Nehemiah 6

1 And it comes to pass, when it has been heard by Sanballat, and Tobiah, and by Geshem the Arabian, and by the rest of our enemies, that I have built the wall, and there has not been left in it a breach (also, until that time I had not set up the doors in the gates),

Now it came to pass, when it came to the hearing of Sanballat, and Tobiyah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, that I had built the wall, and that there was no breach left therein, although up to that time I had not yet set up the doors in the gates.

2 that Sanballat sends, also Geshem, to me, saying, “Come and we meet together in the villages, in the Valley of Ono”; and they are thinking to do to me evil.

That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in Kephirim, in the plain of Ono. But they were thinking of doing me mischief.

3 And I send to them messengers, saying, “A great work I am doing, and I am not able to come down; why does the work cease when I let it alone, and have come down to you?”

And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down: why should the work cease, while I leave it lying, and come down to you?

4 And they send to me, according to this word, four times, and I return them [word] according to this word.

And they sent unto me after this manner four times; and I answered them after the same manner.

5 And Sanballat sends to me, according to this word, a fifth time, his servant, and an open letter in his hand;

Then sent Sanballat unto me in like manner the fifth time his young man with an open letter in his hand:

6 it is written in it, “Among the nations it has been heard, and Gashmu is saying: You and the Jews are thinking to rebel, therefore you are building the wall, and you have been to them for a king—according to these words!

Therein was written, It hath been heard among the nations, and Gashmu saith it, that thou and the Jews think of rebelling; wherefore thou art building up the wall; and that thou art to be king unto them, according to these reports.

7 And also, you have appointed prophets to call for you in Jerusalem, saying, A king [is] in Judah, and now it is heard by the king according to these words; and now come, and we take counsel together.”

And that thou hast also set up prophets to proclaim concerning thee at Jerusalem, saying, He is king in Judah: and now there may be reported to the king something like these words. Now therefore come, and let us take counsel together.

8 And I send to him, saying, “It has not been according to these words that you are saying, for from your own heart you are devising them”;

Then I sent unto him, saying, “There hath been done nothing like these reports of which thou speakest; but out of thy own heart thou inventest them.”

9 for all of them are making us afraid, saying, “Their hands are too feeble for the work, and it is not done”; and now, strengthen my hands.

For they all wished to make us afraid, thinking, Their hands will be withdrawn from the work, so that it will not be done. Now therefore, [O God, ] strengthen my hands.

10 And I have entered the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabeel—and he is restrained—and he says, “Let us meet at the house of God, at the inside of the temple, and we shut the doors of the temple, for they are coming to slay you—indeed, by night they are coming to slay you.”

And I came also into the house of Shema'yah the son of Delayah the son of Mehetabel, who had shut himself up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us lock the doors of the temple; for they are coming to slay thee: yea, in the night are they coming to slay thee.

11 And I say, “A man such as I—does he flee? And who as I, that goes into the temple, and lives? I do not go in.”

And I said, Should a man like me flee? and who is there that is like me, that would go into the temple and live? I will not go in.

12 And I discern, and behold, God has not sent him, for in the prophecy he has spoken to me both Tobiah and Sanballat hired him,

And I perceived that, lo, God had not sent him; but that he pronounced this prophecy over me, because Tobiyah and Sanballat had hired him.

13 so that he [is] a hired worker, that I may fear and do so, and I had sinned, and it had been to them for an evil name that they may reproach me.

Therefore was he hired, in order that I should become afraid, and do so, and sin, and that it might serve them for an evil report, so that they might cast reproach upon me.

14 Be mindful, O my God, of Tobiah, and of Sanballat, according to these his works, and also, of Noadiah the prophetess, and of the rest of the prophets who have been making me afraid.

Think, O my God, of Tobiyah and Sanballat according to these their works, and also of No'adyah the prophetess, and the rest of the prophets, who wished to make me afraid.

15 And the wall is completed in the twenty-fifth of Elul, on the fifty-second day;

And so was the wall finished on the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days.

16 and it comes to pass, when all our enemies have heard, and all the nations who are all around us see, that they fall greatly in their own eyes, and know that by our God has this work been done.

And it came to pass, when our enemies heard this, and all the nations that were about us saw it, that they sank greatly in their own eyes; and they perceived that by the aid of our God had this work been wrought.

17 Also, in those days the nobles of Judah are multiplying their letters going to Tobiah, and those of Tobiah are coming to them;

Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah despatched frequently their letters unto Tobiyah, and those of Tobiyah came unto them.

18 for many in Judah are sworn to him, for he [is] son-in-law to Shechaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan has taken the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah;

For many in Judah were sworn friends unto him; because he was the son-in-law of Shechanyah the son of Arach, and Jehochanan his son had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Bercehyah.

19 also, they have been speaking of his good deeds before me, and they have been taking my words out to him; Tobiah has sent letters to make me afraid.

Also his good deeds were they reporting before me, and my words they used to carry out to him: also Tobiyah sent letters to make me afraid.