Nehemiah 4

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Opposition of Sanballat and others

Now, Sanballat, hearing that we were building the wall, was very angry, and in his wrath made sport of the Jews. 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.
And in the hearing of his countrymen and the army of Samaria he said, What are these feeble Jews doing? will they make themselves strong? will they make offerings? will they get the work done in a day? will they make the stones which have been burned come again out of the dust? 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?
Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Such is their building that if a fox goes up it, their stone wall will be broken down. 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.
Give ear, O our God, for we are looked down on: let their words of shame be turned back on themselves, and let them be given up to wasting in a land where they are prisoners: 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:
Let not their wrongdoing be covered or their sin washed away from before you: for they have made you angry before the builders. 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.
So we went on building the wall; and all the wall was joined together half-way up: for the people were working hard. So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.

The designs of the enemies

But when it came to the ears of Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabians and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites, that the building of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and the broken places were being made good, they were full of wrath; 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,
And they made designs, all of them together, to come and make an attack on Jerusalem, causing trouble there. And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.
But we made our prayer to God, and had men on watch against them day and night because of them. Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.
And Judah said, The strength of the workmen is giving way, and there is much waste material; it is impossible for us to put up the wall. 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.
And those who were against us said, Without their knowledge and without their seeing us, we will come among them and put them to death, causing the work to come to a stop. 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.
And it came about that when the Jews who were living near them came, they said to us ten times, From all directions they are coming against us. 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.
So in the lowest part of the space at the back of the walls, in the open places, I put the people by families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 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.
And after looking, I got up and said to the great ones and to the chiefs and to the rest of the people, Have no fear of them: keep in mind the Lord who is great and greatly to be feared, and take up arms for your brothers, your sons, and your daughters, your wives and your houses. 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.
And when it came to the ears of those who were against us, that we had knowledge of their designs and that God had made their purpose come to nothing, we all went back to the wall, everyone to his work 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.

Nehemiah's precautions

And from that time, half of my servants were doing their part of the work, and half kept the spears and body-covers and the bows and the metal war-dresses; and the chiefs were at the back of the men of Judah. 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.
Those who were building the wall and those who were moving material did their part, everyone working with one hand, with his spear in the other; 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.
Every builder was working with his sword at his side. And by my side was a man for sounding the horn. For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.
And I said to the great ones and the chiefs and the rest of the people, The work is great and widely spaced and we are far away from one another on the wall: 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.
Wherever you may be when the horn is sounded, come here to us; our God will be fighting for us. In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us.
So we went on with the work: and half of them had spears in their hands from the dawn of the morning till the stars were seen. So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.
And at the same time I said to the people, Let everyone with his servant come inside Jerusalem for the night, so that at night they may keep watch for us, and go on working by day. 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.
So not one of us, I or my brothers or my servants or the watchmen who were with me, took off his clothing, everyone went armed to the water. 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.
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