Nehemiah 6
1 Forsothe it was doon, whanne Sanaballath hadde herd, and Tobie, and Gosem of Arabie, and oure other enemyes, that Y hadde bildide the wal, and nomore brekyng was therynne; sotheli `til to that tyme Y hadde not set leeuys of schittyng in the yatis;
Now it came to pass, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had built the wall, and [that] there was no breach left in it, (though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates; )
2 Sanaballath, and Tobie, and Gosem of Arabie senten to me, and seiden, Come thou, and smyte we boond of pees in calues, `in o feeld; forsothe thei thouyten for to do yuel to me.
That Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, Come, let us meet together in [some one of] the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief.
3 Therfor Y sente messangeris to hem, and Y seide, Y make a greet werk, and Y mai not go doun, lest perauenture it be doon retchelesli, whanne Y come, and go doun to you.
And I sent messengers to them, saying, I [am] doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?
4 Sotheli thei senten to me `bi this word bi foure tymes, and Y answeride to hem by the formere word.
Yet they sent to me four times after this sort; and I answered them after the same manner.
5 And Sanaballath sente to me the fyuethe tyme bi the formere word his child; and he hadde in his hond a pistle writun in this maner;
Then Sanballat sent his servant to me in like manner the fifth time with an open letter in his hand;
6 It is herd among hethene men, and Gosem seide, that thou and the Jewis thenken for to rebelle, and therfor ye bilden, and thou wolt `reise thee king on hem;
In which [was] written, It is reported among the heathen, and Gashmu saith [it], [that] thou and the Jews think to rebel: for which cause thou buildest the wall that thou mayest be their king, according to these words.
7 for which cause also thou hast set profetis, that prechen of thee in Jerusalem, and seien, A king is in Jerusalem; the king schal here these wordis; therfor come thou now, that we take counsel togidere.
And thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at Jerusalem, saying, [There is] a king in Judah: and now shall it be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore, and let us take counsel together.
8 And Y sente to hem, and seide, It is not doon bi these wordis whiche thou spekist; for of thin herte thou makist these thingis.
Then I sent to him, saying, There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thy own heart.
9 Alle these men maden vs aferd, and thouyten that oure hondis schulden ceesse fro werkis, that we schulden reste; for which cause Y coumfortide more myn hond.
For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it may not be done. Now therefore, [O God], strengthen my hands.
10 And Y entride priueli in to the hows of Samaie, sone of Dalie, the sone of Methabehel, which seide, Trete we with vs silf in the hows of God, in the myddis of the temple, and close we the yatis of the hows; for thei schulen come to sle thee, `and thei schulen come `bi niyt to sle thee.
Afterward I came to the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, who [was] shut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to slay thee.
11 And Y seide, Whether ony man lijk me fledde, and who as Y schal entre in to the temple, and schal lyue?
And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who [is there], that, [being] as I [am], would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.
12 Y schal not entre. And Y vndurstood that God `hadde not sent hym, but `he spak as profesiynge to me; and Tobie and Sanaballath `hadden hirid hym for meede.
And lo, I perceived that God had not sent him; but that he pronounced this prophecy against me: for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.
13 For he hadde take prijs, that Y schulde be aferd, and do, and that Y schulde do synne; and thei schulden haue yuel, which thei schulden putte to me with schenschip.
Therefore [was] he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and [that] they might have [matter] for an evil report, that they might reproach me.
14 Lord, haue mynde of me, for Tobye and Sanaballath, bi siche werkis `of hem; but also of Noadie, the profete, and of othere profetis, that maden me aferd.
My God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and on the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets, that would have put me in fear.
15 Forsothe the wal was fillid in the fyue and twentithe dai of the monethe Ebul, in two and fifti daies.
So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth [day] of [the month] Elul, in fifty and two days.
16 Sotheli it was doon, whanne alle oure enemyes hadden herd, that alle hethene men dredden, that weren in oure cumpas, and thei felden doun with ynne hem silf, and wiste, that this work was maad of God.
And it came to pass, that when all our enemies heard [of it], and all the heathen that [were] about us saw [these things], they were much cast down in their own eyes: for they perceived that this work was wrought by our God.
17 But also in tho daies many pistlis of the principal men of Jewis weren sent to Tobie, and camen fro Tobie to hem.
Moreover, in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and [the letters] of Tobiah came to them.
18 For many men weren in Judee, and hadden his ooth; for he hadde weddid the douyter of Sechenye, the sone of Rotel; and Johannam, his sone, hadde take the douyter of Mosallam, sone of Barachie.
For [there were] many in Judah sworn to him, because he [was] the son-in-law of Shechaniah the son of Arah; and his son Johanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah.
19 But also thei preisiden hym bifor me, and telden my wordis to hym; and Tobie sente lettris, for to make me aferd.
Also they reported his good deeds before me, and uttered my words to him. [And] Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear.
