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Nehemiah 4-6
New English Translation

Opposition to the Work Continues

4 (3:33)[a] Now when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall he became angry and was quite upset. He derided the Jews, 2 and in the presence of his colleagues[b] and the army of Samaria he said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they be left to themselves?[c] Will they again offer sacrifice? Will they finish this in a day? Can they bring these burnt stones to life again from piles of dust?”

3 Then Tobiah the Ammonite, who was close by, said, “If even a fox were to climb up on what they are building, it would break down their wall of stones!”

4 Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Return their reproach on their own head. Reduce them to plunder in a land of exile! 5 Do not cover their iniquity, and do not wipe out their sin from your sight, for they have bitterly offended[d] the builders.[e]

6 So we rebuilt the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height.[f] The people were enthusiastic in their work.[g]

7 (4:1)[h] When Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the people of Ashdod heard that the restoration of the walls of Jerusalem had moved ahead and that the breaches had begun to be closed, they were very angry. 8 All of them conspired together to move with armed forces[i] against Jerusalem and to create a disturbance in it. 9 So we prayed to our God and stationed a guard to protect against them[j] both day and night. 10 Then those in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers[k] has failed! The debris is so great that we are unable to rebuild the wall.”

11 Our adversaries also boasted,[l] “Before they are aware or anticipate[m] anything, we will come in among them and kill them, and we will bring this work to a halt!”

12 So it happened that the Jews who were living near them came and warned us repeatedly[n] about all the schemes[o] they were plotting[p] against us.

13 So I stationed people at the lower places behind the wall in the exposed places.[q] I stationed the people by families, with their swords, spears, and bows. 14 When I had made an inspection,[r] I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the great and awesome Lord,[s] and fight on behalf of your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your families!”[t]

15 It so happened that when our adversaries heard that we were aware of these matters,[u] God frustrated their intentions. Then all of us returned to the wall, each to his own work. 16 From that day forward, half my men were doing the work and half were taking up spears,[v] shields, bows, and body armor. Now the officers were behind all the people[w] of Judah 17 who were rebuilding the wall.[x] Those who were carrying loads did so[y] by keeping one hand on the work and the other on their weapon. 18 The builders, to a man, had their swords strapped to their sides while they were building. But the trumpeter[z] remained with me.

19 I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “The work is demanding[aa] and extensive, and we are spread out on the wall, far removed from one another. 20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, gather there with us. Our God will fight for us!”

21 So we worked on,[ab] with half[ac] holding spears, from dawn till dusk.[ad] 22 At that time I instructed[ae] the people, “Let every man and his coworker spend the night in Jerusalem and let them be guards for us by night and workers by day.” 23 We did not change clothes[af]—not I, nor my relatives, nor my workers, nor the watchmen who were with me. Each had his weapon, even when getting a drink of water.[ag]

Nehemiah Intervenes on behalf of the Oppressed

5 Then there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews.[ah] 2 There were those who said, “With our sons and daughters, we are many. We must obtain[ai] grain in order to eat and stay alive.” 3 There were others who said, “We are putting up our fields, our vineyards, and our houses as collateral in order to obtain grain during the famine.” 4 Then there were those who said, “We have borrowed money to pay our taxes to the king[aj] on our fields and our vineyards. 5 And now, though we share the same flesh and blood as our fellow countrymen[ak] and our children are just like their children,[al] still we have found it necessary to subject our sons and daughters to slavery.[am] Some of our daughters have been subjected to slavery, while we are powerless to help,[an] since our fields and vineyards now belong to other people.”[ao]

6 I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these complaints.[ap] 7 I considered these things carefully[aq] and then registered a complaint with the wealthy[ar] and the officials. I said to them, “Each one of you is seizing the collateral[as] from your own countrymen!”[at] Because of them I called for[au] a great public assembly. 8 I said to them, “To the extent possible we have bought back our fellow Jews[av] who had been sold to the Gentiles. But now you yourselves want to sell your own countrymen,[aw] so that we can then buy them back!” They were utterly silent, and could find nothing to say.

