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Nehemiah 3-4
New King James Version

Rebuilding the Wall

3 Then (A)Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests (B)and built the Sheep Gate; they consecrated it and hung its doors. They built (C)as far as the Tower of [a]the Hundred, and consecrated it, then as far as the Tower of (D)Hananel. 2 [b]Next to Eliashib (E)the men of Jericho built. And next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built.

3 Also the sons of Hassenaah built (F)the Fish Gate; they laid its beams and (G)hung its doors with its bolts and bars. 4 And next to them (H)Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of [c]Koz, made repairs. Next to them (I)Meshullam the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs. Next to them Zadok the son of Baana made repairs. 5 Next to them the Tekoites made repairs; but their nobles did not put their [d]shoulders to (J)the work of their Lord.

6 Moreover Jehoiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired (K)the Old Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors, with its bolts and bars. 7 And next to them Melatiah the Gibeonite, Jadon the Meronothite, the (L)men of Gibeon and Mizpah, repaired the (M)residence[e] of the governor of the region [f]beyond the River. 8 Next to him Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs. Also next to him Hananiah, [g]one of the perfumers, made repairs; and they [h]fortified Jerusalem as far as the (N)Broad Wall. 9 And next to them Rephaiah the son of Hur, leader of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs. 10 Next to them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph made repairs in front of his house. And next to him Hattush the son of Hashabniah made repairs.

11 Malchijah the son of Harim and Hashub the son of Pahath-Moab repaired another section, (O)as well as the Tower of the Ovens. 12 And next to him was Shallum the son of Hallohesh, leader of half the district of Jerusalem; he and his daughters made repairs.

13 Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired (P)the Valley Gate. They built it, hung its doors with its bolts and bars, and repaired a thousand cubits of the wall as far as (Q)the Refuse Gate.

14 Malchijah the son of Rechab, leader of the district of (R)Beth Haccerem, repaired the Refuse Gate; he built it and hung its doors with its bolts and bars.

15 Shallun the son of Col-Hozeh, leader of the district of Mizpah, repaired (S)the Fountain Gate; he built it, covered it, hung its doors with its bolts and bars, and repaired the wall of the Pool of (T)Shelah[i] by the (U)King’s Garden, as far as the stairs that go down from the City of David. 16 After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, leader of half the district of Beth Zur, made repairs as far as the place in front of the [j]tombs of David, to the (V)man-made pool, and as far as the House of the Mighty.

17 After him the Levites, under Rehum the son of Bani, made repairs. Next to him Hashabiah, leader of half the district of Keilah, made repairs for his district. 18 After him their brethren, under [k]Bavai the son of Henadad, leader of the other half of the district of Keilah, made repairs. 19 And next to him Ezer the son of Jeshua, the leader of Mizpah, repaired another section in front of the Ascent to the Armory at the (W)buttress.[l] 20 After him Baruch the son of [m]Zabbai carefully repaired the other section, from the [n]buttress to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest. 21 After him Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of [o]Koz, repaired another section, from the door of the house of Eliashib to the end of the house of Eliashib.

22 And after him the priests, the men of the plain, made repairs. 23 After him Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs opposite their house. After them Azariah the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs by his house. 24 After him (X)Binnui the son of Henadad repaired another section, from the house of Azariah to (Y)the [p]buttress, even as far as the corner. 25 Palal the son of Uzai made repairs opposite the [q]buttress, and on the tower which projects from the king’s upper house that was by the (Z)court of the prison. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh made repairs.

26 Moreover (AA)the Nethinim who dwelt in (AB)Ophel made repairs as far as the place in front of (AC)the Water Gate toward the east, and on the projecting tower. 27 After them the Tekoites repaired another section, next to the great projecting tower, and as far as the wall of Ophel.

28 Beyond the (AD)Horse Gate the priests made repairs, each in front of his own house. 29 After them Zadok the son of Immer made repairs in front of his own house. After him Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, made repairs. 30 After him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another section. After him Meshullam the son of Berechiah made repairs in front of his [r]dwelling. 31 After him Malchijah, [s]one of the goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the house of the Nethinim and of the merchants, in front of the [t]Miphkad Gate, and as far as the upper room at the corner. 32 And between the upper room at the corner, as far as the (AE)Sheep Gate, the goldsmiths and the merchants made repairs.

The Wall Defended Against Enemies

4 But it so happened, (AF)when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant, and mocked the Jews. 2 And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish—stones that are burned?”

3 Now (AG)Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Whatever they build, if even a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall.”

