1 Enemies Try to Make Nehemiah Fearful Now it happened when it was heard by Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall, andthatno breach remained in it, although at that time I had not made the doors to stand in the gates,
2 that Sanballat and Geshem senta messageto me, saying, “Come, let us meet together at 6:2Or one of the villages Chephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they were planning to 6:2Lit do evil to me do me harm.
3 So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?”
4 And they sentmessagesto me four times in this manner, and I responded to them in the same manner.
5 Then Sanballat sent his young man to me in the same manner a fifth time with an open letter in his hand.
6 In it was written,“It is heard among the nations, and 6:6In v 1 and elsewhere, Geshem Gashmu says, that you and the Jews are planning to rebel; therefore you are rebuilding the wall. And you are to be their king, according to these words.
7 You have also 6:7 Lit made prophets stand, cf.4:13; 6:1; 7:3 set up prophets to call out in Jerusalem concerning 6:7 Lit you, saying you, ‘A king is in Judah!’ So now it will be heard by the king according to these words. So now, come, let us take counsel together.”
8 Then I senta messageto him, saying,“Such words as you are saying have not been done, but you are devising them in your own heart.”
9 For all of them weretryingto frighten us, 6:9Lit saying, thinking, “Their hands will 6:9Lit drop from become limp indoingthe work, and it will not be done.” But now,O God, strengthen my hands.
10 Now I entered the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was 6:10Lit shut up confined at home, and he said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you, and they are coming to kill you at night.”
11 But I said, “Should a man like me flee? And could one such as I go into the templejustto live? I will not go in.”
12 Then I recognized 6:12 Lit and behold, God that surely God had not sent him, but he spokehisprophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.
13 He was hired for this reason, that I might become afraid and act accordingly and sin, so that they could givemea bad name in order that they could reproach me.
14 Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat according to these works of theirs, and also Noadiah the prophetess and the rest of the prophets who weretryingto make me afraid.The Wall Is Finished
15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth ofthe monthElul, in fifty-two days.
16 Now it happened that when all our enemies heardof it, and all the nations surrounding us sawit, 6:16 Lit they fell exceedingly in their own eyes their confidence fell. And they knew that it was from our God that this work had been accomplished.
17 Also in those days many letters went from the nobles of Judah to Tobiah, and Tobiah’sletterscame to them.
18 For many in Judah were sworn by oath to him because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiahas a wife.
19 Moreover, they were speaking about his good deeds in my presence and bringing my words to him. Then Tobiah sent letters to make me afraid.