9 Then I[ax] said, “The thing that you are doing is wrong![ay] Should you not conduct yourselves[az] in the fear of our God in order to avoid the reproach of the Gentiles who are our enemies? 10 Even I and my relatives[ba] and my associates[bb] are lending them money and grain. But let us abandon this practice of seizing collateral![bc] 11 This very day return to them their fields, their vineyards, their olive trees, and their houses, along with the interest[bd] that you are exacting from them on the money, the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil.”

12 They replied, “We will return these things,[be] and we will no longer demand anything from them. We will do just as you say.” Then I called the priests and made the wealthy and the officials[bf] swear to do what had been promised.[bg] 13 I also shook out my garment,[bh] and I said, “In this way may God shake out from his house and his property every person who does not carry out[bi] this matter. In this way may he be shaken out and emptied!” All the assembly replied, “So be it!” and they praised the Lord. Then the people did as they had promised.[bj]

14 From the day that I was appointed[bk] governor[bl] in the land of Judah, that is, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes—twelve years in all—neither I nor my relatives[bm] ate the food allotted to the governor.[bn] 15 But the former governors who preceded me had burdened the people and had taken food and wine from them, in addition to[bo] forty shekels of silver. Their associates were also domineering over the people. But I did not behave in this way, due to my fear of God. 16 I gave myself to the work on this wall, without even purchasing[bp] a field. All my associates were gathered there for the work.

17 There were 150 Jews and officials who dined with me routinely,[bq] in addition to those who came to us from the nations[br] all around us. 18 Every day one ox, six select sheep, and some birds were prepared for me, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance. Despite all this I did not require the food allotted to the governor, for the work was demanding on this people.

19 Please remember me for good, O my God, for all that I have done for this people.

Opposition to the Rebuilding Efforts Continues

6 When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and no breach remained in it (even though up to that time I had not positioned doors in the gates), 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent word to me saying, “Come on! Let’s set up a time to meet together at Kephirim[bs] in the plain of Ono.” Now they intended to do me harm.

3 So I sent messengers to them saying, “I am engaged in[bt] an important work, and I am unable to come down. Why should the work come to a halt when I leave it to come down to you?” 4 They contacted[bu] me four times in this way, and I responded the same way each time.[bv]

5 The fifth time that Sanballat sent his assistant to me in this way, he had an open letter in his hand. 6 Written in it were the following words:

“Among the nations it is rumored[bw] (and Geshem[bx] has substantiated[by] this) that you and the Jews have intentions of revolting, and for this reason you are building the wall. Furthermore, according to these rumors[bz] you are going to become their king. 7 You have also established prophets to announce[ca] in Jerusalem on your behalf, ‘We have a king in Judah!’ Now the king is going to hear about these rumors. So come on, let’s talk about this.”[cb]

8 I sent word back to him, “We are not engaged in these activities you are describing.[cc] All of this is a figment of your imagination.”[cd]

9 All of them were wanting[ce] to scare us, supposing, “Their hands will grow slack from the work, and it won’t get done.”

So now, strengthen my hands![cf]

10 Then I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel. He was confined to his home.[cg] He said, “Let’s set up a time to meet in the house of God, within the temple. Let’s close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you. It will surely be at night that they will come to kill you.”

11 But I replied, “Should a man like me run away? Would someone like me flee to the temple in order to save his life?[ch] I will not go!” 12 I recognized the fact that God had not sent him, for he had spoken the prophecy against me as a hired agent of Tobiah and Sanballat.[ci] 13 He had been hired to scare me so that I would do this and thereby sin. They would thus bring reproach on me and I[cj] would be discredited.[ck]

14 Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat in light of these actions of theirs—also Noadiah the prophetess and the other prophets who have been trying to scare me!

The Rebuilding of the Wall Is Finally Completed

15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth day of Elul,[cl] in just fifty-two days. 16 When all our enemies heard and all the nations who were around us saw[cm] this, they were greatly disheartened.[cn] They knew that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.

