| New Living Translation | NET Bible |
| 1 Sanballat was very angry when he learned that we were rebuilding the wall. He flew into a rage and mocked the Jews, | 1Now when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall he became angry and was quite upset. He derided the Jews, |
| 2saying in front of his friends and the Samarian army officers, “What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they’re doing? Do they think they can build the wall in a single day by just offering a few sacrifices? Do they actually think they can make something of stones from a rubbish heap—and charred ones at that?” | 2and in the presence of his colleagues and the army of Samaria he said, "What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they be left to themselves? Will they again offer sacrifice? Will they finish this in a day? Can they bring these burnt stones to life again from piles of dust?" |
| 3Tobiah the Ammonite, who was standing beside him, remarked, “That stone wall would collapse if even a fox walked along the top of it!” | 3Then Tobiah the Ammonite, who was close by, said, "If even a fox were to climb up on what they are building, it would break down their wall of stones!" |
| 4Then I prayed, “Hear us, our God, for we are being mocked. May their scoffing fall back on their own heads, and may they themselves become captives in a foreign land! | 4Hear, O our God, for we are despised! Return their reproach on their own head! Reduce them to plunder in a land of exile! |
| 5Do not ignore their guilt. Do not blot out their sins, for they have provoked you to anger here in front of the builders.” | 5Do not cover their iniquity, and do not wipe out their sin from before them. For they have bitterly offended the builders! |
| 6At last the wall was completed to half its height around the entire city, for the people had worked with enthusiasm. | 6So we rebuilt the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height. The people were enthusiastic in their work. |
| 7 But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites heard that the work was going ahead and that the gaps in the wall of Jerusalem were being repaired, they were furious. | 7When Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the people of Ashdod heard that the restoration of the walls of Jerusalem had moved ahead and that the breaches had begun to be closed, they were very angry. |
| 8They all made plans to come and fight against Jerusalem and throw us into confusion. | 8All of them conspired together to move with armed forces against Jerusalem and to create a disturbance in it. |
| 9But we prayed to our God and guarded the city day and night to protect ourselves. | 9So we prayed to our God and stationed a guard to protect against them both day and night. |
| 10Then the people of Judah began to complain, “The workers are getting tired, and there is so much rubble to be moved. We will never be able to build the wall by ourselves.” | 10Then those in Judah said, "The strength of the laborers has failed! The debris is so great that we are unable to rebuild the wall." |
| 11Meanwhile, our enemies were saying, “Before they know what’s happening, we will swoop down on them and kill them and end their work.” | 11Our adversaries also boasted, "Before they are aware or anticipate anything, we will come in among them and kill them, and we will bring this work to a halt!" |
| 12The Jews who lived near the enemy came and told us again and again, “They will come from all directions and attack us!” | 12So it happened that the Jews who were living near them came and warned us repeatedly about all the schemes they were plotting against us. |
| 13So I placed armed guards behind the lowest parts of the wall in the exposed areas. I stationed the people to stand guard by families, armed with swords, spears, and bows. | 13So I stationed people at the lower places behind the wall in the exposed places. I stationed the people by families, with their swords, spears, and bows. |
| 14Then as I looked over the situation, I called together the nobles and the rest of the people and said to them, “Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!” | 14When I had made an inspection, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the great and awesome Lord, and fight on behalf of your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your families!" |
| 15When our enemies heard that we knew of their plans and that God had frustrated them, we all returned to our work on the wall. | 15It so happened that when our adversaries heard that we were aware of these matters, God frustrated their intentions. Then all of us returned to the wall, each to his own work. |
| 16But from then on, only half my men worked while the other half stood guard with spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. The leaders stationed themselves behind the people of Judah | 16From that day forward, half of my men were doing the work and half of them were taking up spears, shields, bows, and body armor. Now the officers were behind all the people of Judah |
| 17who were building the wall. The laborers carried on their work with one hand supporting their load and one hand holding a weapon. | 17who were rebuilding the wall. Those who were carrying loads did so by keeping one hand on the work and the other on their weapon. |
| 18All the builders had a sword belted to their side. The trumpeter stayed with me to sound the alarm. | 18The builders to a man had their swords strapped to their sides while they were building. But the trumpeter remained with me. |
| 19Then I explained to the nobles and officials and all the people, “The work is very spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. | 19I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, "The work is demanding and extensive, and we are spread out on the wall, far removed from one another. |
| 20When you hear the blast of the trumpet, rush to wherever it is sounding. Then our God will fight for us!” | 20Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, gather there with us. Our God will fight for us!" |
| 21We worked early and late, from sunrise to sunset. And half the men were always on guard. | 21So we worked on, with half holding spears, from dawn till dusk. |
| 22I also told everyone living outside the walls to stay in Jerusalem. That way they and their servants could help with guard duty at night and work during the day. | 22At that time I instructed the people, "Let every man and his coworker spend the night in Jerusalem and let them be guards for us by night and workers by day. |
| 23During this time, none of us—not I, nor my relatives, nor my servants, nor the guards who were with me—ever took off our clothes. We carried our weapons with us at all times, even when we went for water. | 23We did not change clothes--not I, nor my relatives, nor my workers, nor the watchmen who were with me. Each had his weapon, even when getting a drink of water. |
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