4 (AH)Hear, O our God, for we are despised; (AI)turn their reproach on their own heads, and give them as plunder to a land of captivity! 5 (AJ)Do not cover their iniquity, and do not let their sin be blotted out from before You; for they have provoked You to anger before the builders.

6 So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.

7 Now it happened, (AK)when Sanballat, Tobiah, (AL)the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the [u]gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry, 8 and all of them (AM)conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion. 9 Nevertheless (AN)we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night.

10 Then Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is failing, and there is so much rubbish that we are not able to build the wall.”

11 And our adversaries said, “They will neither know nor see anything, till we come into their midst and kill them and cause the work to cease.”

12 So it was, when the Jews who dwelt near them came, that they told us ten times, “From whatever place you turn, they will be upon us.”

13 Therefore I positioned men behind the lower parts of the wall, at the openings; and I set the people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 14 And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, (AO)“Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, (AP)great and awesome, and (AQ)fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”

15 And it happened, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and (AR)that God had brought their plot to nothing, that all of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work. 16 So it was, from that time on, that half of my servants worked at construction, while the other half held the spears, the shields, the bows, and wore armor; and the leaders [v]were behind all the house of Judah. 17 Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon. 18 Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me.

19 Then I said to the nobles, the rulers, and the rest of the people, “The work is great and extensive, and we are separated far from one another on the wall. 20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. (AS)Our God will fight for us.”

21 So we labored in the work, and half of [w]the men held the spears from daybreak until the stars appeared. 22 At the same time I also said to the people, “Let each man and his servant stay at night in Jerusalem, that they may be our guard by night and a working party by day.” 23 So neither I, my brethren, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me took off our clothes, except that everyone took them off for washing.

Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 3:1 Heb. Hammeah
  2. Nehemiah 3:2 Lit. On his hand
  3. Nehemiah 3:4 Or Hakkoz
  4. Nehemiah 3:5 Lit. necks
  5. Nehemiah 3:7 Lit. throne
  6. Nehemiah 3:7 West of the Euphrates
  7. Nehemiah 3:8 Lit. the son
  8. Nehemiah 3:8 restored
  9. Nehemiah 3:15 Or Shiloah
  10. Nehemiah 3:16 LXX, Syr., Vg. tomb
  11. Nehemiah 3:18 So with MT, Vg.; some Heb. mss., LXX, Syr. Binnui (cf. v. 24)
  12. Nehemiah 3:19 Lit. turning
  13. Nehemiah 3:20 A few Heb. mss., Syr., Vg. Zaccai
  14. Nehemiah 3:20 Lit. turning
  15. Nehemiah 3:21 Or Hakkoz
  16. Nehemiah 3:24 Lit. turning
  17. Nehemiah 3:25 Lit. turning
  18. Nehemiah 3:30 Lit. room
  19. Nehemiah 3:31 Lit. a son of the goldsmiths
  20. Nehemiah 3:31 Lit. Inspection or Recruiting
  21. Nehemiah 4:7 Lit. breaks
  22. Nehemiah 4:16 Supported
  23. Nehemiah 4:21 Lit. them
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Nehemiah 3-4
New International Version

Builders of the Wall

3 Eliashib(A) the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt(B) the Sheep Gate.(C) They dedicated it and set its doors in place, building as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated, and as far as the Tower of Hananel.(D) 2 The men of Jericho(E) built the adjoining section, and Zakkur son of Imri built next to them.

3 The Fish Gate(F) was rebuilt by the sons of Hassenaah. They laid its beams and put its doors and bolts and bars in place. 4 Meremoth(G) son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired the next section. Next to him Meshullam son of Berekiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs, and next to him Zadok son of Baana also made repairs. 5 The next section was repaired by the men of Tekoa,(H) but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors.[a]

6 The Jeshanah[b] Gate(I) was repaired by Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah. They laid its beams and put its doors with their bolts and bars in place. 7 Next to them, repairs were made by men from Gibeon(J) and Mizpah—Melatiah of Gibeon and Jadon of Meronoth—places under the authority of the governor of Trans-Euphrates. 8 Uzziel son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired the next section; and Hananiah, one of the perfume-makers, made repairs next to that. They restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.(K) 9 Rephaiah son of Hur, ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, repaired the next section. 10 Adjoining this, Jedaiah son of Harumaph made repairs opposite his house, and Hattush son of Hashabneiah made repairs next to him. 11 Malkijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-Moab repaired another section and the Tower of the Ovens.(L) 12 Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, repaired the next section with the help of his daughters.

