Nehemiah 4

1. But it came to pass when Sanballat heard that we built the wall, he was angry and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.

2. And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they sacrifice? Will they make an end in a day? Will they bring to life the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?”

3. And Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Even that which they build, if a fox goes up, he shall even break down their stone wall.”

4. Then Nehemiah prayed, “Hear, Oh 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.”

5. And do not cover their iniquity, and do not let their sin be blotted out from before You, for they have thrown insults in the face of the builders.

6. So we built the wall, and all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.

7. But it came to pass when Sanballat and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem had gone up, and that the breaks were being filled, they were very angry.

8. And all of them conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to hinder it.

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

10. And Judah said, “The strength of the carriers of burdens is weakening, and there is much rubbish, so that we are not able to build the wall.”

11. And our foes have said, “They shall not know, or see, until we come in the middle of them, and kill them, and cause the work to cease.”

12. And it came to pass when the Jews who lived near them came in, they said to us ten times, “At any of the places that you turn to, they will attack us.”

13. Therefore I stationed myself in the lower places behind the wall and on the higher places. I even set the people according to their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

14. And I looked and rose up, and said to the nobles and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the LORD, Who is great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”

15. Then it came to pass when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had brought their counsel to nothing, all of us returned to the wall, each one to his work.

16. And it was from that time forth that half of my servants built on the wall, and the other half of them held the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the scale armor. And the rulers were behind all the house of Judah,

17. The ones who built on the wall, and the ones who carried burdens; with those who were lifting, with one hand they did their work, and with the other they held a weapon.

18. As for the builders, each one had his sword tied by his side and continued building. And he who sounded the trumpet was beside me.

19. And I said to 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, far from one another.

20. In whatever place you hear the sound of the trumpet, gather there to us. Our God will fight for us.”

21. So we labored in the work. And half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning until the stars appeared.

22. Also at the same time I said to the people, “Let everyone with his assistant stay inside Jerusalem, so that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labor in the day.”

23. And neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us put off our clothes—even everyone who went to the water took his weapon.