17 In those days the aristocrats of Judah repeatedly sent letters to Tobiah, and responses from Tobiah were repeatedly coming to them. 18 For many in Judah had sworn allegiance to him,[co] because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah. His son Jonathan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah. 19 They were telling me about his good deeds and then taking back to him the things I said.[cp] Tobiah, on the other hand, sent letters in order to scare[cq] me.

Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 4:1 sn Beginning with 4:1, the verse numbers through 4:23 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 4:1 ET = 3:33 HT, 4:2 ET = 3:34 HT, 4:3 ET = 3:35 HT, 4:4 ET = 3:36 HT, 4:5 ET = 3:37 HT, 4:6 ET = 3:38 HT, 4:7 ET = 4:1 HT, etc., through 4:23 ET = 4:17 HT. Thus in the Hebrew Bible chap. 3 of the Book of Nehemiah has 38 verses, while chap. 4 has only 17 verses.
  2. Nehemiah 4:2 tn Heb “brothers.”
  3. Nehemiah 4:2 tc The present translation follows the MT, but the Hebrew text is difficult. H. G. M. Williamson (Ezra, Nehemiah [WBC], 213-14) translates these words as “Will they commit their cause to God?” suggesting that MT לָהֶם (lahem, “to them”) should be emended to לֵאלֹהִים (leʾlohim, “to God”), a proposal also found in the apparatus of BHS. In his view later scribes altered the phrase out of theological motivations. J. Blenkinsopp’s translation is similar: “Are they going to leave it all to God?” (Ezra—Nehemiah [OTL], 242-44). However, a problem for this view is the absence of external evidence to support the proposed emendation. The sense of the MT reading may be the notion that the workers—if left to their own limited resources—could not possibly see such a demanding and expensive project through to completion. This interpretation understands the collocation עָזַב (ʿazav, “to leave”) plus ל (lamed, “to”) to mean “commit a matter to someone,” with the sense in this verse “Will they leave the building of the fortified walls to themselves?”
  4. Nehemiah 4:5 tn The Hiphil stem of כָּעַס (kaʿas) may mean: (1) “to provoke to anger”; (2) “to bitterly offend”; or (3) “to grieve” (BDB 495 s.v. Hiph.; HALOT 491 s.v. כעס hif). The Hebrew lexicons suggest that “bitterly offend” is the most appropriate nuance here.
  5. Nehemiah 4:5 tn Heb “before the builders.” The preposition נֶגֶד (neged, “before”) here connotes “in the sight of” or “in the view of” (BDB 617 s.v. 1.a; HALOT 666 s.v. 1.a).
  6. Nehemiah 4:6 tn Heb “up to its half.”
  7. Nehemiah 4:6 tn Heb “the people had a heart to work.”
  8. Nehemiah 4:7 sn Chapter 4 begins here in the Hebrew text (BHS). See the note at 4:1.
  9. Nehemiah 4:8 tn Heb “to fight.”
  10. Nehemiah 4:9 tn Heb “against them.” The words “to protect” are added in the translation for the sake of clarity and smoothness. Some emend MT עֲלֵיהֶם (ʿalehem, “against them”) to עָלֶיהָ (ʿaleha, “against it,” i.e., Jerusalem).
  11. Nehemiah 4:10 tn Heb “burden-bearers.”
  12. Nehemiah 4:11 tn Heb “said.”
  13. Nehemiah 4:11 tn Heb “see.”
  14. Nehemiah 4:12 tn Heb “ten times.”
