4:1 Now it came to pass, when Sanaballat
heard that we were building the wall, that it was grievous to him, and he
was very angry, and railed against the Jews.
4:2 And he said before his brethren (that [is] the army of the Samaritans)
[Is it true] that these Jews are building their city? do they indeed offer
sacrifices? will they prevail? and will they this day restore the stones,
after they have been burnt and made a heap of rubbish?
4:3 And Tobias the Ammanite came near to him, and said to them, Do they
sacrifice or eat in their place? shall not a fox go up and pull down their
wall of stones?
4:4 Hear, O our God, for we have become a scorn; and return thou their
reproach upon their head, and make them a scorn in a land of captivity,
4:5 and do not cover [their] iniquity.
4:6
4:7 But it came to pass, when Sanaballat and Tobia, and the Arabians, and
the Ammanites, heard that the building of the walls of Jerusalem was
advancing, [and] that the breaches began to be stopped, that it appeared
very grievous to them.
4:8 And all of them assembled together, to come to fight against Jerusalem,
and to destroy it utterly.
4:9 So we prayed to our God and set watchmen against them day and night,
because of them.
4:10 And Juda said, The strength of the enemies is broken, yet [there is]
much rubbish, and we shall not be able to build the wall.
4:11 And they that afflicted us said, They shall not know, and they shall
not see, until we come into the midst of them, and slay them, and cause the
work to cease.
4:12 And it came to pass, when the Jews who lived near them came, that they
said to us, They are coming up against us from every quarter.
4:13 So I set [men] in the lowest part of the place behind the wall in the
lurking-places, I even set the people according to their families, with
their swords, their spears, and their bows.
4:14 And I looked, and arose, and said to the nobles, and to the captains,
and to the rest of the people, Be not afraid of them: remember our great and
terrible God, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your
wives, and your houses.
4:15 And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was made known to
us, and God had frustrated their counsel, that we all returned to the wall,
[every] man to his work.
4:16 And it came to pass from that day [that] half of them that had been
driven forth, wrought the work, and half of them kept guard; and [there
were] spears, and shields, and bows, and breast-plates, and rulers behind
the whole house of Juda,
4:17 even of them tat were building the wall:-- and those who carried the
burdens [were] under arms: [each] with one hand wrought his work, and with
the other held his dart.
4:18 And the builders [wrought] each man having his sword girt upon his
loins, and so they built: and the trumpeter with his trumpet next to him.
4:19 And I said to the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the
people, The work [is] great and abundant, and we are dispersed upon the
wall, each at a great distance from his brother.
4:20 In whatsoever place ye shall hear the sound of the cornet, thither
gather yourselves together to us; and our God shall fight for us.
4:21 So we [continued] labouring at the work: and half of them held the
spears from the rising of the morning until the stars appeared.
4:22 And at that time I said to the people, Lodge ye every man with his
servant in the midst of Jerusalem, and let the night be a watch-time to you,
and the day a work-time.
4:23 And I was [there], and the watchmen behind me, and there was not a man
of us that put off his garments. |
4:1 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.
4:2 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?
4:3 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.
4:4 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:
4:5 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.
4:6 So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half
thereof: for the people had a mind to work.
4:7 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,
4:8 And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against
Jerusalem, and to hinder it.
4:9 Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against
them day and night, because of them.
4:10 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.
4:11 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.
4:12 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.
4:13 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.
4:14 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.
4:15 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.
4:16 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.
4:17 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.
4:18 For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so
builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.
4:19 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.
4:20 In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye
thither unto us: our God shall fight for us.
4:21 So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the
rising of the morning till the stars appeared.
4:22 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.
4:23 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. |