נחמיה 6

1 וַיְהִ֣י כַאֲשֶׁ֣ר נִשְׁמַ֣ע לְסַנְבַלַּ֣ט וְ֠טֹובִיָּה וּלְגֶ֨שֶׁם הָֽעַרְבִ֜י וּלְיֶ֣תֶר אֹֽיְבֵ֗ינוּ כִּ֤י בָנִ֙יתִי֙ אֶת־הַ֣חֹומָ֔ה וְלֹא־נֹ֥ותַר בָּ֖הּ פָּ֑רֶץ גַּ֚ם עַד־הָעֵ֣ת הַהִ֔יא דְּלָתֹ֖ות לֹא־הֶעֱמַ֥דְתִּי בַשְּׁעָרִֽים׃

Now it happened that, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem, an Arab, and our other enemies, had heard that I had built the wall, and that there was no interruption remaining in it, (even though, at that time, I had not set up the double doors at the gates, )

2 וַיִּשְׁלַ֨ח סַנְבַלַּ֤ט וְגֶ֙שֶׁם֙ אֵלַ֣י לֵאמֹ֔ר לְכָ֞ה וְנִֽוָּעֲדָ֥ה יַחְדָּ֛ו בַּכְּפִירִ֖ים בְּבִקְעַ֣ת אֹונֹ֑ו וְהֵ֙מָּה֙ חֹֽשְׁבִ֔ים לַעֲשֹׂ֥ות לִ֖י רָעָֽה׃

Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying: “Come, and let us strike a pact together in the villages, on the plain of Ono.” But they were thinking that they would do me harm.

3 וָאֶשְׁלְחָ֨ה עֲלֵיהֶ֤ם מַלְאָכִים֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר מְלָאכָ֤ה גְדֹולָה֙ אֲנִ֣י עֹשֶׂ֔ה וְלֹ֥א אוּכַ֖ל לָרֶ֑דֶת לָ֣מָּה תִשְׁבַּ֤ת הַמְּלָאכָה֙ כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר אַרְפֶּ֔הָ וְיָרַדְתִּ֖י אֲלֵיכֶֽם׃

Therefore, I sent messengers to them, saying: “I am doing a great work, and I cannot descend, lest perhaps it may be neglected when I go out and descend to you.”

4 וַיִּשְׁלְח֥וּ אֵלַ֛י כַּדָּבָ֥ר הַזֶּ֖ה אַרְבַּ֣ע פְּעָמִ֑ים וָאָשִׁ֥יב אֹותָ֖ם כַּדָּבָ֥ר הַזֶּֽה׃ ס

Then they sent to me, with this same word, four times. And I responded to them with the same word as before.

5 וַיִּשְׁלַח֩ אֵלַ֨י סַנְבַלַּ֜ט כַּדָּבָ֥ר הַזֶּ֛ה פַּ֥עַם חֲמִישִׁ֖ית אֶֽת־נַעֲרֹ֑ו וְאִגֶּ֥רֶת פְּתוּחָ֖ה בְּיָדֹֽו׃

And Sanballat sent his servant to me a fifth time, with the former word, and he had a letter in his hand written in this manner:

6 כָּת֣וּב בָּ֗הּ בַּגֹּויִ֤ם נִשְׁמָע֙ וְגַשְׁמ֣וּ אֹמֵ֔ר אַתָּ֤ה וְהַיְּהוּדִים֙ חֹשְׁבִ֣ים לִמְרֹ֔וד עַל־כֵּ֛ן אַתָּ֥ה בֹונֶ֖ה הַחֹומָ֑ה וְאַתָּ֗ה הֹוֶ֤ה לָהֶם֙ לְמֶ֔לֶךְ כַּדְּבָרִ֖ים הָאֵֽלֶּה׃

“It has been heard among the Gentiles, and Geshem has said it, that you and the Jews are planning to rebel, and because of this, you are building the wall and thinking to raise yourself as a king over them. For this reason,

7 וְגַם־נְבִיאִ֡ים הֶעֱמַ֣דְתָּ לִקְרֹא֩ עָלֶ֨יךָ בִֽירוּשָׁלַ֜͏ִם לֵאמֹ֗ר מֶ֚לֶךְ בִּֽיהוּדָ֔ה וְעַתָּה֙ יִשָּׁמַ֣ע לַמֶּ֔לֶךְ כַּדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֑לֶּה וְעַתָּ֣ה לְכָ֔ה וְנִֽוָּעֲצָ֖ה יַחְדָּֽו׃ ס

you also have stationed prophets, who preach about you in Jerusalem, saying: ‘There is a king in Judea!’ But the king will hear about these words. Therefore, come now, so that we may go to counsel together.”

8 וָאֶשְׁלְחָ֤ה אֵלָיו֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר לֹ֤א נִֽהְיָה֙ כַּדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֔לֶּה אֲשֶׁ֖ר אַתָּ֣ה אֹומֵ֑ר כִּ֥י מִֽלִּבְּךָ֖ אַתָּ֥ה בֹודָֽאם׃

And I sent to them, saying: “There has been nothing done according to these words, which you have spoken. For you are inventing these things from your own heart.”

9 כִּ֣י כֻלָּ֗ם מְיָֽרְאִ֤ים אֹותָ֙נוּ֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר יִרְפּ֧וּ יְדֵיהֶ֛ם מִן־הַמְּלָאכָ֖ה וְלֹ֣א תֵעָשֶׂ֑ה וְעַתָּ֖ה חַזֵּ֥ק אֶת־יָדָֽי׃

For all these men wished to frighten us, thinking that our hands would cease from the work, and that we would cease. For this reason, I strengthened my hands all the more.

