< 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,
Forsothe it was doon, whanne Sanaballath hadde herd, that we bildiden the wal, he was ful wrooth, and he was stirid greetli, and scornede the Jewis.
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 he seide bifor hise britheren, and the multitude of Samaritans, What doen the feble Jewis? Whether hethene men schulen suffre hem? Whether thei schulen fille, and make sacrifice in o dai? Whether thei moun bilde stonys of the heepis of the dust, that ben brent?
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.”
But also Tobie Amanytes, his neiybore, seide, Bilde thei; if a fox stieth, he schal `skippe ouer the stony wal `of hem.
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;
And Neemye seide, Oure God, here thou, for we ben maad dispising; turne thou the schenschip on her heed, and yyue thou hem in to dispisyng in the lond of caytifte;
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.
hile thou not the wickidnesse of hem, and her synnes be not doon awei bifor thi face; for thei scorneden bilderis.
6 And we build the wall, and all the wall is joined—to its half, and the people have a heart to work.
Therfor we bildiden the wal, and ioyneden togidere al `til to the half part, and the herte of the puple was exitid to worche.
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,
Forsothe it was doon, whanne Sanaballat `hadde herd, and Tobie, and Arabiens, and Amanytys, and men of Azotus hadden herd, that the brekyng of the wal of Jerusalem was stoppid, and that the crasyngis hadden bigunne to be closid togidere, thei weren ful wrothe.
8 and they conspire, all of them together, to come to fight against Jerusalem, and to do to it injury.
And alle weren gaderid togidere to come and fiyte ayens Jerusalem, and to caste tresouns.
9 And we pray to our God, and appoint a watch against them, by day and by night, because of them.
And we preieden oure Lord God, and we settiden keperis on the wal bi dai and niyt ayens hem.
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.”
Forsothe Juda seide, The strengthe of the berere is maad feble, and the erthe is ful myche, and we moun not bilde the wal.
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 oure enemyes seiden, Wite thei not, and knowe thei not, til we comen in to the myddil of hem, and sleen hem, and maken the werk to ceesse.
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.
Forsothe it was doon, whanne Jewis came, that dwelliden bisidis hem, and seiden to vs `bi ten tymes, fro alle places fro whiche thei camen to vs,
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.
Y ordeynede the puple in ordre, with her swerdis, and speris, and bouwis, in a place bihynde the wal bi cumpas.
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.”
Y bihelde, and roos, and seide to the principal men, and magistratis, and to `the tother part of the comyn puple, Nyle ye drede of her face; haue ye mynde of the greet Lord, and ferdful, and fiyte ye for youre britheren, and youre sones, and youre douytris, for youre wyues, and housis.
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;
Forsothe it was doon, whanne oure enemyes hadden herd that it was teld to vs, God distriede her counsel; and alle we turneden ayen to the wallis, ech man to his werk.
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 was doon fro that dai, the half part of yonge men made werk, and the half part was redi to batel; `and speris, and scheldis, and bouwis, and harburiouns, and princes aftir hem, in al the hows of men 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.
bildynge in the wal, and berynge birthuns, and puttynge on; with her oon hond thei maden werk, and with the tother thei helden swerd.
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 ech of the bilderis was gird with the swerd on the reynes; and thei bildiden, and sowneden with clariouns bisidis 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 Y seide to the principal men, and magistratis, and to the tothir part of the comyn puple, The werk is greet and brood, and we ben departid fer in the wal, oon from anothir;
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 euer place ye heren the sown of the trumpe, renne ye togidere thidur to vs; for oure God schal fiyte for vs.
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 we `vs silf schal make the werk, and the half part of vs holde speris, fro `the stiyng of the moreutid til that sterris go out.
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”:
And `in that tyme Y seide to the puple, Ech man with his child dwelle in the myddil of Jerusalem, and whilis be to vs `bi nyyt and dai to worche.
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.
But Y, and my britheren, and my keperis, and children, that weren after me, diden not of oure clothis; ech man was maad nakid oneli to waischyng.