Nehemiah 4

When Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he grew angry and was greatly enraged, and he mocked the Jews. Before his brothers and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they be left alone? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Will they bring the stones back to life from the heaps of rubble, burned as they are?” Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him and said, “Even if a fox climbs onto what they are building, it will break down their stone wall!” “Hear, our God, for we are despised. Turn their reproach back on their own heads, and give them up as plunder in a land of captivity. Do not cover their iniquity or let their sin be blotted out from before you, for they have provoked anger before the builders.” So we built the wall, and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a heart to work. When Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repair of Jerusalem's walls was advancing and that the gaps were beginning to close, they grew very angry. They all conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem and cause confusion in it. But we prayed to our God and posted a guard against them day and night because of them. Judah said, “The strength of the burden bearers is failing, and there is so much rubble. We cannot build the wall.” Our adversaries said, “They will not know or see until we come among them, kill them, and put a stop to the work.” When the Jews living near them came, they said to us ten times, “Return to us from every place!” So I stationed people in the low places behind the wall, at the exposed points. I stationed the people by families with their swords, spears, and bows. I looked, arose, and said to the nobles, the deputies, and the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.” When our enemies heard that their plan was known to us and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his work. From that day on, half my servants worked on the construction, and the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows, and body armor. The leaders were behind the whole house of Judah. The builders of the wall and those carrying the loads worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other. Each builder had his sword strapped to his waist as he built. The one who sounded the horn was beside me. I said to the nobles, the deputies, and the rest of the people, “The work is great and spread out, and we are separated along the wall, far from one another. Wherever you hear the sound of the horn, gather there to us. Our God will fight for us.” So we worked on the construction, and half of them held spears from daybreak until the stars came out. At that time I also said to the people, “Let every man and his servant spend the night inside Jerusalem, so that they may serve us as a guard by night and work by day.” Neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the guards who followed me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even at the water.

Rights and attribution