Neh 4
1
But it came to pass that, when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he
was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.
2
And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What are these
feeble Jews doing? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make
an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, seeing they
are burned?
3
Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they are building,
if a fox go up, he shall break down their stone wall.
4
Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn back their reproach upon their own
head, and give them up for a spoil in a land of captivity;
5
and cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before you;
for they have provoked [you] to anger before the builders.
6
So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together to half [the height] thereof:
for the people had a mind to work.
7
But it came to pass that, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites,
and the Ashdodites, heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward,
[and] that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth;
8
and they conspired all of them together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to
cause confusion therein.
9
But we made our prayer to our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because
of them.
10
And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much
rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.
11
And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come into the
midst of them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.
12
And it came to pass that, when the Jews that dwelt by them came, they said to us ten
times from all places, You must return to us.
13
Therefore set I in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in the open places,
I set [there] the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and
their bows.
14
And I looked, and rose up, and said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest
of the people, Be not you afraid of them: remember the Lord, who is great and terrible,
and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.
15
And it came to pass, 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, every one to his
work.
16
And it came to pass from that time forth, that half of my servants wrought in the
work, and half of them held the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the coats of
mail; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah.
17
They all built the wall and they that bare burdens laded themselves; every one with
one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other held his weapon;
18
and the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so built. And he
who sounded the trumpet was by me.
19
And 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 upon the wall, one far from another:
20
in what place soever you hear the sound of the trumpet, resort you there to us; our
God will fight for us.
21
So we wrought in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the
morning till the stars appeared.
22
Likewise at the same time said I to the people, Let every one with his servant lodge
within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and may labor in the
day.
23
So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard that followed
me, none of us put off our clothes, every one [went with] his weapon [to] the water.