Nehemiah 4:1-18 ▼

1 And it came to pass, when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he became hot and he became greatly angry, and he mocked at the Jews.

2 And he spoke before the face of his brothers and the force of Samaria and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of the rubble—and they are burned?”

3 And Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Even whatever they are building, if a fox goes up on it, it will break down the wall of their stones.”

4 Hear, our God, for we are despised! And turn their reproach on their own heads, and give them as spoil to a land of captivity.

5 And do not cover over their iniquity; and their sin, do not let it be blotted out from before You, for they have provoked anger in front of the builders.

6 And we built the wall, and all the wall was joined together up to half of it, for the people had a mind to work.

7 And it came to pass, when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repair was progressing to the walls of Jerusalem and the gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very hot.

8 And all of them conspired together to come to fight against Jerusalem, and to do to it injury.

9 And we made our prayer to our God, and we set a watch against them, day and night, against their faces.

10 And Judah said, “The power of the laborers is failing, and the rubble is abundant, and we are not able to build on the wall.”

11 And our adversaries said, “They will not know and they will not see until that we come into their midst and kill them and put an end to the work.”

12 And it came to pass, when the Jews came who dwelt near them, that they said to us ten times, “From all the places where you? return, they will be upon us.”

13 And I appointed at the lowest of the places at the back of the wall, at the openings, I even appointed the people by their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

14 And I looked, and I arose and said to the nobles and to the leaders and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and fearsome, and fight for your? brothers, 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 that God had frustrated their plot, that all of us returned to the wall, each man to his work.

16 And it came to pass from that day, that half of my servants worked at the construction, and half held the spears, and the shields, and the bows, and the armor. And the leaders were behind all the house of Judah.

17 Those who built on the wall and the bearers of the burden loaded themselves, so that with one hand they worked at the construction, and one was grasping a weapon.

18 And of the builders, each man had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded with the shofar was beside me.