Nehemías 4
1 Pero cuando Sanbalat supo que reconstruíamos el muro, se airó muchísimo. Al burlarse 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: ¿Qué pretenden estos miserables judíos? ¿La van a restaurar para ellos? ¿Sacrificarán? ¿Acabarán en un día? ¿Harán revivir las piedras de los montones de escombros, aunque ven que están consumidas?
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 Tobías amonita, que estaba junto a él, dijo: ¡Hasta una zorra, si sube allí, podría derribar el muro de piedra que construyen!
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 ¡Oye, oh ʼElohim nuestro, cómo somos menospreciados! ¡Haz recaer sus ofensas sobre su propia cabeza y entrégalos al despojo 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, ni sea borrado su pecado delante de tu Presencia, porque te provocaron a ira delante de los que edifican!
Let not their wrongdoing be covered or their sin washed away from before you: for they have made you angry before the builders.
6 Así reconstruimos el muro y unimos todos los tramos hasta la mitad de su altura. El pueblo tuvo ánimo para 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 de Asdod oyeron que la reparación de los muros de Jerusalén avanzaba y las brechas comenzaban a cerrarse, se enfurecieron muchísimo.
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 Todos a una se confabularon para venir a atacar Jerusalén y causarle daño.
And they made designs, all of them together, to come and make an attack on Jerusalem, causing trouble there.
9 Pero nosotros oramos a nuestro ʼElohim y nos colocamos en guardia contra ellos día y noche.
But we made our prayer to God, and had men on watch against them day and night because of them.
10 Los de Judá dijeron: Ya desfallecen las fuerzas de los cargadores y los escombros son muchos. Por tanto, no podremos reedificar 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 enemigos se decían: Ellos no lo sabrán ni lo verán hasta que caigamos sobre ellos, 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 Pero cuando llegaron los judíos que vivían cerca de ellos, nos decían hasta diez veces: De todos los lugares hacia los cuales ustedes miren, caerán sobre nosotros.
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 Entonces distribuí al pueblo por familias, con sus espadas, lanzas y arcos, detrás del muro en las partes más bajas y en sus partes desprotegidas.
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 Después que inspeccioné, me levanté y dije a los jefes, los oficiales y el resto del pueblo: ¡No teman ante ellos! ¡Acuérdense de ʼAdonay, grande y maravilloso! ¡Luchen por sus hermanos, hijos e hijas, esposas y por 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 Sucedió que cuando nuestros enemigos supieron que fuimos advertidos, ʼElohim desbarató sus planes. Y todos nosotros pudimos regresar 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 aquel día, aconteció que la mitad de mis hombres trabajaba en la obra y la otra mitad sostenía las lanzas, los escudos, los arcos y las corazas. 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 trabajaban en el muro y los que acarreaban las cargas, con una mano trabajaban en la obra y con la otra empuñaban la lanza.
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 En cuanto a los constructores, cada uno llevaba su espada atada a su cintura, y así edificaban. El que soplaba la corneta 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 Pues yo dije a los jefes, los oficiales y al resto del pueblo: La obra es mucha y extensa, y nosotros estamos esparcidos por el muro, lejos los unos de los 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 oigan el sonido de la corneta, reúnanse desde allí junto a nosotros. ¡Nuestro ʼElohim peleará por nosotros!
Wherever you may be when the horn is sounded, come here to us; our God will be fighting for us.
21 Así trabajábamos en la obra: la mitad de ellos empuñaban las lanzas, desde la aurora hasta que salían 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 También hablé al pueblo en ese tiempo: Cada uno pernocte con su esclavo dentro de Jerusalén, para que nos sirvan de guardia de noche y de día en la obra.
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 Ni yo, ni mis compañeros, ni mis hombres, ni la guardia que me seguía, nos quitamos nuestra ropa. Cada uno tenía su lanza a su mano derecha.
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.
