Nehemiæ 6
1 factum est autem cum audisset Sanaballat et Tobia et Gosem Arabs et ceteri inimici nostri quod aedificassem 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 Gosem ad me dicentes veni et percutiamus foedus 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 neglegatur 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 quattuor vices et respondi eis iuxta sermonem priorem
Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave the same reply.
5 et misit ad me Sanaballat iuxta verbum prius quinta vice puerum suum et epistulam habebat in manu 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 Gosem dixit quod tu et Iudaei cogitetis rebellare et propterea aedifices 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 praedicent de te in Hierusalem dicentes rex in Iudaea est auditurus est rex verba haec 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 haec quae tu loqueris de corde enim tuo tu conponis haec
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 autem hii terrebant nos cogitantes quod cessarent manus nostrae 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 Samaiae filii Dalaiae filii Metabehel secreto qui ait tractemus nobiscum in domo Dei in medio templi et claudamus portas aedis 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 Tobia 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 Domine mei pro Tobia et Sanaballat iuxta opera eorum talia sed et Noadiae prophetae 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 conpletus est autem murus vicesimo 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 universae gentes quae erant in circuitu nostro et conciderent intra semet ipsos 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 multae optimatium Iudaeorum epistulae 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 Iudaea habentes iuramentum eius quia gener erat Secheniae filii Orei et Iohanan filius eius acceperat filiam Mosollam filii Barachiae
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 epistulas 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.
