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 were building 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 fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which 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 should go up, he would even 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 their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the 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 provoked [thee] to anger 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 to the half of it, 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, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were set up, [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 conspired all of them together to come [and] to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.
9 Et oravimus Deum nostrum, et posuimus custodes super murum die ac nocte contra eos.
Nevertheless we made our prayer to 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 in the midst among 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 who dwelt by them came, they said to us ten times, From all places whence ye shall return to us [they will be upon you].
13 statui in loco post murum per circuitum populum in ordinem cum gladiis suis, et lanceis, et arcubus.
Therefore I set in the lower places behind the wall, [and] on the higher 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 arose, and said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be ye not afraid of them: remember the LORD [who is] great and terrible, 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 to us, and God had brought their counsel to naught, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one 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 time forth, [that] the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; 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 who built on the wall, and they that bore burdens, with those that laded, [every one] with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other [hand] held a weapon.
18 ædificentium enim unusquisque gladio erat accinctus renes. Et ædificabant, et clangebant buccina iuxta me.
For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and [so] built. And he that sounded the trumpet [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 to 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 [therefore] ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither to 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 labored 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 to the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labor 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 who followed me, none of us put off our clothes, [saving that] every one put them off for washing.
