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),
When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left—though to that time I had not yet installed 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 me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” But they were planning to harm me.
3 Misi ergo ad eos nuntios, dicens: Opus grande ego facio, et non possum descendere, ne forte negligatur cum venero, et descendero ad vos.
So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to go down to you?”
4 Miserunt autem ad me secundum verbum hoc per quatuor vices: et respondi eis juxta sermonem priorem.
Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave the same reply.
5 Et misit ad me Sanaballat juxta verbum prius quinta vice puerum suum, et epistolam habebat in manu sua scriptam hoc modo:
The fifth time, Sanballat sent me this same message by his young servant, who had in his hand an unsealed letter
6 In gentibus auditum est, et Gossem dixit, quod tu et Judæi cogitetis rebellare, et propterea ædifices murum, et levare te velis super eos regem: propter quam causam
that read: “It is reported among the nations—and Geshem agrees—that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and this is why you are building the wall. According to these reports, you are to become their king,
7 et prophetas posueris, qui prædicent de te in Jerusalem, dicentes: Rex in Judæa est. Auditurus est rex verba hæc: idcirco nunc veni, ut ineamus consilium pariter.
and you have even appointed prophets in Jerusalem to proclaim on your behalf: ‘There is a king in Judah.’ Soon these rumors will reach the ears of the king. So come, let us confer together.”
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 him this reply: “There is nothing to these rumors you are spreading; you are inventing them in your own mind.”
9 Omnes enim hi terrebant nos, cogitantes quod cessarent manus nostræ ab opere, et quiesceremus: quam ob causam magis confortavi manus meas.
For they were all trying to frighten us, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will never be finished.” But now, my God, 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.
Later, I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his house. He said: “Let us meet at the house of God inside the temple. Let us shut the temple doors because they are coming to kill you— by 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.
But I replied, “Should a man like me run away? Should one like me go into the temple to save his own life? I will not go!”
12 Et intellexi quod Deus non misisset eum, sed quasi vaticinans locutus esset ad me, et Tobias et Sanaballat conduxissent eum.
I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had uttered this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.
13 Acceperat enim pretium, ut territus facerem, et peccarem, et haberent malum quod exprobrarent mihi.
He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would sin by doing as he suggested, so they could give me a bad name in order to discredit me.
14 Memento mei, Domine, pro Tobia et Sanaballat, juxta opera eorum talia: sed et Noadiæ prophetæ, et ceterorum prophetarum, qui terrebant me.
O my God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat for what they have done, and also Noadiah the prophetess and the other prophets who tried to intimidate me.
15 Completus est autem murus vigesimo quinto die mensis Elul, quinquaginta duobus diebus.
So the wall was completed in fifty-two days, on the twenty-fifth of Elul.
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 about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and disheartened, for they realized that this task had been accomplished by our God.
17 Sed et in diebus illis multæ optimatum Judæorum epistolæ mittebantur ad Tobiam, et a Tobia veniebant ad eos.
Also in those days, the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came back to them.
18 Multi enim erant in Judæa habentes juramentum ejus, quia gener erat Secheniæ filii Area, et Johanan filius ejus acceperat filiam Mosollam filii Barachiæ:
For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, since he was a son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah.
19 sed et laudabant eum coram me, et verba mea nuntiabant ei: et Tobias mittebat epistolas ut terreret me.
Moreover, these nobles kept reporting to me Tobiah’s good deeds, and they relayed my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.
