4Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building,

5and hired counselors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

1Now the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem; in the name of the God of Israel [prophesied they] to them.

2Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem; and with them were the prophets of God, helping them.

5But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not make them cease, until the matter should come to Darius, and then answer should be returned by letter concerning it.

13Then Tattenai, the governor beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their companions, because that Darius the king had sent, did accordingly with all diligence.

6Now therefore, Tattenai, governor beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and your companions the Apharsachites, who are beyond the River, be you far from there:

19But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that you do? will you rebel against the king?

20Then answered I them, and said to them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but you have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.

10Judah 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.

11Our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, until we come into the midst of them, and kill them, and cause the work to cease.

12It happened that when the Jews who lived by them came, they said to us ten times from all places, You must return to us.

13Therefore set I in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in the open places, I set [there] the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

14I looked, and rose up, and said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Don`t be you afraid of them: remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.

15It happened, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and God had brought their counsel to nothing, that we returned all of us to the wall, everyone to his work.

1But it happened that when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.

2He spoke before his brothers and the army of Samaria, and said, What are these feeble Jews doing? 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 rubbish, seeing they are burned?

3Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they are building, if a fox go up, he shall break down their stone wall.

4Hear, our God; for we are despised: and turn back their reproach on their own head, and give them up for a spoil in a land of captivity;

5and don`t cover their iniquity, and don`t let their sin be blotted out from before you; for they have provoked [you] to anger before the builders.

6So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together to half [the height] of it: for the people had a mind to work.

7But it happened that when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabians, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, [and] that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very angry;

8and they conspired all of them together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion therein.

9But we made our prayer to our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.

10I went to the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabel, who was shut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to kill you; yes, in the night will they come to kill you.

11I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who is there that, being such as I, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.

12I discerned, and, behold, God had not sent him; but he pronounced this prophecy against me: and Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

13For this cause was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me.

15So the wall was finished in the twenty-fifth [day] of [the month] Elul, in fifty-two days.

16It happened, when all our enemies heard [of it], that all the nations that were about us feared, and were much cast down in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was worked of our God.

17Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and [the letters] of Tobiah came to them.

18For there were many in Judah sworn to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah; and his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah as wife.

19Also they spoke of his good deeds before me, and reported my words to him. Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear.

1Now it happened, when it was reported to Sanballat and Tobiah, and to Geshem the Arabian, and to the rest of our enemies, that I had built the wall, and that there was no breach left therein; (though even to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates;)

2that Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, Come, let us meet together in [one of] the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief.

3I sent messengers to them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I can`t come down: why should the work cease, while I leave it, and come down to you?

4They sent to me four times after this sort; and I answered them after the same manner.

5Then sent Sanballat his servant to me in like manner the fifth time with an open letter in his hand,

6in which was written, It is reported among the nations, and Gashmu says it, that you and the Jews think to rebel; for which cause you are building the wall: and you would be their king, according to these words.

7You have also appointed prophets to preach of you at Jerusalem, saying, There is a king in Judah: and now shall it be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore, and let us take counsel together.

8Then I sent to him, saying, There are no such things done as you say, but you feign them out of your own heart.

9For they all would have made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it not be done. But now, [God], strengthen you my hands.