1 A nd it cometh to pass, when Sanballat hath heard that we are building the wall, that it is displeasing to him, and he is very angry and mocketh at the Jews,

But when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and in a great rage, and he ridiculed the Jews.

2 a nd saith before his brethren and the force of Samaria, yea, he saith, `What the weak Jews doing? are they left to themselves? do they sacrifice? do they complete in a day? do they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish? -- and they burnt!'

And he said before his brethren and the army of Samaria, What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore things ? Will they with sacrifices? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, seeing they are burned?

3 A nd Tobiah the Ammonite by him and saith, `Also, that which they are building -- if a fox doth go up, then it hath broken down their stone wall.'

Now Tobiah the Ammonite was near him, and he said, What they build—if a fox climbs upon it, he will break down their stone wall.

4 H ear, O our God, for we have been despised; and turn back their reproach on their own head, and give them for a spoil in a land of captivity;

Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Turn their taunts upon their own heads, and give them for a prey in a land of their captivity.

5 a nd do not cover over their iniquity, and their sin from before Thee let not be blotted out, for they have provoked to anger -- over-against those building.

Cover not their iniquity and let not their sin be blotted out before You, for they have vexed the builders and provoked You.

6 A nd we build the wall, and all the wall is joined -- unto its half, and the people have a heart to work.

So we built the wall, and all was joined together to half its height, for the people had a heart and mind to work.

7 A nd it cometh to pass, when Sanballat hath heard, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, that lengthening hath gone up to the walls of Jerusalem, that the breeches have begun to be stopped, then it is very displeasing to them,

But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabians, Ammonites, and Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were going up and that the breaches were being closed, they were very angry.

8 a nd they conspire, all of them together, to come in to fight against Jerusalem, and to do to it injury.

And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem, to injure and cause confusion and failure in it.

9 A nd we pray unto our God, and appoint a watch against them, by day and by night, because of them.

But because of them we made our prayer to our God and set a watch against them day and night.

10 A nd Judah saith, `The power of the burden-bearers hath become feeble, and the rubbish abundant, and we are not able to build on the wall.'

And Judah said, The strength of the burden bearers is weakening, and there is much rubbish; we are not able to work on the wall.

11 A nd our adversaries say, `They do not know, nor see, till that we come in to their midst, and have slain them, and caused the work to cease.'

And our enemies said, They will not know or see till we come into their midst and kill them and stop the work.

12 A nd it cometh to pass, when the Jews have come who are dwelling near them, that they say to us ten times from all the places whither ye return -- against us.

And when the Jews who lived near them came, they said to us ten times, You must return; from all places where they dwell they will be upon us.

13 A nd I appoint at the lowest of the places, at the back of the wall, in the clear places, yea, I appoint the people, by their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

So I set behind the wall in places where it was least protected; I even thus used the people as families with their swords, spears, and bows.

14 A nd I see, and rise up, and say unto the freemen, and unto the prefects, and unto the rest of the people, `Be not afraid of them; the Lord, the great and the fearful, remember ye, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.'

I looked and rose up and said to the nobles and officials and the other people, Do not be afraid of the enemy; remember the Lord and imprint Him, great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.

15 A nd it cometh to pass, when our enemies have heard that it hath been known to us, and God doth frustrate their counsel, and we turn back, all of us, unto the wall, each unto his work;

And when our enemies heard that their plot was known to us and that God had frustrated their purpose, we all returned to the wall, everyone to his work.

16 y ea, it cometh to pass, from that day, half of my servants are working in the business, and half of them are keeping hold of both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the coats of mail; and the heads behind all the house of Judah.

And from that time forth, half of my servants worked at the task, and the other half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail; and the leaders stood behind all the house of Judah.

17 T he builders on the wall, and the bearers of the burden, those lading, with one of his hands is working in the business, and one is laying hold of the missile.

Those who built the wall and those who bore burdens loaded themselves so that everyone worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other hand,

18 A nd the builders each with his sword, girded on his loins, and building, and he who is blowing with a trumpet beside me.

And every builder had his sword girded by his side, and so worked. And he who sounded the trumpet was at my side.

19 A nd I say unto the freemen, and unto the prefects, and unto the rest of the people, `The work is abundant, and large, and we are separated on the wall, far off one from another;

And I said to the nobles and officials and the rest of the people, The work is great and scattered, and we are separated on the wall, one far from another.

20 i n the place that ye hear the voice of the trumpet thither ye are gathered unto us; our God doth fight for us.'

In whatever place you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.

21 A nd we are working in the business, and half of them are keeping hold of the spears, from the going up of the dawn till the coming forth of the stars.

So we labored at the work while half of them held the spears from dawn until the stars came out.

22 A lso, at that time I said to the people, `Let each with his servant lodge in the midst of Jerusalem, and they have been to us by night a guard, and by day the work:'

At that time also I said to the people, Let everyone with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that at night they may be a guard to us and a laborer during the day.

23 a nd there are none -- I and my brethren and my servants, the men of the guard who after me -- there are none of us putting off our garments, each his vessel of water.

So none of us—I, my kinsmen, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me—took off our clothes; each kept his weapon.