Nehemiah 4:7–23

⁷When Sanballat, Tobiah, and the Arabs,^ak Ammonites, and Ashdodites heard that the repair to the walls of Jerusalem was progressing and that the gaps were being closed,^al they became furious.^{am 8}They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and throw it into confusion. ⁹So we prayed to our God and stationed a guard because of them day and night.

¹⁰In Judah, it was said:^B

The strength of the laborer fails,

since there is so much rubble.

We will never be able

to rebuild the wall.

¹¹And our enemies said, “They won’t realize it^C until we’re among them and can kill them and stop the work.” ¹²When the Jews who lived nearby arrived, they said to us time and again,^D “Everywhere you turn, they attack^E us.” ¹³So I stationed people behind the lowest sections of the wall, at the vulnerable areas. I stationed them by families with their swords, spears, and bows. ¹⁴After I made an inspection, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people,^a “Don’t be afraid of them.^b Remember the great and awe-inspiring Lord, and fight for your countrymen, your sons and daughters, your wives and homes.”^c

SWORD AND TROWEL

¹⁵When our enemies heard that we knew their scheme and that God had frustrated it, every one of us returned to his own work on the wall. ¹⁶From that day on, half of my men did the work while the other half held spears, shields, bows, and armor.^d The officers supported all the people of Judah, ¹⁷who were rebuilding the wall. The laborers who carried the loads worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other. ¹⁸Each of the builders had his sword strapped around his waist while he was building, and the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me. ¹⁹Then I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people,^e “The work is enormous and spread out, and we are separated far from one another along the wall.^{f 20}Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us!”^{g 21}So we continued the work, while half of the men were holding spears from daybreak until the stars came out. ²²At that time, I also said to the people, “Let everyone and his servant spend the night inside Jerusalem, so that they can stand guard by night and work by day.” ²³And I, my brothers, my servants, and the men of the guard with me never took off our clothes. Each carried his weapon, even when washing.^A