Nehemías 4

1 Pero cuando Sanbalat se enteró de que estábamos construyendo el muro, se enojó y se indignó mucho, y se burló de los judíos.

Now, Sanballat, hearing that we were building the wall, was very angry, and in his wrath made sport of the Jews.

2 Habló ante sus hermanos y el ejército de Samaria y dijo: “¿Qué hacen estos débiles judíos? ¿Se van a fortificar? ¿Sacrificarán? ¿Acabarán en un día? ¿Revivirán las piedras de los montones de basura, ya que están quemadas?”

And in the hearing of his countrymen and the army of Samaria he said, What are these feeble Jews doing? will they make themselves strong? will they make offerings? will they get the work done in a day? will they make the stones which have been burned come again out of the dust?

3 Junto a él estaba Tobías, el amonita, quien dijo: “Lo que están construyendo, si una zorra trepara por él, derribaría su muro de piedra.”

Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Such is their building that if a fox goes up it, their stone wall will be broken down.

4 “Escucha, Dios nuestro, porque somos despreciados. Vuelve su reproche sobre su propia cabeza. Entrégalos como botín en tierra de cautiverio.

Give ear, O our God, for we are looked down on: let their words of shame be turned back on themselves, and let them be given up to wasting in a land where they are prisoners:

5 No cubras su iniquidad. No permitas que su pecado sea borrado ante ti; porque han insultado a los constructores.”

Let not their wrongdoing be covered or their sin washed away from before you: for they have made you angry before the builders.

6 Construimos, pues, el muro, y toda la muralla se unió hasta la mitad de su altura, porque el pueblo tenía ganas de trabajar.

So we went on building the wall; and all the wall was joined together half-way up: for the people were working hard.

7 Pero cuando Sanbalat, Tobías, los árabes, los amonitas y los asdoditas se enteraron de que se había avanzado en la reparación de los muros de Jerusalén y de que se empezaban a rellenar las brechas, se enfurecieron mucho;

But when it came to the ears of Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabians and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites, that the building of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and the broken places were being made good, they were full of wrath;

8 y todos ellos se conjuraron para venir a pelear contra Jerusalén y causar confusión entre nosotros.

And they made designs, all of them together, to come and make an attack on Jerusalem, causing trouble there.

9 Pero nosotros hicimos nuestra oración a nuestro Dios, y pusimos guardia contra ellos día y noche a causa de ellos.

But we made our prayer to God, and had men on watch against them day and night because of them.

10 Judá dijo: “La fuerza de los portadores de cargas se desvanece y hay muchos escombros, de modo que no podemos construir el muro”.

And Judah said, The strength of the workmen is giving way, and there is much waste material; it is impossible for us to put up the wall.

11 Nuestros adversarios dijeron: “No lo sabrán ni lo verán, hasta que entremos en medio de ellos y los matemos, y hagamos cesar la obra.”

And those who were against us said, Without their knowledge and without their seeing us, we will come among them and put them to death, causing the work to come to a stop.

12 Cuando llegaron los judíos que vivían junto a ellos, nos dijeron diez veces desde todos los lugares: “Dondequiera que os volváis, nos atacarán”.

And it came about that when the Jews who were living near them came, they said to us ten times, From all directions they are coming against us.

13 Por eso puse guardias en las partes más bajas del espacio detrás de la muralla, en los lugares abiertos. Puse al pueblo por grupos familiares con sus espadas, sus lanzas y sus arcos.

So in the lowest part of the space at the back of the walls, in the open places, I put the people by families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

14 Miré, me levanté y dije a los nobles, a los gobernantes y al resto del pueblo: “¡No tengan miedo de ellos! Acuérdense del Señor, que es grande y temible, y luchen por sus hermanos, sus hijos, sus hijas, sus esposas y sus casas”.

And after looking, I got up and said to the great ones and to the chiefs and to the rest of the people, Have no fear of them: keep in mind the Lord who is great and greatly to be feared, and take up arms for your brothers, your sons, and your daughters, your wives and your houses.

15 Cuando nuestros enemigos se enteraron de que habíamos sido informados, y de que Dios había hecho fracasar su consejo, todos nosotros volvimos al muro, cada uno a su trabajo.

And when it came to the ears of those who were against us, that we had knowledge of their designs and that God had made their purpose come to nothing, we all went back to the wall, everyone to his work

16 Desde entonces, la mitad de mis siervos hacía el trabajo, y la otra mitad tenía las lanzas, los escudos, los arcos y las cotas de malla; y los jefes estaban detrás de toda la casa de Judá.

And from that time, half of my servants were doing their part of the work, and half kept the spears and body-covers and the bows and the metal war-dresses; and the chiefs were at the back of the men of Judah.

17 Los que construían el muro y los que llevaban cargas se cargaban; cada uno con una de sus manos hacía el trabajo y con la otra sostenía su arma.

Those who were building the wall and those who were moving material did their part, everyone working with one hand, with his spear in the other;

18 Entre los constructores, todos llevaban su espada al costado, y así construían. El que tocaba la trompeta estaba junto a mí.

Every builder was working with his sword at his side. And by my side was a man for sounding the horn.

19 Dije a los nobles, a los jefes y al resto del pueblo: “La obra es grande y está muy extendida, y nosotros estamos separados en el muro, lejos unos de otros.

And I said to the great ones and the chiefs and the rest of the people, The work is great and widely spaced and we are far away from one another on the wall:

20 Dondequiera que oigáis el sonido de la trompeta, reuníos allí con nosotros. Nuestro Dios luchará por nosotros”.

Wherever you may be when the horn is sounded, come here to us; our God will be fighting for us.

21 Así hicimos el trabajo. La mitad del pueblo sostuvo las lanzas desde el amanecer hasta que aparecieron las estrellas.

So we went on with the work: and half of them had spears in their hands from the dawn of the morning till the stars were seen.

22 Asimismo, al mismo tiempo dije al pueblo: “Que cada uno con su siervo se aloje dentro de Jerusalén, para que durante la noche nos sirvan de guardia y para que trabajen durante el día.”

And at the same time I said to the people, Let everyone with his servant come inside Jerusalem for the night, so that at night they may keep watch for us, and go on working by day.

23 Así que ni yo, ni mis hermanos, ni mis siervos, ni los hombres de la guardia que me seguían nos quitamos la ropa. Cada uno llevó su arma al agua.

So not one of us, I or my brothers or my servants or the watchmen who were with me, took off his clothing, everyone went armed to the water.