1 But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and
took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.
2 And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble
Jews? 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 the rubbish which are burned?
3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite wasby him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up,
he shall even break down their stone wall.
4 Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give
them for a prey in the land of captivity:
5 And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they
have provoked theeto anger before the builders.
6 So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the
people had a mind to work.
7 But it came to pass, thatwhen Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites,
and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, andthat the breaches
began to be stopped, then they were very wroth,
8 And conspired all of them together to come andto fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.
9 Nevertheless we made our prayer unto 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 ismuch
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 in the midst among
them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.
12 And it came to pass, that when the Jews which dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten
times, From all places whence ye shall return unto us they will be upon you.
13 Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall, andon the higher places, I even set the
people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.
14 And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the
people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which isgreat 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 unto us, and God had brought
their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work.
16 And it came to pass from that time forth, thatthe half of my servants wrought in the work,
and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons;
and the rulers werebehind all the house of Judah.
17 They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one
with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other handheld a weapon.
18 For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and sobuilded. And he that
sounded the trumpet wasby me.
19 And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work isgreat
and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another.
20 In what place thereforeye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God
shall fight for us.
21 So we laboured 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 unto the people, Let every one with his servant lodge
within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labour on the day.
23 So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me,
every one put them off for washing.
1 And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.
2 For there were that said, We, our sons, and our daughters, aremany: therefore we take up
corn for them, that we may eat, and live.
3 Somealso there were that said, We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we
might buy corn, because of the dearth.
4 There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute, and that uponour
lands and vineyards.
5 Yet now our flesh isas the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we
bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and someof our daughters are
brought unto bondage already: neither is itin our power to redeem them; for other men have our
lands and vineyards.
6 And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.
7 Then I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye
exact usury, every one of his brother. And I set a great assembly against them.
8 And I said unto them, We after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, which were
sold unto the heathen; and will ye even sell your brethren? or shall they be sold unto us? Then
held they their peace, and found nothing to answer.
9 Also I said, It isnot good that ye do: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of
the reproach of the heathen our enemies?
10 I likewise, andmy brethren, and my servants, might exact of them money and corn: I pray
you, let us leave off this usury.
11 Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and
their houses, also the hundredth partof the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, that ye
exact of them.
12 Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do as
thou sayest. Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to
this promise.
13 Also I shook my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and from his
labour, that performeth not this promise, even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the
congregation said, Amen, and praised the LORD. And the people did according to this promise.
14 Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from
the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve
years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor.
15 But the former governors that had beenbefore me were chargeable unto the people, and had
taken of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bare rule
over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of God.
16 Yea, also I continued in the work of this wall, neither bought we any land: and all my
servants weregathered thither unto the work.
17 Moreover there wereat my table an hundred and fifty of the Jews and rulers, beside those
that came unto us from among the heathen that areabout us.
18 Now thatwhich was prepared for medaily wasone ox andsix choice sheep; also fowls were
prepared for me, and once in ten days store of all sorts of wine: yet for all this required not I
the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this people.
19 Think upon me, my God, for good, accordingto all that I have done for this people.
1 Now it came to pass, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our
enemies, heard that I had builded the wall, and thatthere was no breach left therein; (though at
that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates;)
2 That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of
3 And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I amdoing a great work, so that I cannot come
down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?
4 Yet they sent unto me four times after this sort; and I answered them after the same manner.
5 Then sent Sanballat his servant unto me in like manner the fifth time with an open letter in
his hand;
6 Wherein waswritten, It is reported among the heathen, and Gashmu saith it, thatthou and the
Jews think to rebel: for which cause thou buildest the wall, that thou mayest be their king,
according to these words.
7 And thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at Jerusalem, saying, There isa king
in Judah: and now shall it be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore,
and let us take counsel together.
8 Then I sent unto him, saying, There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest
them out of thine own heart.
9 For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be
not done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.
10 Afterward I came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, who
wasshut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us
shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to
slay thee.
11 And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, beingas I am, would go into
the temple to save his life? I will not go in.
12 And, lo, I perceived that God had not sent him; but that he pronounced this prophecy against
me: for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.
13 Therefore washe hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and thatthey might have
matterfor an evil report, that they might reproach me.
14 My God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and on the
prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets, that would have put me in fear.
15 So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth dayof the monthElul, in fifty and two
days.
16 And it came to pass, that when all our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathen that were
about us saw these things, they were much cast down in their own eyes: for they perceived that
this work was wrought of our God.
17 Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters unto Tobiah, and the lettersof
Tobiah came unto them.
18 For there weremany in Judah sworn unto him, because he wasthe son in law of Shechaniah
the son of Arah; and his son Johanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah.
19 Also they reported his good deeds before me, and uttered my words to him. AndTobiah sent
letters to put me in fear.
1 Now it came to pass, when the wall was built, and I had set up the doors, and the porters and
the singers and the Levites were appointed,
2 That I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the ruler of the palace, charge over Jerusalem:
for he wasa faithful man, and feared God above many.
3 And I said unto them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot; and while
they stand by, let them shut the doors, and bar them: and appoint watches of the inhabitants of
Jerusalem, every one in his watch, and every one to beover against his house.
4 Now the city waslarge and great: but the people werefew therein, and the houses werenot
builded.
5 And my God put into mine heart to gather together the nobles, and the rulers, and the people,
