Nehemiah 4

Progress in Spite of Opposition

4^wWhen Sanballat ^xheard that we were rebuilding the wall, ^yhe became furious. He mocked the Jews ^z2before his colleagues and the powerful men ^aof Samaria, ^band said, “What are these pathetic Jews doing? Can they restore it by themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they ever finish it? Can they bring these burnt stones ^cback to life from the mounds of rubble?” ^d3Then Tobiah the Ammonite, ^ewho was beside him, said, “Indeed, even if a fox ^fclimbed up what they are building, he would break down their stone wall!”

⁴Listen, our God, for we are despised. Make their insults return on their own heads and let them be taken as plunder to a land of captivity. ⁵Do not cover their guilt or let their sin be erased from Your sight, because they have provoked ^gthe builders. ^h

⁶So we rebuilt the wall until the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had the will to keep working. ⁱ

^7jWhen Sanballat, Tobiah, and the Arabs, ^kAmmonites, and Ashdodites heard that the repair to the walls of Jerusalem was progressing and that the gaps were being closed, ^lthey became furious. ^m8They 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: ⁿ

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 know or see anything 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, ^o“Everywhere you turn, they attack ^pus.” 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, ^q“Don’t be afraid of them. ^rRemember the great and awe-inspiring Lord, and fight for your countrymen, your sons and daughters, your wives and homes.” ^s

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. ^tThe 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 trumpeter was beside me. ¹⁹Then I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people: ^u“The work is enormous and spread out, and we are separated far from one another along the wall. ^v20Wherever you hear the trumpet sound, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us!” ^w21So 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 men, and the guards with me never took off our clothes. Each carried his weapon, even when washing. ^x