1    ^noteWhen Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he was very indignant; 2   in his anger he jeered at the Jews and said in front of his companions and of the garrison in Samaria, ‘What do these feeble Jews think they are doing? Do they mean to reconstruct the place? Do they hope to offer sacrifice and finish the work in a day? Can they make stones again out of heaps of rubble, and burnt at that?’ 3   Tobiah the Ammonite, who was beside him, said, ‘Whatever it is they are building, if a fox climbs up their stone walls, it will break them down.’

4   Hear us, our God, for they treat us with contempt. Turn back their reproach upon their own heads and let them become objects of contempt in a land of captivity. 5   Do not condone their guilt or let their sin be struck off the record, for they have openly provoked the builders.

6   We built up the wall until it was continuous all round up to half its height; and the people worked with a will. 7    ^noteBut when Sanballat and Tobiah, the Arabs and Ammonites and Ashdodites, heard that the new work on the walls of Jerusalem had made progress and that the filling of the breaches had begun, they were very angry; 8   and they all banded together to come and attack Jerusalem and to create confusion. 9   So we prayed to our God, and posted a guard day and night against them.

10   But the men of Judah said, ‘The labourers' strength has failed, and there is too much rubble; we shall never be able to rebuild the wall by ourselves.’ 11   And our adversaries said, ‘Before they know it or see anything, we shall be upon them and kill them, and so put an end to the work.’ 12   When the Jews who lived among them came in to the city, they warned us many ^note times that they would gather from every place where they lived to attack us, 13   and that they would station themselves ^note on the lowest levels below the wall, on patches of open ground. Accordingly I posted my people by families, armed with swords, spears, and bows. 14   Then I surveyed the position and at once addressed the nobles, the magistrates, and all the people. ‘Do not be afraid of them’, I said. ‘Remember the Lord, great and terrible, and fight for your brothers, your sons and daughters, your wives and your homes.’ 15   Our enemies heard that everything was known to us, and that God had frustrated their plans; and we all returned to our work on the wall.

16   From that day forward half the men under me were engaged in the actual building, while the other half stood by holding their spears, shields, and bows, and wearing coats of mail; and officers supervised all the people of Judah who were engaged on the wall. 17   The porters carrying the loads had one hand on the load and a weapon in the other. 18   The builders had their swords attached to their belts as they built; the trumpeter was beside me. 19   I addressed the nobles, the magistrates,

The walls of Jerusalem rebuilt and all the people: ‘The work is great and covers much ground’, I said. ‘We are isolated on the wall, each man at some distance from his neighbour. 20   Wherever the trumpet sounds, rally to us there, and our God will fight for us.’ 21   So we continued with the work, half the men holding the spears, from daybreak until the stars came out. 22   At the same time I had said to the people, ‘Let every man and his servant pass the night in Jerusalem, to act as a guard for us by night and a working party by day.’ 23   So neither I nor my kinsmen nor the men under me nor my bodyguard ever took off our clothes, each keeping his right hand on ^note his weapon.

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