Nehemiæ 6
1 Factum est autem, cum audisset Sanaballat, et Tobias, et Gossem Arabs, et ceteri inimici nostri, quod ædificassem ego murum, et non esset in ipso residua interruptio (usque ad tempus autem illud valvas non posueram in portis)
Now when Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and that there were no longer any sections left broken open, although I had not yet set up the doors in the gates,
2 miserunt Sanaballat, et Gossem ad me, dicentes: Veni, et percutiamus fœdus pariter in viculis in Campo Ono. Ipsi autem cogitabant ut facerent mihi malum.
Sanballat and Geshem sent to me saying, “Come, let us meet together somewhere in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to do harm to me.
3 Misi ergo ad eos nuncios, dicens: Opus grande ego facio, et non possum descendere: ne forte negligatur cum venero, et descendero ad vos.
I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?”
4 Miserunt autem ad me secundum verbum hoc per quattuor vices: et respondi eis iuxta sermonem priorem.
They sent me the same message four times, and I answered them the same way each time.
5 Et misit ad me Sanaballat iuxta verbum prius quinta vice puerum suum, et epistolam habebat in manu sua scriptam hoc modo:
Sanballat sent his servant to me in the same way the fifth time, with an open letter in his hand.
6 IN GENTIBUS auditum est, et Gossem dixit, quod tu et Iudæi cogitetis rebellare, et propterea ædifices murum, et levare te velis super eos regem: propter quam causam
In it was written, “It is reported among the nations, and Geshem also says it, that you and the Jews are planning to rebel, for that is why you are rebuilding the wall. From what these reports say, you are about to become their king.
7 et prophetas posueris, qui prædicent de te in Ierusalem, dicentes: Rex in Iudæa est. Auditurus est rex verba hæc: idcirco nunc veni, ut ineamus consilium pariter.
You have also appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem, saying, 'There is a king in Judah!' You can be sure the king will hear these reports. Therefore come, let us speak with one another.”
8 Et misi ad eos, dicens: Non est factum secundum verba hæc, quæ tu loqueris: de corde enim tuo tu componis hæc.
Then I sent word to him saying, “No such things have occurred as you say, for within your heart you invented them.”
9 Omnes enim hi terrebant nos, cogitantes quod cessarent manus nostræ ab opere, et quiesceremus. Quam ob causam magis confortavi manus meas:
For they all wanted to make us afraid, thinking, “They will drop their hands from doing the work, and it will not be done.” But now, God, please strengthen my hands.
10 et ingressus sum domum Semaiæ filii Dalaiæ filii Metabeel secreto. Qui ait: Tractemus nobiscum in domo Dei in medio templi, et claudamus portas ædis: quia venturi sunt ut interficiant te, et nocte venturi sunt ad occidendum te.
I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah son of Mehetabel, who was confined in his home. He said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you. At night they are coming to kill you.”
11 Et dixi: Num quisquam similis mei fugit? et quis ut ego ingredietur templum, et vivet? non ingrediar.
I replied, “Would a man like me run away? Would a man like me go into the temple just so he could save his own life? I will not go in!”
12 Et intellexi quod Deus non misisset eum, sed quasi vaticinans locutus esset ad me, et Tobias, et Sanaballat conduxissent eum.
I realized that it was not God who sent him, but that he had prophesied against me. Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.
13 acceperat enim pretium, ut territus facerem, et peccarem, et haberent malum, quod exprobrarent mihi.
They hired him to make me afraid, so that I might do what he said and sin, so they could give me a bad name in order to humiliate me.
14 Memento mei Domine pro Tobia et Sanaballat, iuxta opera eorum talia: sed et Noadiæ prophetæ, et ceterorum prophetarum, qui terrebant me.
Call to mind Tobiah and Sanballat, my God, and all that they did. Also call to mind the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who tried to make me be afraid.
15 Completus est autem murus vigesimoquinto die mensis Elul, quinquaginta duobus diebus.
So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul, after fifty-two days.
16 Factum est ergo cum audissent omnes inimici nostri, ut timerent universæ gentes, quæ erant in circuitu nostro, et conciderent intra semetipsos, et scirent quod a Deo factum esset opus hoc.
When all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us, they became afraid and they fell greatly in their own eyes. For they knew the work was done with the help of our God.
17 Sed et in diebus illis multæ optimatum Iudæorum epistolæ mittebantur ad Tobiam, et a Tobia veniebant ad eos.
At this time the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah's letters came to them.
18 Multi enim erant in Iudæa habentes iuramentum eius, quia gener erat Secheniæ filii Area, et Iohanan filius eius acceperat filiam Mosollam filii Barachiæ:
For there were many in Judah who were bound by an oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah. His son Jehohanan had taken as his wife the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah.
19 sed et laudabant eum coram me, et verba mea nunciabant ei: et Tobias mittebat epistolas ut terreret me.
They also spoke to me about his good deeds and reported my words back to him. Letters were sent to me from Tobiah to frighten me.
