CHAPTER 4
1 And it was done, when Sanballat had heard, that we builded the wall, he was full wroth, and he was stirred greatly, and he scorned the Jews.
2 And he said before his brethren, and the multitude of Samaritans, What do the feeble Jews? Whether heathen men shall suffer them? Whether they shall [ful] fill, and make sacrifice in one day? Whether they may build stones of the heaps of the dust, which be burnt?
3 And also Tobiah the Ammonite, his neighbour, said, Build they; if a fox go up, he shall over-leap their stone wall.
4 And Nehemiah said in prayer, Our God, hear thou, for we be made despising; turn thou the shame upon their own heads, and give thou them into despising in the land of captivity;
5 cover thou not the wickedness of them, and their sins be not done away before thy face; for they scorned the builders.
6 Therefore we builded the wall, and joined together all till to the half part, and the heart of the people was excited to work.
7 And it was done when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Arabians, and Ammonites, and men of Ashdod had heard, that the breaking of the wall of Jerusalem was stopped, and that the crazings had begun to be closed together, they were full wroth.
8 And they all were gathered together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cast treasons against it.
9 And we prayed the Lord our God, and we setted keepers on the wall day and night against them.
10 And Judah said, The strength of the bearer is made feeble, and the earth is full much, and we be not able to build the wall.
11 And our enemies said, Know they not, and know they not, till we come into the middle of them, and slay them, and make the work to cease.
12 Forsooth it was done, when [the] Jews came, that dwelled beside them, and said to us by ten times, from all places from which they came to us,
13 I ordained the people in order, with their swords, and spears, and bows, in a place behind the wall by compass.
14 I beheld, and rose, and said to the principal men, and magistrates, and to the other part of the common people, Do not ye dread of their face; but have ye mind of the great Lord, and fearedful, and fight ye for your brothers, and your sons, and your daughters, for your wives, and houses.
15 And it was done, when our enemies had heard that it was told to us, God destroyed their counsel; and then all we turned again to the walls, each man to his work.
16 And it was done from that day, the half part of the young men made the work, and the half part was ready to battle; and held spears, and shields, and bows, and habergeons, and princes after them, in all the house of men of Judah,
17 building in the wall, and bearing burdens, and putting on; with their one hand they made the work, and with the other they held their sword.
18 For each of the builders was girded with a sword upon his reins; and they builded the wall, and they sounded with clarions beside me.
19 And I said to the principal men, and magistrates, and to the other part of the common people, The work is great and broad, and we be separated far in the wall, one from another;
20 therefore in whatever place that ye hear [the] sound of the trump, run ye together thither to us; for our God shall fight for us.
21 And we ourselves shall make the work, and the half of us hold we spears, from the going up of the morrowtide till that [the] stars go out.
22 And in that time I said to the people, Each man with his servant dwell he in the midst of Jerusalem, and whiles be to us by night, and day to work.
23 But I, and my brethren, and my keepers, and [my] servants, that were going after me, did not put off our clothes; each man was made naked only to washing.