Nehemiah 4

1 And it came to pass, that when Sanaballat heard that we were building the wall he was angry: and being moved exceedingly he scoffed at 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 said before his brethren, and the multitude of the Samaritans: What are the silly Jews doing? Will the Gentiles let them alone? will they sacrifice and make an end in a day? are they able to raise stones out of the heaps of the rubbish, which are burnt?

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 Tobias also the Ammonite who was by him said: Let them build: if a fox go up, he will leap over 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 thou our God, for we are despised: turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them to be despised 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 Cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thy face, because they have mocked thy 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 So we built the wall, and joined it all together unto the half thereof: and the heart of the people was excited 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 Sanaballat, and Tobias, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Azotians heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and the breaches began to be closed, that they were exceedingly angry.

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 they all assembled themselves together, to come, and to fight against Jerusalem, and to prepare ambushes.

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

9 And we prayed to our God, and set watchmen upon the wall day and night against them.

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

10 And Juda said: The strength of the bearer of burdens is decayed, and the rubbish is very much, and we shall not be able to build 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 enemies said: Let them not know, nor understand, till we come in the midst of them, and kill them, and cause the work to cease.

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 ten times, out of all the places from whence they came 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 the people in the place behind the wall round about in order, with their swords, and spears, and 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 I said to the chief men and the magistrates, and to the rest of the common people: be not afraid of them. Remember the Lord who is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, and 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, when our enemies heard that the thing had been told us, that God defeated their counsel. And we returned all of us to the walls, every man 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 it came to pass from that day forward, that half of their young men did the work, and half were ready for to fight, with spears, and shields, and bows, and coats of mail, and the rulers were behind them in all the house of Juda.

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 Of them that built on the wall and that carried burdens, and that laded: with one of his hands he did the work, and with the other he held a sword.

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 For every one of the builders was girded with a sword about his reins. And they built, and sounded with a trumpet 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 magistrates, and to the rest of the common people: The work is great and wide, and we are separated on 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 soever you shall hear the sound of the trumpet, run all thither unto 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 let us do the work: and let one half of us hold our spears from the rising of the morning, till the stars appear.

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 At that time also I said to the people: Let every one with his servant stay in the midst of Jerusalem, and let us take our turns in the night, and by day, to work.

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 Now I and my brethren, and my servants, and the watchmen that followed me, did not put off our clothes: only every man stripped himself when he was to be washed.

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.