1 N ow it happened when Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall, and that there were no breaks left in it (though at that time I had not hung the doors in the gates),

وَعَلِمَ سَنْبَلَّطُ وَطُوبِيّا وَجَشَمٌ العَرَبِيُّ وَبَقِيَّةُ أعدائِنا بِأنَّنا قَدْ أنهَينا بِناءَ السُّورِ، وَأنَّهُ لَمْ تَعُدْ فِيهِ ثَغْرَةٌ – مَعَ أنَّنِي لَمْ أكُنْ قَدْ ثَبَّتُّ مَصارِيعَ البَوّاباتِ عَلَيها.

2 t hat Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together among the villages in the plain of Ono.” But they thought to do me harm.

فَأرْسَلَ سَنْبَلَّطُ وَجَشَمٌ لِي هَذِهِ الرِّسالَةَ: «تَعالَ فَنَلْتَقِ فِي إحدَى القُرَى فِي سَهلِ أُونُو.» لَكِنَّهُما كانا يُخَطِّطانِ لإيذائِي.

3 S o I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?”

فَأرْسَلْتُ إلَيهِما رُسُلاً قالُوا لَهُما: «أنا أقُومُ بِعَمَلٍ مُهِمٍ، وَلِهَذا لا أستَطِيعُ النُّزُولَ إلَيكُما. فَما الَّذِي يَجعَلُنِي أُوقِفُ العَمَلَ مِنْ أجلِ أنْ آتِيَ إلَيكُما؟»

4 B ut they sent me this message four times, and I answered them in the same manner.

فَأرْسَلا الرِّسالَةَ نَفسَها أربَعَ مَرّاتٍ، وَأعطَيتُهُمُ الجَوابَ نَفسَهُ.

5 T hen Sanballat sent his servant to me as before, the fifth time, with an open letter in his hand.

ثُمَّ عادَ سَنْبَلَّطُ فَأرْسَلَ خادِمَهُ بِالطَّرِيقَةِ نَفْسِها وَفِي يَدِهِ رِسالَةٌ غَيرُ مَختُومَةٍ،

6 I n it was written: It is reported among the nations, and Geshem says, that you and the Jews plan to rebel; therefore, according to these rumors, you are rebuilding the wall, that you may be their king.

مَكتُوبٌ فِيها: «يُؤَكِّدُ جَشَمٌ ما يُقالُ بَينَ الشُّعُوبِ مِنْ أخبارٍ بِأنَّكَ أنْتَ وَاليَهُودَ تُخَطِّطُونَ لَلتَّمَرُّدِ، وَهَذا سَبَبُ بِنائِكُمْ لِلسُّورِ. كَما سَمِعْنا أنَّكَ سَتُعلِنُ نَفْسَكَ مَلِكاً عَلَى اليَهُودِ قَرِيباً!

7 A nd you have also appointed prophets to proclaim concerning you at Jerusalem, saying, “ There is a king in Judah!” Now these matters will be reported to the king. So come, therefore, and let us consult together.

وَأنَّكَ عَيَّنْتَ أنبِياءَ لِيُذِيعُوا فِي القُدسِ: ‹يُوجَدُ مَلِكٌ فِي يَهُوذا› الَّذِي هُوَ أنتَ. وَسَنَنقُلُ هَذِهِ الأخبارَ لِلمَلِكِ، إلّا إذا جِئْتَ لِنَجتَمِعَ مَعاً.»

8 T hen I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say are being done, but you invent them in your own heart.”

فَأرسَلْتُ رِسالَةً إلَيهِ قُلْتُ فِيها: «لَمْ يَحدُثْ شَيءٌ مِمّا قُلْتَهُ، وَأنتَ تَختَرِعُ هَذِهِ الأشياءَ مِنْ نَفسِكَ.»

9 F or they all were trying to make us afraid, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will not be done.” Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.

فَقَدْ كانُوا جَمِيعاً يُحاوِلُونَ إخافَتَنا بِقَولِهِمْ: «سَنُثْنِيهِمْ عَنِ الاسْتِمرارِ فِي العَمَلِ، فَلا يَتِّمُّ.» لَكِنِّي وَاصَلْتُ العَمَلَ بِتَصْمِيمٍ أقوَى.

