1 Q uando Sambalate, Tobias e Gesem, o arábio, e o resto dos nossos inimigos souberam que eu já tinha edificado o muro e que nele já não havia brecha alguma, ainda que até este tempo não tinha posto as portas nos portais,

It was told to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and to the rest of those who hated us that I had built the wall again. They were told that the wall had no more open places, but I had not yet set up the doors in the gates.

2 S ambalate e Gesem mandaram dizer-me: Vem, encontremo-nos numa das aldeias da planície de Ono. Eles, porém, intentavam fazer-me mal.

So Sanballat and Geshem sent word to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono.” But they were planning to hurt or kill me.

3 E enviei-lhes mensageiros a dizer: Estou fazendo uma grande obra, de modo que não poderei descer. Por que cessaria esta obra, enquanto eu a deixasse e fosse ter convosco?

So I sent men with word 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 D o mesmo modo mandaram dizer-se quatro vezes; e do mesmo modo lhes respondi.

They sent word to me four times in this way, and I gave them the same answer.

5 E ntão Sambalate, ainda pela quinta vez, me enviou o seu moço com uma carta aberta na mão,

Then Sanballat sent his servant to me in the same way for a fifth time, with an open letter in his hand.

6 n a qual estava escrito: Entre as nações se ouviu, e Gesem o diz, que tu e os judeus intentais revoltar-vos, e por isso tu estás edificando o muro, e segundo se diz, queres fazer-te rei deles;

In it was written, “It is said among the nations, and Gashmu says that you and the Jews are planning to turn against the king. This is why you are building the wall again. It is said that you wish to be their king.

7 e que constituíste profetas para proclamarem a respeito de ti em Jerusalém: Há rei em Judá. Ora, estas coisas chegarão aos ouvidos do rei; vem pois, agora e consultemos juntamente.

You have also chosen men who tell what will happen to speak to the people in Jerusalem about you, saying, ‘A king is in Judah!’ Now this will be told to the king. So come now, let us meet to speak with each other.”

8 E ntão mandei dizer-lhe: De tudo o que dizes, coisa nenhuma sucedeu, mas tu mesmo o inventas.

Then I sent word to him, saying, “No such things as you say have been done. You are making them up in your own mind.”

9 P ois todos eles nos procuravam atemorizar, dizendo: As suas mãos hão de largar a obra, e não se efetuará. Mas agora, ó Deus, fortalece as minhas mãos.

For they all wanted to make us afraid, thinking, “Their hands will become weak and the work will not be done.” But now, O God, strengthen my hands.

10 F ui ã casa de Semaías, filho de Delaías, filho de Meetabel, que estava em recolhimento; e disse ele: Ajuntemo-nos na casa de Deus, dentro do templo, e fechemos as suas portas, pois virão matar-te; sim, de noite virão matar-te.

When I went into the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was at home said, “Let us meet together inside the house of God, and close the doors of the Lord’s house for they are coming to kill you. They are coming to kill you at night.”

11 E u, porém, respondi: Um homem como eu fugiria? e quem há que, sendo tal como eu, possa entrar no templo e viver? De maneira nenhuma entrarei.

But I said, “Should a man like me run away? And could a man such as I go into the house of God to save his life? I will not go in.”

12 E percebi que não era Deus que o enviara; mas ele pronunciou essa profecia contra mim, porquanto Tobias e Sambalate o haviam subornado.

Then I understood that God had not sent him. He had spoken these words against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had paid him to do it.

13 E les o subornaram para me atemorizar, a fim de que eu assim fizesse, e pecasse, para que tivessem de que me infamar, e assim vituperassem.

He had been paid to try to make me afraid and to do as he said and sin, so they would have sinful things to say about me and put me to shame.

14 L embra-te, meu Deus, de Tobias e de Sambalate, conforme estas suas obras, e também da profetisa Noadias, e dos demais profetas que procuravam atemorizar-me.

O my God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat by these works of theirs. And remember Noadiah and the rest of the men who tell what will happen who were trying to make me afraid. The Wall Is Finished

15 A cabou-se, pois, o muro aos vinte e cinco do mês de elul, em cinqüenta e dois dias.

So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul, in fifty-two days.

16 Q uando todos os nosso inimigos souberam disso, todos os povos que havia em redor de nós temeram, e abateram-se muito em seu próprio conceito; pois perceberam que fizemos esta obra com o auxílio do nosso Deus.

When all those who hated us heard about it, all the nations around us were afraid and troubled. For they saw that this work had been done with the help of our God.

17 A lém disso, naqueles dias o nobres de Judá enviaram muitas cartas a Tobias, e as cartas de Tobias vinham para eles.

In those days the rulers of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them.

18 P ois muitos em Judá estavam ligados a ele por juramento, por ser ele genro de Secanias, filho de Ará, e por haver seu filho Joanã casado com a filha de Mesulão, filho de Berequias.

For many in Judah were joined by promise to him because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah. And his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam, son of Berechiah.

19 T ambém as boas ações dele contavam perante mim, e as minhas palavras transmitiam a ele. Tobias, pois, escrevia cartas para me atemorizar.

Also they spoke about Tobiah’s good works in front of me, and told my words to him. Then Tobiah sent letters to make me afraid.