Nehemiah 4

1 And it comes to pass, when Sanballat has heard that we are building the wall, that it is displeasing to him, and he is very angry and mocks at the Jews,

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.

2 and says before his brothers and the force of Samaria, indeed, he says, “What [are] the weak Jews doing? Are they left to themselves? Do they sacrifice? Do they complete in a day? Do they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish—and they are burned?”

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?

3 And Tobiah the Ammonite [is] by him and says, “Also, that which they are building—if a fox goes up, then it has broken down their stone wall.”

Tobias also the Ammonite who was by him said: Let them build: if a fox go up, he will leap over their stone wall.

4 Hear, O our God, for we have been despised; and return their reproach on their own head, and give them for a spoil in a land of captivity;

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.

5 and do not cover over their iniquity, and do not let their sin be blotted out from before You, for they have provoked [You] to anger in front of those building.

Cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thy face, because they have mocked thy builders.

6 And we build the wall, and all the wall is joined—to its half, and the people have a heart to work.

So we built the wall, and joined it all together unto the half thereof: and the heart of the people was excited to work.

7 And it comes to pass, when Sanballat has heard, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, that lengthening has gone up to the walls of Jerusalem, that the breeches have begun to be stopped, then it is very displeasing to them,

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.

8 and they conspire, all of them together, to come to fight against Jerusalem, and to do to it injury.

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

9 And we pray to our God, and appoint a watch against them, by day and by night, because of them.

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

10 And Judah says, “The power of the burden-bearers has become feeble, and the rubbish [is] abundant, and we are not able to build on the wall.”

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.

11 And our adversaries say, “They do not know, nor see, until we come into their midst, and have slain them, and caused the work to cease.”

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.

12 And it comes to pass, when the Jews have come who are dwelling near them, that they say to us ten times from all the places to where you return—[they are] against us.

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,

13 And I appoint at the lowest of the places, at the back of the wall, in the clear places, indeed, I appoint the people, by their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

I set the people in the place behind the wall round about in order, with their swords, and spears, and bows.

14 And I see, and rise up, and say to the nobles, and to the prefects, and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord, the great and the fearful, and fight for your brothers, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”

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.

15 And it comes to pass, when our enemies have heard that it has been known to us, and God frustrates their counsel, and we return, all of us, to the wall, each to his work;

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.

16 indeed, it comes to pass, from that day, half of my servants are working in the business, and half of them are keeping hold of both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the coats of mail; and the heads [are] behind all the house of Judah.

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.

17 The builders on the wall, and the bearers of the burden, those loading, [each] with one of his hands is working in the business, and one is laying hold of the missile.

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.

18 And the builders [are] each with his sword, girded on his loins, and building, and he who is blowing with a horn [is] beside me.

For every one of the builders was girded with a sword about his reins. And they built, and sounded with a trumpet by me.

19 And I say to the nobles, and to the prefects, and to the rest of the people, “The work is abundant, and large, and we are separated on the wall, far off from one another;

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:

20 in the place that you hear the voice of the horn there you are gathered to us; our God fights for us.”

In what place soever you shall hear the sound of the trumpet, run all thither unto us: our God will fight for us.

21 And we are working in the business, and half of them are keeping hold of the spears, from the going up of the dawn until the coming forth of the stars.

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.

22 Also, at that time I said to the people, “Let each lodge with his servant in the midst of Jerusalem, and they have been a watch for us by night, and [for] the work by day”:

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.

23 and there are none—I, and my brothers, and my servants, the men of the watch who [are] after me—there are none of us putting off our garments, each [has] his vessel of water.

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.