  15. Nehemiah 4:12 tc The MT reads the anomalous מִכָּל־הַמְּקֹמוֹת (mikkol hammeqomot, “from every place”) but the BHS editors propose כָּל־הַמְּזִמּוֹת (kol hammezimmot, “about every scheme”). The initial mem (מ) found in the MT may have been added accidentally due to dittography with the final mem (ם) on the immediately preceding word, and the MT qof (ק) may have arisen due to orthographic confusion with the similar looking zayin (ז). The emendation restores sense to the line in the MT, which makes little sense and features an abrupt change of referents: “Wherever you turn, they will be upon us!” The threat was not against the villagers living nearby but against those repairing the wall, as the following context indicates. See also the following note on the word “plotting.”
  16. Nehemiah 4:12 tc The MT reads תָּשׁוּבוּ (tashuvu, “you turn”) which is awkward contextually. The BHS editors propose emending to חָשְׁבוּ (hashevu, “they were plotting”) which harmonizes well with the context. This emendation involves mere orthographic confusion between similar looking ח (khet) and ת (tav), and the resultant dittography of middle ו (vav) in MT. See also the preceding note on the word “schemes.”
  17. Nehemiah 4:13 tc The MT preserves the anomalous Kethib form צְחִחִיִּים (tsekhikhiyyim); the Qere reads צְחִיחִים (tsekhikhim) which is preferred (BDB 850 s.v. צָהִיחַ; HALOT 1018 s.v. *צָהִיחַ).tn The meaning of the Hebrew term צְחִיחִים (tsekhikhim) here is uncertain. Elsewhere (Ezek 24:7, 8; 26:4, 14) it refers to a shining or glaring surface of a rock (BDB 850 s.v. צָהִיחַ; HALOT 1018 s.v. *צָהִיחַ), but here it refers to an exposed or vulnerable portion of the wall: “open positions of the wall” (HALOT 1018 s.v. 2).
  18. Nehemiah 4:14 tn Heb “And I saw.”
  19. Nehemiah 4:14 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay).
  20. Nehemiah 4:14 tn Heb “houses.”
  21. Nehemiah 4:15 tn Heb “it was known to us.”
  22. Nehemiah 4:16 tc The MT reads “and spears.” The conjunction should be deleted.
  23. Nehemiah 4:16 tn Heb “all the house.”
  24. Nehemiah 4:17 tn The first words of v. 17, “who were rebuilding the wall,” should be taken with the latter part of v. 16.
  25. Nehemiah 4:17 tn Heb “were carrying loads.” The LXX reads ἐν ὅπλοις (en hoplois, “with weapons”).
  26. Nehemiah 4:18 tn Heb “the one blowing the shofar.”
  27. Nehemiah 4:19 tn Heb “much.”
  28. Nehemiah 4:21 tn Heb “and we were doing the work.”
  29. Nehemiah 4:21 tn Heb “half of them.”
  30. Nehemiah 4:21 tn Heb “from the coming up of the dawn till the coming forth of the stars.”
  31. Nehemiah 4:22 tn Heb “said [to].”
  32. Nehemiah 4:23 tn Heb “strip off our garments.”
  33. Nehemiah 4:23 tc Heb “a man, his weapon, the waters.” The MT, if in fact it is correct, is elliptical and difficult. Some scholars emend the MT reading הַמָּיִם (hammayim, “the waters”) to בִּמִנוֹ (bimino, “in his right hand”; cf. NAB, NRSV) or מִינוּ(י)הֵ (heminu, “they held on the right side”).
  34. Nehemiah 5:1 tn Heb “their brothers the Jews.”
  35. Nehemiah 5:2 tn Heb “take” (so also in v. 3).
  36. Nehemiah 5:4 tn Heb “for the tax of the king.”
  37. Nehemiah 5:5 tn Heb “according to the flesh of our brothers is our flesh.”
  38. Nehemiah 5:5 tn Heb “like their children, our children.”
  39. Nehemiah 5:5 tn Heb “to become slaves” (also later in this verse).
  40. Nehemiah 5:5 tn Heb “there is not power for our hand.” The Hebrew expression used here is rather difficult.
  41. Nehemiah 5:5 sn The poor among the returned exiles were being exploited by their rich countrymen. Moneylenders were loaning large amounts of money, and not only collecting interest on loans which was illegal (Lev 25:36-37; Deut 23:19-20), but also seizing pledges as collateral (Neh 5:3) which was allowed (Deut 24:10). When the debtors missed a payment, the moneylenders would seize their collateral: their fields, vineyards and homes. With no other means of income, the debtors were forced to sell their children into slavery, a common practice at this time (Neh 5:5). Nehemiah himself was one of the moneylenders (Neh 5:10), but he insisted that seizure of collateral from fellow Jewish countrymen was ethically wrong (Neh 5:9).
