| NET Bible | Christian Standard Bible |
| 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), | 1When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and that no gap was left in it--though at that time I had not installed the doors in the city gates-- |
| 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. | 2Sanballat and Geshem sent me a message: "Come, let's meet together in the villages of the Ono Valley." They were planning to harm me. |
| 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?" | 3So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing important work and cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?" |
| 4They contacted me four times in this way, and I responded the same way each time. | 4Four times they sent me the same proposal, and I gave them the same reply. |
| 5The fifth time that Sanballat sent his assistant to me in this way, he had an open letter in his hand. | 5Sanballat sent me this same message a fifth time by his aide, who had an open letter in his hand. |
| 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. | 6In it was written: It is reported among the nations--and Geshem agrees--that you and the Jews plan to rebel. This is the reason you are building the wall. According to these reports, you are to become their king |
| 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." | 7and have even set up the prophets in Jerusalem to proclaim on your behalf: "There is a king in Judah." These rumors will be heard by the king. So come, let's confer together. |
| 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." | 8Then I replied to him, "There is nothing to these rumors you are spreading; you are inventing them in your own mind." |
| 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! | 9For they were all trying to intimidate us, saying, "They will drop their hands from the work, and it will never be finished." But now, my God, strengthen my hands. |
| 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." | 10I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was restricted to his house. He said: Let's meet at the house of God, inside the temple. Let's shut the temple doors because they're coming to kill you. They're coming to kill you tonight! |
| 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!" | 11But I said, "Should a man like me run away? How can someone like me enter the temple and live? I will not go." |
| 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. | 12I realized that God had not sent him, because of the prophecy he spoke against me. Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. |
| 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. | 13He was hired, so that I would be intimidated, do as he suggested, sin, and get a bad reputation, in order that they could discredit me. |
| 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! | 14My God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat for what they have done, and also the prophetess Noadiah and the other prophets who wanted to intimidate me. |
| 15So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in just fifty-two days. | 15The wall was completed in fifty-two days, on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul. |
| 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. | 16When all our enemies heard this, all the surrounding nations were intimidated and lost their confidence, for they realized that this task had been accomplished by our God. |
| 17In those days the aristocrats of Judah repeatedly sent letters to Tobiah, and responses from Tobiah were repeatedly coming to them. | 17During those days, the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah's letters came to them. |
| 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. | 18For 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. |
| 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. | 19These nobles kept mentioning Tobiah's good deeds to me, and they reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me. |
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