[1] Now, Sanballat, hearing that we were building the wall, was very angry,
and in his wrath made sport of the Jews. [2] And in the hearing of his
countrymen and the army of Samaria he said, What are these feeble Jews
doing? will they make themselves strong? will they make offerings? will
they get the work done in a day? will they make the stones which have been
burned come again out of the dust? [3] Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him,
and he said, Such is their building that if a fox goes up it, their stone
wall will be broken down. [4] Give ear, O our God, for we are looked down
on: let their words of shame be turned back on themselves, and let them be
given up to wasting in a land where they are prisoners: [5] Let not their
wrongdoing be covered or their sin washed away from before you: for they
have made you angry before the builders. [6] So we went on building the
wall; and all the wall was joined together half-way up: for the people were
working hard. [7] But when it came to the ears of Sanballat and Tobiah and
the Arabians and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites, that the building of the
walls of Jerusalem was going forward and the broken places were being made
good, they were full of wrath; [8] And they made designs, all of them
together, to come and make an attack on Jerusalem, causing trouble there.
[9] But we made our prayer to God, and had men on watch against them day
and night because of them. [10] And Judah said, The strength of the workmen
is giving way, and there is much waste material; it is impossible for us to
put up the wall. [11] And those who were against us said, Without their
knowledge and without their seeing us, we will come among them and put them
to death, causing the work to come to a stop. [12] And it came about that
when the Jews who were living near them came, they said to us ten times,
From all directions they are coming against us. [13] So in the lowest part
of the space at the back of the walls, in the open places, I put the people
by families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. [14] And
after looking, I got up and said to the great ones and to the chiefs and to
the rest of the people, Have no fear of them: keep in mind the Lord who is
great and greatly to be feared, and take up arms for your brothers, your
sons, and your daughters, your wives and your houses. [15] And when it came
to the ears of those who were against us, that we had knowledge of their
designs and that God had made their purpose come to nothing, we all went
back to the wall, everyone to his work [16] And from that time, half of my
servants were doing their part of the work, and half kept the spears and
body-covers and the bows and the metal war-dresses; and the chiefs were at
the back of the men of Judah. [17] Those who were building the wall and
those who were moving material did their part, everyone working with one
hand, with his spear in the other; [18] Every builder was working with his
sword at his side. And by my side was a man for sounding the horn. [19] And
I said to the great ones and the chiefs and the rest of the people, The
work is great and widely spaced and we are far away from one another on the
wall: [20] Wherever you may be when the horn is sounded, come here to us;
our God will be fighting for us. [21] So we went on with the work: and half
of them had spears in their hands from the dawn of the morning till the
stars were seen. [22] And at the same time I said to the people, Let
everyone with his servant come inside Jerusalem for the night, so that at
night they may keep watch for us, and go on working by day. [23] So not one
of us, I or my brothers or my servants or the watchmen who were with me,
took off his clothing, everyone went armed to the water.