13 The Valley Gate(M) was repaired by Hanun and the residents of Zanoah.(N) They rebuilt it and put its doors with their bolts and bars in place. They also repaired a thousand cubits[c] of the wall as far as the Dung Gate.(O)

14 The Dung Gate was repaired by Malkijah son of Rekab, ruler of the district of Beth Hakkerem.(P) He rebuilt it and put its doors with their bolts and bars in place.

15 The Fountain Gate was repaired by Shallun son of Kol-Hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah. He rebuilt it, roofing it over and putting its doors and bolts and bars in place. He also repaired the wall of the Pool of Siloam,[d](Q) by the King’s Garden, as far as the steps going down from the City of David. 16 Beyond him, Nehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of a half-district of Beth Zur,(R) made repairs up to a point opposite the tombs[e](S) of David, as far as the artificial pool and the House of the Heroes.

17 Next to him, the repairs were made by the Levites under Rehum son of Bani. Beside him, Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah,(T) carried out repairs for his district. 18 Next to him, the repairs were made by their fellow Levites under Binnui[f] son of Henadad, ruler of the other half-district of Keilah. 19 Next to him, Ezer son of Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah, repaired another section, from a point facing the ascent to the armory as far as the angle of the wall. 20 Next to him, Baruch son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section, from the angle to the entrance of the house of Eliashib the high priest. 21 Next to him, Meremoth(U) son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired another section, from the entrance of Eliashib’s house to the end of it.

22 The repairs next to him were made by the priests from the surrounding region. 23 Beyond them, Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs in front of their house; and next to them, Azariah son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs beside his house. 24 Next to him, Binnui(V) son of Henadad repaired another section, from Azariah’s house to the angle and the corner, 25 and Palal son of Uzai worked opposite the angle and the tower projecting from the upper palace near the court of the guard.(W) Next to him, Pedaiah son of Parosh(X) 26 and the temple servants(Y) living on the hill of Ophel(Z) made repairs up to a point opposite the Water Gate(AA) toward the east and the projecting tower. 27 Next to them, the men of Tekoa(AB) repaired another section, from the great projecting tower(AC) to the wall of Ophel.

28 Above the Horse Gate,(AD) the priests made repairs, each in front of his own house. 29 Next to them, Zadok son of Immer made repairs opposite his house. Next to him, Shemaiah son of Shekaniah, the guard at the East Gate, made repairs. 30 Next to him, Hananiah son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another section. Next to them, Meshullam son of Berekiah made repairs opposite his living quarters. 31 Next to him, Malkijah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the house of the temple servants and the merchants, opposite the Inspection Gate, and as far as the room above the corner; 32 and between the room above the corner and the Sheep Gate(AE) the goldsmiths and merchants made repairs.

Opposition to the Rebuilding

4 [g]When Sanballat(AF) heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, 2 and in the presence of his associates(AG) and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble(AH)—burned as they are?”

3 Tobiah(AI) the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!”(AJ)

4 Hear us, our God, for we are despised.(AK) Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. 5 Do not cover up their guilt(AL) or blot out their sins from your sight,(AM) for they have thrown insults in the face of[h] the builders.

6 So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.

7 But when Sanballat, Tobiah,(AN) the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. 8 They all plotted together(AO) to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. 9 But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.

10 Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers(AP) is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”

11 Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”

12 Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”

13 Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. 14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid(AQ) of them. Remember(AR) the Lord, who is great and awesome,(AS) and fight(AT) for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”

15 When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it,(AU) we all returned to the wall, each to our own work.

16 From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah 17 who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon(AV) in the other, 18 and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet(AW) stayed with me.

19 Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. 20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet,(AX) join us there. Our God will fight(AY) for us!”

21 So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out. 22 At that time I also said to the people, “Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and as workers by day.” 23 Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.[i]

Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 3:5 Or their Lord or the governor
  2. Nehemiah 3:6 Or Old
  3. Nehemiah 3:13 That is, about 1,500 feet or about 450 meters
  4. Nehemiah 3:15 Hebrew Shelah, a variant of Shiloah, that is, Siloam
  5. Nehemiah 3:16 Hebrew; Septuagint, some Vulgate manuscripts and Syriac tomb
  6. Nehemiah 3:18 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac (see also Septuagint and verse 24); most Hebrew manuscripts Bavvai
  7. Nehemiah 4:1 In Hebrew texts 4:1-6 is numbered 3:33-38, and 4:7-23 is numbered 4:1-17.
  8. Nehemiah 4:5 Or have aroused your anger before
  9. Nehemiah 4:23 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
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