  42. Nehemiah 5:6 tn Heb “words.”
  43. Nehemiah 5:7 tn Heb “my heart was advised upon me.”
  44. Nehemiah 5:7 tn Heb “nobles.”
  45. Nehemiah 5:7 tn Heb “taking a creditor’s debt.” The Hebrew noun מַשָּׁא (mashaʾ) means “interest; debt” and probably refers to the collateral (pledge) collected by a creditor (HALOT 641-42 s.v.). This particular noun form appears only in Nehemiah (5:7, 10; 10:32); however, it is related to מַשָּׁאָה (mashaʾah, “contractual loan; debt; collateral”) which appears elsewhere (Deut 24:10; Prov 22:26; cf. Neh 5:11). See the note on the word “people” at the end of v. 5. The BHS editors suggest emending the MT to מָשָׂא (masaʾ, “burden”), following several medieval Hebrew mss; however, the result is not entirely clear: “you are bearing a burden, a man with his brothers.”
  46. Nehemiah 5:7 tn Heb “his brothers.”
  47. Nehemiah 5:7 tn Heb “I gave.”
  48. Nehemiah 5:8 tn Heb “our brothers, the Jews.”
  49. Nehemiah 5:8 tn Heb “your brothers.”
  50. Nehemiah 5:9 tc The translation reads with the Qere and the ancient versions וָאוֹמַר (vaʾomar, “and I said”) rather than the MT Kethib, וַיֹּאמֶר (vayyoʾmer, “and he said”).
  51. Nehemiah 5:9 tn Heb “not good.” The statement “The thing…is not good” is an example of tapeinosis, a figurative expression which emphasizes the intended point (“The thing…is wrong!”) by negating its opposite.
  52. Nehemiah 5:9 tn Heb “[should you not] walk.”
  53. Nehemiah 5:10 tn Heb “brothers.”
  54. Nehemiah 5:10 tn Heb “servants.”
  55. Nehemiah 5:10 tn Heb “this debt.” This expression is a metonymy of association: “debt” refers to the seizure of the collateral of the debt.
  56. Nehemiah 5:11 tc The MT reads וּמְאַת (umeʾat, “and the hundredth”) which is somewhat enigmatic. The BHS editors suggest emending to וּמַשַּׁאת (umashaʾt, “and the debt”) which refers to the interest or collateral (pledge) seized by a creditor (Deut 24:10; Prov 22:26; see HALOT 641-42 s.v. מַשָּׁא). The term מַשַּׁאת (mashaʾt) is related to the noun מָשָּׁא (mashaʾ, “debt”) in 5:7, 10.
  57. Nehemiah 5:12 tn The words “these things” are not included in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
  58. Nehemiah 5:12 tn Heb “took an oath from them”; the referents (the wealthy and the officials, cf. v. 7) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
  59. Nehemiah 5:12 tn Heb “according to this word.”
  60. Nehemiah 5:13 tn Heb “my bosom.”
  61. Nehemiah 5:13 tn Heb “cause to stand.”
  62. Nehemiah 5:13 tn Heb “according to this word.”
  63. Nehemiah 5:14 tc The BHS editors suggest reading צֻוֵּאתִי (tsuvveʾti, “and I was appointed”) rather than the reading of the MT, אֹתִי צִוָּה (tsivvah ʾoti, “he appointed me”).
  64. Nehemiah 5:14 tc The translation reads with one medieval Hebrew ms פֶּחָה (pekhah, “governor”) rather than פֶּחָם (pekham, “their governor”) of the MT. One would expect the form with pronominal suffix to have a tav (ת) before the suffix.
  65. Nehemiah 5:14 tn Heb “brothers.”
  66. Nehemiah 5:14 tn Heb “the food of the governor.” Cf. v. 18.
