ATTEMPTS TO DISCOURAGE THE BUILDERS

6 When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemiesg heard that I had rebuilt the wall and that no gap was left in ith—though at that time I had not installed the doors in the city gatesi—2 Sanballat and Geshemj sent me a message: “Come, let’s meet together in the villages ofB the Ono Valley.”k They were planning to harm me.

3 So 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?” 4 Four times they sent me the same proposal, and I gave them the same reply.

5 Sanballatl sent me this same message a fifth time by his aide, who had an open letter in his hand. 6 In it was written:

It is reported among the nations—and GeshemC,m 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 7 and have even set up the prophets in Jerusalem to proclaim on your behalf, “There is a king in Judah.”n These rumors will be heard by the king. So come, let’s confer together.

8 Then I replied to him, “There is nothing to these rumors you are spreading; you are inventing them in your own mind.”o 9 For they were all trying to intimidatep us, saying, “They will drop their hands fromD the work,q and it will never be finished.”

But now, my God, strengthen my hands.r

ATTEMPTS TO INTIMIDATE NEHEMIAH

10 I 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!E

11 But I said, “Should a man like me run away? How can someone like me enter the temple and live?s I will not go.” 12 I realized that God had not sent him, because of the prophecy he spoke against me. Tobiah and Sanballatt had hired him. 13 He was hired, so that I would be intimidated,u do as he suggested, sin, and get a bad reputation, in order that they could discredit me.

14 My God, rememberv Tobiah and Sanballat for what they have done, and also the prophetess Noadiahw and the other prophets who wanted to intimidate me.

THE WALL COMPLETED

15 The wall was completedx in fifty-two days, on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul.y 16 When all our enemiesz heard this, all the surrounding nations were intimidatedaa and lost their confidence,F for they realized that this task had been accomplished by our God.ab

17 During those days, the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah,ac and Tobiah’s letters came to them. 18 For many in Judah were bound by oathad to him, since he was a son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullamae son of Berechiah. 19 These nobles kept mentioning Tobiah’s good deeds to me, and they reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidateaf me.

THE EXILES RETURN

7 When the wall had been rebuilt and I had the doors installed,ag the gatekeepers,ah singers, and Levites were appointed. 2 Then I put my brother Hananiai in charge of Jerusalem,aj along with Hananiah,ak commander of the fortress,al because he was a faithful man who feared Godam more than most. 3 I said to them, “Do not open the gates of Jerusalem until the sun is hot, and let the doors be shut and securely fastened while the guards are on duty. Station the citizens of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some at their homes.”a

4 The city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and no houses had been built yet.b 5 Then my God put it into my mindc to assemble the nobles, the officials, and the people to be registered by genealogy. I found the genealogical record of those who came back first, and I found the following written in it:d

6 These are the people of the province who went up among the captive exiles deported by King Nebuchadnezzare of Babylon. Each of them returned to Jerusalem and Judah, to his own town.f 7 They came with Zerubbabel,g Jeshua,h Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.

The number of the Israelite men includedA

46 The temple servantsv included

Ziha’s descendants, Hasupha’s descendants,

Tabbaoth’s descendants, 47 Keros’s descendants,

Sia’s descendants, Padon’s descendants,

48 Lebanah’s descendants, Hagabah’s descendants,

Shalmai’s descendants, 49 Hanan’s descendants,

Giddel’s descendants, Gahar’s descendants,

50 Reaiah’s descendants, Rezin’s descendants,

Nekoda’s descendants, 51 Gazzam’s descendants,

Uzza’s descendants, Paseah’s descendants,

52 Besai’s descendants, Meunim’s descendants,

Nephishesim’sC descendants, 53 Bakbuk’s descendants,

Hakupha’s descendants, Harhur’s descendants,

54 Bazlith’s descendants, Mehida’s descendants,

Harsha’s descendants, 55 Barkos’s descendants,

Sisera’s descendants, Temah’s descendants,

56 Neziah’s descendants, Hatipha’s descendants.

57 The descendants of Solomon’s servantsa included

Sotai’s descendants, Sophereth’s descendants,

Perida’s descendants, 58 Jaala’s descendants,

Darkon’s descendants, Giddel’s descendants,

59 Shephatiah’s descendants, Hattil’s descendants,

Pochereth-hazzebaim’s descendants, Amon’s descendants.

60 All the temple servants

61 The followingc are those who came from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but were unable to prove that their ancestral familiesA and their lineage were Israelite:

62 Delaiah’s descendants,

Tobiah’s descendants,

63 and from the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, and the descendants of Barzillai—who had taken a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and who bore their name. 64 These searched for their entries in the genealogical records, but they could not be found, so they were disqualified from the priesthood. 65 The governord ordered them not to eat the most holy things until there was a priest who could consult the Urim and Thummim.e

67 not including their 7,337 male and female servants,

as well as their 245 male and female singers.

68 They had 736 horses, 245 mules,*

69 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.f

70 Some of the family heads contributed to the project. The governor gave 1,000 gold coins,* 50 bowls, and 530 priestly garments to the treasury. 71 Some of the family heads gave 20,000 gold coins and 2,200 silver minas to the treasury for the project. 72 The rest of the people gave 20,000 gold coins, 2,000 silver minas, and 67 priestly garments. 73 The priests, Levites, gatekeepers, temple singers, some of the people, temple servants, and all Israel settled in their towns.g

PUBLIC READING OF THE LAW

When the seventh monthh came and the Israelites had settled in their towns,