10 וַאֲנִי־בָ֗אתִי בֵּ֣ית שְֽׁמַֽעְיָ֧ה בֶן־דְּלָיָ֛ה בֶּן־מְהֵֽיטַבְאֵ֖ל וְה֣וּא עָצ֑וּר וַיֹּ֡אמֶר נִוָּעֵד֩ אֶל־בֵּ֨ית הָאֱלֹהִ֜ים אֶל־תֹּ֣וךְ הַֽהֵיכָ֗ל וְנִסְגְּרָה֙ דַּלְתֹ֣ות הַהֵיכָ֔ל כִּ֚י בָּאִ֣ים לְהָרְגֶ֔ךָ וְלַ֖יְלָה בָּאִ֥ים לְהָרְגֶֽךָ׃

And I entered into the house of Shemaiah, the son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, in secret. And he said: “Let us consult together in the house of God, in the midst of the temple. And let us close the doors of the temple. For they will come to kill you, and they will arrive in the night to put you to death.”

11 וָאֹמְרָ֗ה הַאִ֤ישׁ כָּמֹ֙ונִי֙ יִבְרָ֔ח וּמִ֥י כָמֹ֛ונִי אֲשֶׁר־יָבֹ֥וא אֶל־הַהֵיכָ֖ל וָחָ֑י לֹ֖א אָבֹֽוא׃

And I said: “How could anyone like me flee? And who like me should enter the temple, so that he may live? I will not enter.”

12 וָאַכִּ֕ירָה וְהִנֵּ֥ה לֹֽא־אֱלֹהִ֖ים שְׁלָחֹ֑ו כִּ֤י הַנְּבוּאָה֙ דִּבֶּ֣ר עָלַ֔י וְטֹובִיָּ֥ה וְסַנְבַלַּ֖ט שְׂכָרֹֽו׃

And I understood that God had not sent him, but he had spoken to me as if he were prophesying, and that Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

13 לְמַ֤עַן שָׂכוּר֙ ה֔וּא לְמַֽעַן־אִירָ֥א וְאֶֽעֱשֶׂה־כֵּ֖ן וְחָטָ֑אתִי וְהָיָ֤ה לָהֶם֙ לְשֵׁ֣ם רָ֔ע לְמַ֖עַן יְחָֽרְפֽוּנִי׃ פ

For he had accepted money, so that I would be afraid, and would sin, and so that they would have some evil with which to rebuke me.

14 זָכְרָ֧ה אֱלֹהַ֛י לְטֹובִיָּ֥ה וּלְסַנְבַלַּ֖ט כְּמַעֲשָׂ֣יו אֵ֑לֶּה וְגַ֨ם לְנֹועַדְיָ֤ה הַנְּבִיאָה֙ וּלְיֶ֣תֶר הַנְּבִיאִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר הָי֖וּ מְיָֽרְאִ֥ים אֹותִֽי׃

Remember me, O Lord, because of Tobiah and Sanballat, because of their works of this kind. Then, too, Noadiah, a prophetess, and the rest of the prophets, would have made me afraid.

15 וַתִּשְׁלַם֙ הַֽחֹומָ֔ה בְּעֶשְׂרִ֥ים וַחֲמִשָּׁ֖ה לֶאֱל֑וּל לַחֲמִשִּׁ֥ים וּשְׁנַ֖יִם יֹֽום׃ פ

Now the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul, in fifty-two days.

16 וַיְהִ֗י כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר שָֽׁמְעוּ֙ כָּל־אֹ֣ויְבֵ֔ינוּ וַיִּֽרְא֗וּ כָּל־הַגֹּויִם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר סְבִֽיבֹתֵ֔ינוּ וַיִּפְּל֥וּ מְאֹ֖ד בְּעֵינֵיהֶ֑ם וַיֵּ֣דְע֔וּ כִּ֚י מֵאֵ֣ת אֱלֹהֵ֔ינוּ נֶעֶשְׂתָ֖ה הַמְּלָאכָ֥ה הַזֹּֽאת׃

Then it happened that, when all our enemies had heard of it, all the nations that were around us were afraid, and they were downcast within themselves. For they knew that this work had been accomplished by God.

17 גַּ֣ם ׀ בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵ֗ם מַרְבִּ֞ים חֹרֵ֤י יְהוּדָה֙ אִגְּרֹ֣תֵיהֶ֔ם הֹולְכֹ֖ות עַל־טֹובִיָּ֑ה וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר לְטֹובִיָּ֖ה בָּאֹ֥ות אֲלֵיהֶֽם׃

But also, in those days, many letters were being sent by the nobles of the Jews to Tobiah, and were arriving from Tobiah to them.

18 כִּי־רַבִּ֣ים בִּֽיהוּדָ֗ה בַּעֲלֵ֤י שְׁבוּעָה֙ לֹ֔ו כִּי־חָתָ֥ן ה֖וּא לִשְׁכַנְיָ֣ה בֶן־אָרַ֑ח וִֽיהֹוחָנָ֣ן בְּנֹ֔ו לָקַ֕ח אֶת־בַּת־מְשֻׁלָּ֖ם בֶּ֥ן בֶּֽרֶכְיָֽה׃

For there were many in Judea who had sworn an oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah, the son of Arah, and because Jehohanan, his son, had married the daughter of Meshullam, the son of Berechiah.

19 גַּ֣ם טֹובֹתָ֗יו הָי֤וּ אֹמְרִים֙ לְפָנַ֔י וּדְבָרַ֕י הָי֥וּ מֹוצִיאִ֖ים לֹ֑ו אִגְּרֹ֛ות שָׁלַ֥ח טֹובִיָּ֖ה לְיָֽרְאֵֽנִי׃

Moreover, they praised him before me, and they reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters, so that he might make me afraid.