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The Work is Ridiculed
And it came to pass that when Sanballat heard that we built the wall, he was angry and very indignant, and mocked the Jews.
And it came to pass that when Sanballat heard that we built the wall, he was angry and very indignant, and mocked the Jews.
saying in front of his friends and the Samarian army officers, “What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they’re doing? Do they think they can build the wall in a single day by just offering a few sacrifices?b Do they actually think they can make something of stones from a rubbish heap — and charred ones at that?”
And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? shall they be permitted to go on? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, when they are burned?
Tobiah the Ammonite, who was standing beside him, remarked, “That stone wall would collapse if even a fox walked along the top of it!”
And Tobijah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox went up, it would break down their stone wall. --
Then I prayed, “Hear us, our God, for we are being mocked. May their scoffing fall back on their own heads, and may they themselves become captives in a foreign land!
Hear, our God, for we are despised, and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in a land of captivity!
And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee; for they have provoked the builders.
At last the wall was completed to half its height around the entire city, for the people had worked with enthusiasm.
But we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together to the half thereof; for the people had a mind to work.
And it came to pass, when Sanballat, and Tobijah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being repaired, that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth,
They all made plans to come and fight against Jerusalem and throw us into confusion.
and conspired all of them together to come to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.
But we prayed to our God and guarded the city day and night to protect ourselves.
Discouragement Overcome
Then we prayed to our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.
Then we prayed to our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.
Then the people of Judah began to complain, “The workers are getting tired, and there is so much rubble to be moved. We will never be able to build the wall by ourselves.”
And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens faileth, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build at the wall.
Meanwhile, our enemies were saying, “Before they know what’s happening, we will swoop down on them and kill them and end their work.”
And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come into the midst of them and kill them, and put an end to the work.
And it came to pass that when the Jews that dwelt by them came and told us so ten times, from all the places whence they returned to us,
So I placed armed guards behind the lowest parts of the wall in the exposed areas. I stationed the people to stand guard by families, armed with swords, spears, and bows.
I set in the lower places behind the wall in exposed places, I even set the people, according to their families, with their swords, their spears and their bows.
Then as I looked over the situation, I called together the nobles and the rest of the people and said to them, “Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!”
And I looked, and rose up, and said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not afraid of them: remember the Lord who is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your houses.
When our enemies heard that we knew of their plans and that God had frustrated them, we all returned to our work on the wall.
And it came to pass that when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had defeated their counsel, we returned all of us to the wall, every one to his work.
But from then on, only half my men worked while the other half stood guard with spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. The leaders stationed themselves behind the people of Judah
And from that time forth the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held the spears, and the shields, and the bows, and the corslets; and the captains were behind all the house of Judah.
who were building the wall. The laborers carried on their work with one hand supporting their load and one hand holding a weapon.
They that built on the wall, and they that bore burdens, with those that loaded, wrought in the work with one hand, and with the other they held a weapon.
All the builders had a sword belted to their side. The trumpeter stayed with me to sound the alarm.
And the builders had every one his sword girded by his side, and built. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.
Then I explained to the nobles and officials and all the people, “The work is very spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall.
And I said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and extended, and we are scattered upon the wall, one far from another:
When you hear the blast of the trumpet, rush to wherever it is sounding. Then our God will fight for us!”
in what place ye hear the sound of the trumpet, thither shall ye assemble to us; our God will fight for us.
We worked early and late, from sunrise to sunset. And half the men were always on guard.
And we laboured in the work; and half of them held the spears from the rising of the dawn till the stars appeared.
I also told everyone living outside the walls to stay in Jerusalem. That way they and their servants could help with guard duty at night and work during the day.
Likewise at the same time I said to the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and [be for] labour in the day.
And neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard that followed me, none of us put off our garments: every one had his weapon on his right side.