Nehemiæ 4
1 Factum est autem, cum audisset Sanaballat quod ædificaremus murum, iratus est valde: et motus nimis subsannavit Iudæos,
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 et dixit coram fratribus suis, et frequentia Samaritanorum: Quid Iudæi faciunt imbecilles? Num dimittent eos Gentes? Num sacrificabunt, et complebunt in una die? Numquid ædificare poterunt lapides de acervis pulveris, qui combusti sunt?
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 Sed et Tobias Ammanites proximus eius, ait: Ædificent: si ascenderit vulpes, transiliet murum eorum lapideum.
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 Audi, Deus noster, quia facti sumus despectui: converte opprobrium super caput eorum, et da eos in despectionem in terra captivitatis.
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 Ne operias iniquitatem eorum, et peccatum eorum coram facie tua non deleatur, quia irriserunt ædificantes.
Cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thy face, because they have mocked thy builders.
6 Itaque ædificavimus murum, et coniunximus totum usque ad partem dimidiam: et provocatum est cor populi ad operandum.
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 Factum est autem, cum audisset Sanaballat, et Tobias, et Arabes, et Ammanitæ, et Azotii, quod obducta esset cicatrix muri Ierusalem, et quod cœpissent interrupta concludi, irati sunt nimis.
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 Et congregati sunt omnes pariter ut venirent, et pugnarent contra Ierusalem, et molirentur insidias.
And they all assembled themselves together, to come, and to fight against Jerusalem, and to prepare ambushes.
9 Et oravimus Deum nostrum, et posuimus custodes super murum die ac nocte contra eos.
And we prayed to our God, and set watchmen upon the wall day and night against them.
10 Dixit autem Iudas: Debilitata est fortitudo portantis, et humus nimia est, et nos non poterimus ædificare murum.
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 Et dixerunt hostes nostri: Nesciant, et ignorent donec veniamus in medium eorum, et interficiamus eos, et cessare faciamus opus.
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 Factum est autem venientibus Iudæis, qui habitabant iuxta eos, et dicentibus nobis per decem vices ex omnibus locis quibus venerant ad nos,
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 statui in loco post murum per circuitum populum in ordinem cum gladiis suis, et lanceis, et arcubus.
I set the people in the place behind the wall round about in order, with their swords, and spears, and bows.
14 Et perspexi atque surrexi: et aio ad optimates et magistratus, et ad reliquam partem vulgi: Nolite timere a facie eorum. Domini magni et terribilis mementote, et pugnate pro fratribus vestris, filiis vestris, et filiabus vestris, et uxoribus vestris, et domibus vestris.
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 Factum est autem, cum audissent inimici nostri nunciatum esse nobis, dissipavit Deus consilium eorum. Et reversi sumus omnes ad muros, unusquisque ad opus suum.
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 Et factum est a die illa, media pars iuvenum eorum faciebat opus, et media parata erat ad bellum, et lanceæ, et scuta, et arcus, et loricæ, et principes post eos in omni domo Iuda.
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 Ædificantium in muro, et portantium onera, et imponentium: una manu sua faciebat opus, et altera tenebat gladium:
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 ædificentium enim unusquisque gladio erat accinctus renes. Et ædificabant, et clangebant buccina iuxta 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 Et dixi ad optimates, et ad magistratus, et ad reliquam partem vulgi: Opus grande est et latum, et nos separati sumus in muro procul alter ab altero:
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 loco quocumque audieritis clangorem tubæ, illuc concurrite ad nos: Deus noster pugnabit pro nobis.
In what place soever you shall hear the sound of the trumpet, run all thither unto us: our God will fight for us.
21 Et nosipsi faciamus opus: et media pars nostrum teneat lanceas ab ascensu auroræ donec egrediantur astra.
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 In tempore quoque illo dixi populo: Unusquisque cum puero suo maneat in medio Ierusalem, et sint nobis vices per noctem, et diem, ad operandum.
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 Ego autem et fratres mei, et pueri mei, et custodes, qui erant post me, non deponebamus vestimenta nostra: unusquisque tantum nudabatur ad baptismum.
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.
