Nehemiæ 4
1 Factum est autem, cum audisset Sanaballat quod ædificaremus murum, iratus est valde: et motus nimis subsannavit Iudæos,
But it came to pass that, when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked 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 he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said: 'What do these feeble Jews? will they restore at will? will they sacrifice? will they make an end this day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, seeing they are burned?'
3 Sed et Tobias Ammanites proximus eius, ait: Ædificent: si ascenderit vulpes, transiliet murum eorum lapideum.
Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said: 'Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall break down 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, O our God; for we are despised; and turn back their reproach upon their own head, and give them up to spoiling in a land of captivity;
5 Ne operias iniquitatem eorum, et peccatum eorum coram facie tua non deleatur, quia irriserunt ædificantes.
and cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before Thee; for they have vexed Thee before the 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 all the wall was joined together unto half the height thereof; for the people had a mind 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.
But it came to pass that, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth;
8 Et congregati sunt omnes pariter ut venirent, et pugnarent contra Ierusalem, et molirentur insidias.
and they conspired all of them together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion therein.
9 Et oravimus Deum nostrum, et posuimus custodes super murum die ac nocte contra eos.
But we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.
10 Dixit autem Iudas: Debilitata est fortitudo portantis, et humus nimia est, et nos non poterimus ædificare murum.
And Judah said: 'The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not 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 adversaries said: 'They shall not know, neither see, till we come into the midst of them, and slay 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, they said unto us ten times: 'Ye must return unto us from all places.'
13 statui in loco post murum per circuitum populum in ordinem cum gladiis suis, et lanceis, et arcubus.
Therefore set I in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in the open places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their 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 said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people: 'Be not ye afraid of them; remember the Lord, who is great and awful, and fight for your brethren, your sons and your daughters, 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 it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto 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 time forth, that half of my servants wrought in the work, and half of them held the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the coats of mail; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah.
17 Ædificantium in muro, et portantium onera, et imponentium: una manu sua faciebat opus, et altera tenebat gladium:
They that builded the wall and they that bore burdens laded themselves, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other held his weapon;
18 ædificentium enim unusquisque gladio erat accinctus renes. Et ædificabant, et clangebant buccina iuxta me.
and the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the horn was 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 unto the nobles, and to the rulers and to the rest of the people: 'The work is great and large, and we are separated upon 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 ye hear the sound of the horn, resort ye 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.
So we wrought in the work; and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.
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.
Likewise at the same time said I unto the people: 'Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and may labour in the day.'
23 Ego autem et fratres mei, et pueri mei, et custodes, qui erant post me, non deponebamus vestimenta nostra: unusquisque tantum nudabatur ad baptismum.
So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard that followed me, none of us put off our clothes, every one that went to the water had his weapon.
