¹And it came to pass that when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, it infuriated him, and he became very angry, and he mocked the Jews, ²and he spoke in the presence of his brothers and the forces of Samaria, and he said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Can they re-establish themselves? Can they offer sacrifices? Can they finish in a day? Can they revive the stones from heaps of dust, which have been burned?” ³And Tobiah the Ammonite was with him, and he said, “Even what they're building – if a fox were to climb onto it, it would cause their wall of stones to collapse.” ⁴“Hear, O God of ours, how we have become an object of contempt, and turn their reproach onto their heads, and make them into a spoil in a land where they are in captivity. ⁵And do not pardon their iniquity and do not let their sin be blotted out before you, for they have been provocative towards the builders.” ⁶And we built the wall, and all the wall was joined up for half its length, and the people had a heart to work on it. ⁷Then it came to pass when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabians and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairs to the walls of Jerusalem had progressed, and that the breaches had begun to be closed up, it infuriated them greatly. ⁸And they all conspired together to go and fight against Jerusalem and to do harm to it. ⁹So we prayed to our God, and we set up a look-out for them by day and night because of them. ¹⁰But the people of Judah said, “The strength of those who carry a load has failed them, and there is much dust, and we will not be able to build the wall.” ¹¹And our adversaries said, “They will not know, and they will not see anything until we have come among them, and we kill them and put a stop to the work.” ¹²And it came to pass, when the Jews who lived among them came, that they said to us ten times, “From all the places to which you might turn, they will be upon us.” ¹³So I set up defences in the lower parts of the place behind the wall in the dry places, and I stationed the people according to their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows. ¹⁴And I observed, and I arose, and I said to the nobles and the administrators and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the great and awesome Lord^*, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your houses.” ¹⁵And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known to us that God had frustrated their plan, that we all returned to the wall – each man to his work. ¹⁶And it was from that day that half of my servant-lads were engaged in the work, and half of them held spears and shields and bows and wore armour. And the commanders were behind the whole house of Judah. ¹⁷Those building the wall and those carrying a load or loading it would do the work with one hand, while the other would hold the weapon. ¹⁸And each of the builders had his sword fastened at his waist while they built. And he who blew the ramshorn was next to me. ¹⁹And I said to the nobles, and to the administrators, and to the rest of the people, “The work is immense and extensive, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. ²⁰In a place where you hear the sound of the ramshorn, gather round us there. Our God will fight for us.” ²¹So we were engaged in the work, and half of them held spears from the rise of dawn until the appearance of the stars. ²²Also at that time I said to the people, “Let every man and his servant-lad lodge inside Jerusalem, and they will be our watch at night, and the day will be for work.” ²³And neither I nor my brothers nor my servant-lads, nor the men of the guard who were behind me – none of us – took off our clothes. Each man had his weapon and water.