1 A nd it cometh to pass, when it hath been heard by Sanballat, and Tobiah, and by Geshem the Arabian, and by the rest of our enemies, that I have builded the wall, and there hath not been left in it a breach, (also, till that time the doors I had not set up in the gates,)

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 t hat Sanballat sendeth, also Geshem, unto me, saying, `Come and we meet together in the villages, in the valley of Ono;' and they are thinking to do to me evil.

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 A nd I send unto them messengers, saying, `A great work I am doing, and I am not able to come down; why doth the work cease when I let it alone, and have come down unto you?'

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 a nd they send unto me, according to this word, four times, and I return them according to this word.

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

5 A nd Sanballat sendeth unto me, according to this word, a fifth time, his servant, and an open letter in his hand;

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

6 i t is written in it, `Among the nations it hath been heard, and Gashmu is saying: Thou and the Jews are thinking to rebel, therefore thou art building the wall, and thou hast been to them for a king -- according to these words!

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 A nd also, prophets thou hast appointed to call for thee in Jerusalem, saying, A king in Judah, and now it is heard by the king according to these words; and now come, and we take counsel together.'

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 A nd I send unto him, saying, `It hath not been according to these words that thou art saying, for from thine own heart thou art devising them;'

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 f or all of them are making us afraid, saying, `Their hands are too feeble for the work, and it is not done;' and now, strengthen Thou my hands.

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 A nd I have entered the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabeel -- and he is restrained -- and he saith, `Let us meet at the house of God, at the inside of the temple, and we shut the doors of the temple, for they are coming in to slay thee -- yea, by night they are coming in to slay thee.'

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 A nd I say, `A man such as I -- doth he flee? and who as I, that doth go in unto the temple, and live? -- I do not go in.'

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 A nd I discern, and lo, God hath not sent him, for in the prophecy he hath spoken unto me both Tobiah and Sanballat hired him,

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 s o that he an hireling, that I may fear and do so, and I had sinned, and it had been to them for an evil name that they may reproach me.

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 B e mindful, O my God, of Tobiah, and of Sanballat, according to these his works, and also, of Noadiah the prophetess, and of the rest of the prophets who have been making me afraid.

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 nd the wall is completed in the twenty and fifth of Elul, on the fifty and second day;

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

16 a nd it cometh to pass, when all our enemies have heard, and all the nations who are round about us see, that they fall greatly in their own eyes, and know that by our God hath this work been done.

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 lso, in those days the freemen of Judah are multiplying their letters going unto Tobiah, and those of Tobiah are coming in unto them;

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

18 f or many in Judah are sworn to him, for he son-in-law to Shechaniah son of Arah, and Jehohanan his son hath taken the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah;

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 a lso, his good deeds they have been saying before me, and my words they have been taking out to him; letters hath Tobiah sent to make me afraid.

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.