the wal was fillid in the fyue and twentithe dai of the monethe Ebul, in two and fifti daies.
16 Then it happened that, when all our enemies had heard of it, all the nations that were around us were afraid, and they were downcast within themselves. For they knew that this work had been accomplished by 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 But also, in those days, many letters were being sent by the nobles of the Jews to Tobiah, and were arriving from Tobiah 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 there were many in Judea who had sworn an oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah, the son of Arah, and because Jehohanan, his son, had married the daughter of Meshullam, the 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, they praised him before me, and they reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters, so that he might make me afraid.
But also thei preisiden hym bifor me, and telden my wordis to hym; and Tobie sente lettris, for to make me aferd.
