Nehemiah 4

1When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he was furious and very angry, and he mocked the Jews. 2He spoke in front of his associates and the army of Samaria and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore the wall by themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life out of the heaps of rubble, burned as they are?” 3Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Even what they are building, if a fox climbed up on it, it would break down their stone wall!”

4Hear, our God, for we are despised! Turn their insults back on their own heads, and let them be plundered in a land where they are captives. 5Do not cover their guilt, and do not let their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they have provoked you to anger in front of the builders. 6So we built the wall, and the whole wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.

7When Sanballat and Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repair of Jerusalem’s walls was moving ahead and that the gaps were beginning to be closed, they were furious. 8They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and throw it into confusion. 9But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to protect ourselves from them. 10Meanwhile the people of Judah were saying, “The strength of the carriers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.” 11And our enemies said, “They will not know or see a thing until we are right among them, killing them and putting a stop to the work.” 12The Jews who lived near them came and told us again and again, “From every place you turn, they will come against us.” 13So I posted people in the lowest places behind the wall, at the exposed points, and I stationed the people clan by clan, with their swords, their spears and their bows. 14After I had looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials 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 and daughters, your wives and your homes.”

15When our enemies heard that we knew of their plan and that God had brought it to nothing, we all went back to the wall, each to his own work. 16From that day on, half of my men did the work while the other half held the spears, shields, bows and armor. The commanders stood behind all the people of Judah 17who were rebuilding the wall. Those who carried loads did the work with one hand and held a weapon in the other. 18Each of the builders had his sword strapped to his side as he built, and the man who sounded the ram’s horn stayed beside me. 19Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is large and spread out, and we are scattered along the wall, far from one another. 20Wherever you hear the sound of the ram’s horn, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.” 21So we kept at the work, with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn until the stars came out. 22At that time I also told the people, “Let every man and his servant stay the night inside Jerusalem, so that they can serve as guards for us at night and work by day.” 23Neither I nor my relatives nor my men nor the guards who followed me took off our clothes. Each of us kept his weapon with him, even when going for water.