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,

Now when it was reported to Sanballat and Tobiah, and to Geshem the Arabian, and to the rest of our enemies, that I had built the wall, and that there was no breach left therein; (though even to that time I had not 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.

Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together in the villages in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to harm 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?

I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work, so that I can’t come down. Why should the work cease, 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 to me four times after this sort; and I answered them the same way.

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 the same way the 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 which was written, “It is reported among the nations, and Gashmu says it, that you and the Jews intend to rebel. Because of that, you are building the wall. You would be their king, according to these words.

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 appointed prophets to preach of you at Jerusalem, saying, ‘There is a king in Judah!’ Now it will be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore, and let us take counsel together.”

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

Then I sent to him, saying, “There are no such things done as you say, but you imagine them out of your own heart.”

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 would have made us afraid, saying, “Their hands will be weakened from the work, that it not be done.” But now, 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.

I went to the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home; and he said, “Let us meet together in God’s house, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple; for they will come to kill you; yes, in the night will they come to kill you.”

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.

I said, “Should such a man as I flee? Who is there that, being such as I, would go into the temple 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.

I discerned, and behold, God had not sent him; but he pronounced this prophecy against me. Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

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 hired so that I would be afraid, do so, and sin, and that they might have material for an evil report, that they might reproach me.

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.

“Remember, my God, Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and also the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets, that would have put me in fear.”

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 in the twenty-fifth day 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 our enemies heard of it, all the nations that were around us were afraid, and were much cast down in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was worked 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.

Moreover in those days the nobles 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 there were many in Judah sworn 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 Berechiah as wife.

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 of his good deeds before me, and reported my words to him. Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear.