Nehemiæ 4
1 factum est autem cum audisset Sanaballat quod aedificaremus murum iratus est valde et motus nimis subsannavit Iudaeos
But when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry, and was very indignant, and mocked the Jews.
2 et dixit coram fratribus suis et frequentia Samaritanorum quid Iudaei inbecilli faciunt num dimittent eos gentes num sacrificabunt et conplebunt in una die numquid aedificare poterunt lapides de acervis pulveris qui conbusti sunt
He spoke before his brothers and the army of Samaria, and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, since they are burned?”
3 sed et Tobias Ammanites proximus eius ait aedificent si ascenderit vulpis 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 despectio converte obprobrium super caput eorum et da eos in despectionem in terra captivitatis
“Hear, our God, for we are despised. Turn back their reproach on their own head. Give them up for a plunder in a land of captivity.
5 ne operias iniquitatem eorum et peccatum eorum coram facie tua non deleatur quia inriserunt aedificantes
Don’t cover their iniquity. Don’t 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 Hierusalem et quod coepissent interrupta concludi irati sunt nimis
But 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, they were very angry;
8 et congregati omnes pariter ut venirent et pugnarent contra Hierusalem et molirentur insidias
and they all conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion among us.
9 et oravimus Deum nostrum et posuimus custodes super murum die et 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 rubble, so that we are not able to build the wall.”
11 et dixerunt hostes nostri nesciant et ignorent donec veniamus in medio eorum et interficiamus eos et cessare faciamus opus
Our adversaries said, “They will not know or see, until we come in among them 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
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 ordine cum gladiis suis et lanceis et arcis
Therefore I set guards in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in the open places. I set the people by family groups with their swords, their spears, and their bows.
14 perspexi atque surrexi et aio ad optimates et ad 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 uxoribus vestris et domibus
I looked, and rose up, and said to the nobles, to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them! Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”
15 factum est autem cum audissent inimici nostri nuntiatum esse nobis dissipavit Deus consilium eorum et reversi sumus omnes ad muros unusquisque ad opus suum
When our enemies heard that it was known to us, and God had brought their counsel to nothing, all of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work.
16 et factum est a die illa media pars iuvenum eorum faciebant opus et media parata erat ad bellum et lanceae et scuta et arcus et loricae et principes post eos in omni domo Iuda
From that time forth, half of my servants did the work, and half of them held the spears, the shields, the bows, and the coats of mail; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah.
17 aedificantium in muro et portantium onera et inponentium una manu sua faciebat opus et altera tenebat gladium
Those who built the wall, and those who bore burdens loaded themselves; everyone with one of his hands did the work, and with the other held his weapon.
18 aedificantium enim unusquisque gladio erat accinctus renes et aedificabant et clangebant bucina iuxta me
Among the builders, everyone wore his sword at his side, and so built. He who sounded the shofar 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 widely spread out, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another.
20 in loco quocumque audieritis clangorem tubae illuc concurrite ad nos Deus noster pugnabit pro nobis
Wherever you hear the sound of the shofar, rally there to us. Our God will fight for us.”
21 et nos ipsi faciamus opus et media pars nostrum teneat lanceas ab ascensu aurorae donec egrediantur astra
So we did the work. Half of the people 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 Hierusalem et sint vobis vices per noctem et diem ad operandum
Likewise at the same time I said 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 took off our clothes. Everyone took his weapon to the water.
