1 But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the
wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.
2
And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What
do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they
sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones
out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?
3 Now Tobiah the
Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox
go up, he shall even break down their stone wall.
4 Hear, O our God; for
we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give
them for a prey in the land of captivity: 5 And cover not their
iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for
they have provoked thee to anger before the builders.
6 So built we the
wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for
the people had a mind to work.
7 But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the
Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of
Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then
they were very wroth, 8 And conspired all of them together to come and
to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.
9 Nevertheless we made our
prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night,
because of them.
(I Peter 5 ... 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith,)
10 And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of
burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able
to build the wall.
11 And our adversaries said, They shall not know,
neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and
cause the work to cease.
12 And it came to pass, that when the Jews
which dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times, From all places
whence ye shall return unto us they will be upon you.
13 Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall, and on the
higher places, I even set the people after their families with their
swords, their spears, and their bows. 14 And I looked, and rose up, and
said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people,
Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and
terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters,
your wives, and your houses.
15 And it came to pass, when our enemies
heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to
nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work.
16 And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my
servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the
spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers
were behind all the house of Judah.
17 They which builded on the wall,
and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of
his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.
18 For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so
builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.
19 And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the
people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the
wall, one far from another. 20 In what place therefore ye hear the sound
of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us.
21 So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the
rising of the morning till the stars appeared. 22 Likewise at the same
time said I unto the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within
Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labour on
the day. 23 So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men
of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, saving
that every one put them off for washing.
(They stayed ready at all times.)