Nehemiah 4

1 When Sanballat found out that we were rebuilding the wall, he was furious—really mad! He made fun of the Jews

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

2 in front of his colleagues and the army of Samaria, saying, “What are these useless Jews trying to achieve? Do they think they can rebuild the wall? Are they going to offer sacrifices? Are they going to finish it in a day? Do they think they can re-use stones from piles of rubble and dirt, especially since they've all been 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 Tobiah the Ammonite, standing beside him, commented, “Even a fox walking on what they're building would knock down their wall of stones!”

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 I prayed, “Lord, please listen to us, because we are being treated with contempt. Rain down their insults on their own heads! Let them be taken away like plunder, prisoners in a foreign land!

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 Don't forgive their guilt or blot out their sins, for they have made you angry in front of 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 So we rebuilt the wall until it was all connected, reaching half its height, because the people were keen 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 When Sanballat and Tobiah, and the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites, heard that the repair to the walls of Jerusalem was progressing and that the gaps were being filled in, they were furious.

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 They all plotted together to come and attack Jerusalem and to throw everything into confusion.

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

9 So we prayed to our God, and we had guards ready to defend against them day and night.

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

10 Then people of Judah started grumbling, saying, “The workmen are exhausted. There's just too much rubble to clear. We'll never be able to finish 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 Our enemies were saying to themselves, “Before they know it, before they're aware of anything, we'll appear right in among them, kill them, and put a stop to what they're doing.”

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 The Jews who lived close by came and told us over and over again, “They're going to attack us from all directions!”

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 So I positioned defenders behind the lowest, most vulnerable sections, of the wall. I had them take their positions by families, armed with their swords, 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 After inspecting our defenses, I stood up and addressed the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, saying, “Don't be afraid of them! Remember the Lord, who is powerful and formidable! Fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes!”

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 When our enemies discovered that we knew about their plan, and that God had foiled it, we all went back to our work on the wall.

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 From then on, half of my men were doing the work while the other half were ready to fight, holding their spears, shields, bows, and armor. The leaders stood behind all the people 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 who were building the wall. Those carrying materials worked with one hand, holding a weapon in the other.

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 All the builders carried a sword strapped to their side, and the trumpeter stood beside me.

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

19 Then I told the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people: “We have a lot to do everywhere, so we're very spread out along the wall.

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 Wherever you are and you hear the sound of the trumpet, run to join us there. 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 We went on working, with half of the men holding spears from dawn until the stars came out.

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 I also told the people, “Everyone including servants must spend the night inside Jerusalem, so they can be on guard duty at night and work during 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 During that time none of us changed our clothes—not me or my brothers or my men or the guards with me. Everyone carried their weapons at all times, even to go for water.

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.