10 A fterward I came to the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was a secret informer; 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; indeed, at night they will come to kill you.”

وَذاتَ يَوْمٍ ذَهَبْتُ إلَى بَيْتِ شَمْعِيا بْنِ دَلايا بْنِ مَهِيطَبْئِيلَ، وَكانَ قَلِقاً فَقالَ لِيْ: «لِنَجتَمِعْ فِي بَيتِ اللهِ، داخِلَ الهَيكَلِ، وَنُغلِقْ أبْوابَ الهَيكَلِ، لِأنَّ الأعْداءَ قادِمُونَ لِقَتلِكَ.»

11 A nd I said, “Should such a man as I flee? And who is there such as I who would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in!”

فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: «أيَهرُبُ رَجُلٌ مِثلِي؟ ثُمَّ إنْ دَخَلَ رَجُلٌ عادِيٌّ مِثلِيَ الهَيْكَلَ يَنْبَغِي أنْ يُقْتَلَ؟ لَنْ أدْخُلَ!»

12 T hen I perceived that God had not sent him at all, but that he pronounced this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

وَأدرَكْتُ وَفَهِمْتُ أنَّ اللهَ لَمْ يُرسِلْهُ قّطُّ، لَكِنَّهُ تَنَبَّأ لِي شَرّاً لِأنَّ طُوبِيّا وَسَنْبَلَّطَ دَفَعا لَهُ مالاً.

13 F or this reason he was hired, that I should be afraid and act that way and sin, so that they might have cause for an evil report, that they might reproach me.

فَقَدِ استَأْجَراهُ لِيُنزِلَ الخَوفَ فِي قَلْبِي، فأخْطِئَ بِدُخُولِ مَكانٍ مُقَدَّسٍ فِي الهَيْكَلِ. ثُمَّ يُشِيعُونَ عَنِّي ذَلِكَ الخَبَرَ عاراً لِي.

14 M y God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat, according to these their works, and the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who would have made me afraid. The Wall Completed

فَعاقِبْ يا إلَهِي طُوبِيّا وَسَنبَلَّطَ عَلَى ما فَعَلاهُ، وَعاقِبْ أيضاً النَّبِيَّةَ نُوعَدْيَةَ وَبَقِيَّةَ الأنبِياءِ الَّذِينَ يُحاوِلُونَ تَخوِيفِي.

15 S o the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days.

وَاكتَمَلَ السُّورُ فِي الخامِسِ وَالعِشْرِينَ مِنْ أيلُولَ فِي اثْنَينِ وَخَمْسِينَ يَوْماً.

16 A nd it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God.

وَلَمّا سَمِعَ جَمِيعُ أعدائِنا هَذا الخَبَرَ، وَرَأتِ الشُّعُوبُ مِنْ حَولِنا السُّورَ، لَمْ تَعُدْ لَهُمْ ثِقَةٌ بِأنفُسِهِمْ. فَقَدْ عَرَفُوا أنَّ إلَهَنا هُوَ الَّذِي عَمِلَ العَمَلَ.

17 A lso in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came to them.

وَفِي تِلكَ الأيّامِ كانَ وُجَهاءُ يَهُوذا يُرسِلُونَ رَسائِلَ كَثِيرَةً إلَى طُوبِيّا، وَكانَتْ رَسائِلُ طُوبِيّا تَصِلُهُمْ.

18 F or many in Judah were pledged to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shechaniah the son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah.

لِأنَّ كَثِيرِينَ فِي يَهُوذا كانُوا فِي عَهْدِ مُوالاةٍ لَهُ، لِأنَّهُ كانَ صِهْرَ شَكَنْيا بْنِ آرَحَ، وَتَزَوَّجَ ابْنُهُ يُهُوحانانُ بِنتَ مَشُلّامَ بنِ بَرَخْيا.

19 A lso they reported his good deeds before me, and reported my words to him. Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.

كَما كانُوا يَذكُرُونَ أمامِي أعمالَهُ الحَسَنَةَ، وَيَنقُلُونَ إلَيْهِ كَلامِي. فَبَعَثَ طُوبِيّا بِرَسائِلَ لِيُخِيفَنِي.