  67. Nehemiah 5:15 tc The Hebrew term אַחַר (ʾakhar) is difficult here. It normally means “after,” but that makes no sense here. Some scholars emend it to אַחַד (ʾakhad) and supply the word “day,” which yields the sense “daily.” Cf. TEV “40 silver coins a day for food and wine.”
  68. Nehemiah 5:16 tn Heb “we did not purchase.”
  69. Nehemiah 5:17 tn Heb “officials at my table.”
  70. Nehemiah 5:17 tn Or “from the Gentiles.” The same Hebrew word can refer to “the Gentiles” or “the nations.” Cf. the phrase in 6:16.
  71. Nehemiah 6:2 tn It is not entirely clear whether the Hebrew word כְּפִירִים (kefirim) is a place-name not mentioned elsewhere in the OT (as indicated in the present translation; so also NAB, NASB) or whether it means “in [one of] the villages” (so, e.g., NIV, NRSV, NLT; see BDB 499 s.v.; HALOT 493 s.v.). The LXX and Vulgate understand it in the latter sense. Some scholars connect this term with the identically spelled word כפירים (“lions”) as a figurative description of princes or warriors (e.g., Pss 34:11; 35:17; 58:7; Jer 2:15; Ezek 32:2, 13; Nah 2:14 HT [2:13 ET]; see HALOT 493 s.v. כְּפִיר): “let us meet together with the leaders in the plain of Ono.”
  72. Nehemiah 6:3 tn Heb “[am] doing.”
  73. Nehemiah 6:4 tn Heb “sent to.”
  74. Nehemiah 6:4 tn Heb “and I answered them according to this word.”
  75. Nehemiah 6:6 tn Heb “heard.”
  76. Nehemiah 6:6 tn Heb “Gashmu”; in Neh 2:19 this name appears as Geshem. Since it is important for the modern reader to recognize that this is the same individual, the form of the name used here in the translation is the same as that in v. 19.
  77. Nehemiah 6:6 tn Heb “is saying.”
  78. Nehemiah 6:6 tn Heb “words.” So also in v. 7.
  79. Nehemiah 6:7 tn Heb “call.”
  80. Nehemiah 6:7 tn Heb “Let us consult together.”
  81. Nehemiah 6:8 tn Heb “We are not according to these matters that you are saying.”
  82. Nehemiah 6:8 tn Heb “For from your heart you are inventing them.”
  83. Nehemiah 6:9 tn The participle has a desiderative nuance here, describing the desire of the subject and not necessarily the actual outcome. See also v. 14.
  84. Nehemiah 6:9 tn The statement “So now, strengthen my hands” is frequently understood as an implied prayer, but is taken differently by NAB (“But instead, I now redoubled my efforts”).
  85. Nehemiah 6:10 tn Heb “shut in.” The reason for his confinement is not stated. BDB 783 s.v. עָצַר suggests that it had to do with the fulfillment of a vow or was related to an issue of ceremonial uncleanness.
  86. Nehemiah 6:11 tn Heb “go into the temple and live.”
  87. Nehemiah 6:12 tn Heb “and Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.”
  88. Nehemiah 6:13 tc The translation reads לִי (li, “to me”) rather than the MT reading לָהֶם (lahem, “to them”).
  89. Nehemiah 6:13 tn Heb “would have a bad name.”
  90. Nehemiah 6:15 sn Elul was the sixth month, or August-September by modern reckoning.
  91. Nehemiah 6:16 tc The MT understands the root here to be יָרֵא (yareʾ, “to fear”) rather than רָאָה (raʾah, “to see”).
  92. Nehemiah 6:16 tn Heb “they greatly fell [i.e., were cast down] in their own eyes.” Some scholars suggest emending the reading of the MT, וַיִּפְּלוּ (vayyipelu) to וַיִּפָּלֵא (vayyippaleʾ, “it was very extraordinary in their eyes”).
  93. Nehemiah 6:18 tn Heb “were lords of oath.”
  94. Nehemiah 6:19 tn Heb “my words.”
  95. Nehemiah 6:19 tn Or “to intimidate” (so NIV, NRSV, NLT).
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Nehemiah 4-6
New International Version

