Nehemiæ 4

1 Factum est autem, cum audisset Sanaballat quod aedificaremus murum, iratus est valde: et motus nimis subsannavit Iudaeos,

But it happened that when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.

2 et dixit coram fratribus suis, et frequentia Samaritanorum: Quid Iudaei faciunt imbecilles? Num dimittent eos gentes? Num sacrificabunt, et complebunt in una die? Numquid aedificare poterunt lapides de acervis pulveris, qui combusti sunt?

And he spoke before his brothers and the army of Samaria, and said, "What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, which are burned?"

3 Sed et Tobias Ammanites proximus eius, ait: Aedificent: si ascenderit vulpes, transiliet murum eorum lapideum.

Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, "What they are building, if a fox climbed up it, he would 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, our God; for we are despised; and turn back their insults on their own head, give them up for a spoil in a land of captivity;

5 Ne operias iniquitatem eorum, et peccatum eorum coram facie tua non deleatur, quia irriserunt aedificantes.

do not cover their iniquity, and do not let their sin be blotted out from before you; for they have insulted the builders."

6 Itaque aedificavimus 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 half its height: for the people had a mind to work.

7 Factum est autem, cum audisset Sanaballat, et Tobias, et Arabes, et Ammanitae, et Azotii, quod obducta esset cicatrix muri Ierusalem, et quod coepissent interrupta concludi, irati sunt nimis.

But it happened that when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabians, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, and that the breaches began to be filled, then they were very angry;

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 in it.

9 Et oravimus Deum nostrum, et posuimus custodes super murum die ac nocte contra eos.

But 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 aedificare murum.

Judah said, "The strength of the bearers of burdens is fading, 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.

Our adversaries said, "They shall not know, neither see, until we come into their midst, and kill them, and cause the work to cease."

12 Factum est autem venientibus Iudaeis, qui habitabant iuxta eos, et dicentibus nobis per decem vices ex omnibus locis quibus venerant ad nos,

It happened that when the Jews who lived by them came, they said to us ten times from all places, "Wherever you turn, they will attack us."

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 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.

I looked, and rose up, and said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, "Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, 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.

It happened, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and God had brought their counsel to nothing, that we returned all of us to the wall, everyone to his work.

16 Et factum est a die illa, media pars iuvenum eorum faciebat opus, et media parata erat ad bellum, et lanceae, et scuta, et arcus, et loricae, et principes post eos in omni domo Iuda

It happened from that time forth that half of my servants would do the work and half of them held the spears, and the shields, and the bows, and the body armor; and the rulers stood behind the whole house of Judah

17 aedificantium in muro, et portantium onera, et imponentium: una manu sua faciebat opus, et altera tenebat gladium:

who were building the wall. And those who carried loads held their load with one hand and with the other held a weapon;

18 aedificentium enim unusquisque gladio erat accinctus renes. Et aedificabant, et clangebant buccina iuxta me.

and the builders, everyone wore his sword at his side, and so built. He who 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:

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 on the wall, one far from another.

20 in loco quocumque audieritis clangorem tubae, illuc concurrite ad nos: Deus noster pugnabit pro nobis.

Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally there to us. Our God will fight for us."

21 Et nosipsi faciamus opus: et media pars nostrum teneat lanceas ab ascensu aurorae donec egrediantur astra.

So we worked in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning until the stars appeared.

22 In tempore quoque illo dixi populo: Unusquisque cum puero suo maneat in medio Ierusalem, et sint vobis vices per noctem, et diem, ad operandum.

Likewise at the same time said I to the people, "Let everyone with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and may 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 brothers, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes. Everyone took his weapon to the water.