Nehemiah 4

1 And it came to pass that when Sanballat heard that we built the wall, he was angry and very indignant, and mocked the Jews.

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

2 And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? shall they be permitted to go on? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, when they are burned?

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 And Tobijah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox went up, it would break down their stone wall. —

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, our God, for we are despised, and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in 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 And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee; 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 But we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together to the half thereof; 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 And it came to pass, when Sanballat, and Tobijah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being repaired, that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth,

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 conspired all of them together to come to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.

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

9 Then we prayed to our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.

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

10 And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens faileth, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build at 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 adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come into the midst of them and 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 And it came to pass that when the Jews that dwelt by them came and told us so ten times, from all the places whence they returned to 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 I set in the lower places behind the wall in exposed places, I even set the people, according to their families, with their swords, their spears and their 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 And I looked, and rose up, and said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not afraid of them: remember the Lord who is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your houses.

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

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 time forth the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held the spears, and the shields, and the bows, and the corslets; and the captains were behind all the house 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 They that built on the wall, and they that bore burdens, with those that loaded, wrought in the work with one hand, and with the other they held a weapon.

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 the builders had every one his sword girded by his side, and built. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.

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

19 And I said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and extended, and we are scattered upon the wall, one far from another:

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 in what place ye hear the sound of the trumpet, thither shall ye assemble to us; 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 And we laboured in the work; and half of them held the spears from the rising of the dawn till the stars appeared.

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 Likewise at the same time I said to the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and [be for] labour in the 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 And neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard that followed me, none of us put off our garments: every one had his weapon on his right side.

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.