| English Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1Now when Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left in it (although up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates), | 1When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and no breach remained in it (even though up to that time I had not positioned doors in the gates), |
| 2Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to do me harm. | 2Sanballat and Geshem sent word to me saying, "Come on! Let's set up a time to meet together at Kephirim in the plain of Ono." Now they intended to do me harm. |
| 3And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” | 3So I sent messengers to them saying, "I am engaged in an important work, and I am unable to come down. Why should the work come to a halt when I leave it to come down to you?" |
| 4And they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner. | 4They contacted me four times in this way, and I responded the same way each time. |
| 5In the same way Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand. | 5The fifth time that Sanballat sent his assistant to me in this way, he had an open letter in his hand. |
| 6In it was written, “It is reported among the nations, and Geshem also says it, that you and the Jews intend to rebel; that is why you are building the wall. And according to these reports you wish to become their king. | 6Written in it were the following words: "Among the nations it is rumored (and Geshem has substantiated this) that you and the Jews have intentions of revolting, and for this reason you are building the wall. Furthermore, according to these rumors you are going to become their king. |
| 7And you have also set up prophets to proclaim concerning you in Jerusalem, ‘There is a king in Judah.’ And now the king will hear of these reports. So now come and let us take counsel together.” | 7You have also established prophets to announce in Jerusalem on your behalf, 'We have a king in Judah!' Now the king is going to hear about these rumors. So come on! Let's talk about this." |
| 8Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say have been done, for you are inventing them out of your own mind.” | 8I sent word back to him, "We are not engaged in these activities you are describing. All of this is a figment of your imagination." |
| 9For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.” But now, O God, strengthen my hands. | 9All of them were wanting to scare us, supposing, "Their hands will grow slack from the work, and it won't get done." So now, strengthen my hands! |
| 10Now when I went into the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his home, he said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple. Let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you. They are coming to kill you by night.” | 10Then I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel. He was confined to his home. He said, "Let's set up a time to meet in the house of God, within the temple. Let's close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you. It will surely be at night that they will come to kill you." |
| 11But I said, “Should such a man as I run away? And what man such as I could go into the temple and live? I will not go in.” | 11But I replied, "Should a man like me run away? Would someone like me flee to the temple in order to save his life? I will not go!" |
| 12And I understood and saw that God had not sent him, but he had pronounced the prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. | 12I recognized the fact that God had not sent him, for he had spoken the prophecy against me as a hired agent of Tobiah and Sanballat. |
| 13For this purpose he was hired, that I should be afraid and act in this way and sin, and so they could give me a bad name in order to taunt me. | 13He had been hired to scare me so that I would do this and thereby sin. They would thus bring reproach on me and I would be discredited. |
| 14Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, according to these things that they did, and also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who wanted to make me afraid. | 14Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat in light of these actions of theirs--also Noadiah the prophetess and the other prophets who were trying to scare me! |
| 15So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. | 15So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in just fifty-two days. |
| 16And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. | 16When all our enemies heard and all the nations who were around us saw this, they were greatly disheartened. They knew that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. |
| 17Moreover, in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them. | 17In those days the aristocrats of Judah repeatedly sent letters to Tobiah, and responses from Tobiah were repeatedly coming to them. |
| 18For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah: and his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah as his wife. | 18For many in Judah had sworn allegiance to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah. His son Jonathan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah. |
| 19Also they spoke of his good deeds in my presence and reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to make me afraid. | 19They were telling me about his good deeds and then taking back to him the things I said. Tobiah, on the other hand, sent letters in order to scare me. |
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