Opposition to the Rebuilding

4 [a]When Sanballat(A) 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(B) 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(C)—burned as they are?”

3 Tobiah(D) 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!”(E)

4 Hear us, our God, for we are despised.(F) 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(G) or blot out their sins from your sight,(H) for they have thrown insults in the face of[b] 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,(I) 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(J) 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(K) 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(L) of them. Remember(M) the Lord, who is great and awesome,(N) and fight(O) 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,(P) 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(Q) 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(R) 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,(S) join us there. Our God will fight(T) 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.[c]

Nehemiah Helps the Poor

5 Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their fellow Jews. 2 Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain.”

3 Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields,(U) our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine.”(V)

4 Still others were saying, “We have had to borrow money to pay the king’s tax(W) on our fields and vineyards. 5 Although we are of the same flesh and blood(X) as our fellow Jews and though our children are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery.(Y) Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others.”(Z)

6 When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry. 7 I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, “You are charging your own people interest!”(AA) So I called together a large meeting to deal with them 8 and said: “As far as possible, we have bought(AB) back our fellow Jews who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your own people, only for them to be sold back to us!” They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say.(AC)

9 So I continued, “What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach(AD) of our Gentile enemies? 10 I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let us stop charging interest!(AE) 11 Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the interest(AF) you are charging them—one percent of the money, grain, new wine and olive oil.”

12 “We will give it back,” they said. “And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say.”

Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath(AG) to do what they had promised. 13 I also shook(AH) out the folds of my robe and said, “In this way may God shake out of their house and possessions anyone who does not keep this promise. So may such a person be shaken out and emptied!”

At this the whole assembly said, “Amen,”(AI) and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised.

14 Moreover, from the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes,(AJ) when I was appointed to be their governor(AK) in the land of Judah, until his thirty-second year—twelve years—neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor. 15 But the earlier governors—those preceding me—placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels[d] of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God(AL) I did not act like that. 16 Instead,(AM) I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we[e] did not acquire any land.

17 Furthermore, a hundred and fifty Jews and officials ate at my table, as well as those who came to us from the surrounding nations. 18 Each day one ox, six choice sheep and some poultry(AN) were prepared for me, and every ten days an abundant supply of wine of all kinds. In spite of all this, I never demanded the food allotted to the governor, because the demands were heavy on these people.

19 Remember(AO) me with favor, my God, for all I have done for these people.

Further Opposition to the Rebuilding

6 When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah,(AP) Geshem(AQ) the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it—though up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates— 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages[f] on the plain of Ono.(AR)”

But they were scheming to harm me; 3 so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” 4 Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.

5 Then, the fifth time, Sanballat(AS) sent his aide to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter 6 in which was written:

“It is reported among the nations—and Geshem[g](AT) says it is true—that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you are building the wall. Moreover, according to these reports you are about to become their king 7 and have even appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem: ‘There is a king in Judah!’ Now this report will get back to the king; so come, let us meet together.”

8 I sent him this reply: “Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.”

9 They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.”

But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”

10 One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, “Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple(AU), and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you—by night they are coming to kill you.”

11 But I said, “Should a man like me run away? Or should someone like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!” 12 I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me(AV) because Tobiah and Sanballat(AW) had hired him. 13 He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me.(AX)

14 Remember(AY) Tobiah and Sanballat,(AZ) my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophet(BA) Noadiah and how she and the rest of the prophets(BB) have been trying to intimidate me. 15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.

Opposition to the Completed Wall

16 When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.

17 Also, in those days the nobles of Judah were sending many letters to Tobiah, and replies from Tobiah kept coming to them. 18 For many in Judah were under oath to him, since he was son-in-law to Shekaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah. 19 Moreover, they kept reporting to me his good deeds and then telling him what I said. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.

Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 4:1 In Hebrew texts 4:1-6 is numbered 3:33-38, and 4:7-23 is numbered 4:1-17.
  2. Nehemiah 4:5 Or have aroused your anger before
  3. Nehemiah 4:23 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
  4. Nehemiah 5:15 That is, about 1 pound or about 460 grams
  5. Nehemiah 5:16 Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac I
  6. Nehemiah 6:2 Or in Kephirim
  7. Nehemiah 6:6 Hebrew Gashmu, a variant of Geshem
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