Nehemiah:4-5

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* But it came to pass , that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall , he was wroth , and took great indignation , and mocked the Jews . * And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria , and said , What do these feeble Jews ? will they fortify themselves ? will they sacrifice ? will they make an end in a day ? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned ? * Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him , and he said , Even that which they build , if a fox go up , he shall even break down their stone wall . * Hear , O our God ; for we are despised : and turn their reproach upon their own head , and give them for a prey in the land of captivity : * And cover not their iniquity , and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee : for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders . * So built we the wall ; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof : for the people had a mind to work . * But it came to pass , that when Sanballat , and Tobiah , and the Arabians , and the Ammonites , and the Ashdodites , heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up , and that the breaches began to be stopped , then they were very wroth , * And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem , and to hinder it . * Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God , and set a watch against them day and night , because of them . * And Judah said , The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed , and there is much rubbish ; so that we are not able to build the wall . * And our adversaries said , They shall not know , neither see , till we come in the midst among them , and slay them , and cause the work to cease . * And it came to pass , that when the Jews which dwelt by them came , they said unto us ten times , From all places whence ye shall return unto us they will be upon you . * Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall , and on the higher places , I even set the people after their families with their swords , their spears , and their bows . * And I looked , and rose up , and said unto the nobles , and to the rulers , and to the rest of the people , Be not ye afraid of them : remember the Lord , which is great and terrible , and fight for your brethren , your sons , and your daughters , your wives , and your houses . * And it came to pass , when our enemies heard that it was known unto us , and God had brought their counsel to nought , that we returned all of us to the wall , every one unto his work . * And it came to pass from that time forth , that the half of my servants wrought in the work , and the other half of them held both the spears , the shields , and the bows , and the habergeons ; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah . * They which builded on the wall , and they that bare burdens , with those that laded , every one with one of his hands wrought in the work , and with the other hand held a weapon . * For the builders , every one had his sword girded by his side , and so builded . And he that sounded the trumpet was by me . * And I said unto the nobles , and to the rulers , and to the rest of the people , The work is great and large , and we are separated upon the wall , one far from another . * In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet , resort ye thither unto us : our God shall fight for us . * So we laboured in the work : and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared . * Likewise at the same time said I unto the people , Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem , that in the night they may be a guard to us , and labour on the day . * So neither I , nor my brethren , nor my servants , nor the men of the guard which followed me , none of us put off our clothes , saving that every one put them off for washing . * And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews . * For there were that said , We , our sons , and our daughters , are many : therefore we take up corn for them , that we may eat , and live . * Some also there were that said , We have mortgaged our lands , vineyards , and houses , that we might buy corn , because of the dearth . * There were also that said , We have borrowed money for the king 's tribute , and that upon our lands and vineyards . * Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren , our children as their children : and , lo , we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants , and some of our daughters are brought unto bondage already : neither is it in our power to redeem them ; for other men have our lands and vineyards . * And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words . * Then I consulted with myself , and I rebuked the nobles , and the rulers , and said unto them , Ye exact usury , every one of his brother . And I set a great assembly against them . * And I said unto them , We after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews , which were sold unto the heathen ; and will ye even sell your brethren ? or shall they be sold unto us ? Then held they their peace , and found nothing to answer . * Also I said , It is not good that ye do : ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies ? * I likewise , and my brethren , and my servants , might exact of them money and corn : I pray you , let us leave off this usury . * Restore , I pray you , to them , even this day , their lands , their vineyards , their oliveyards , and their houses , also the hundredth part of the money , and of the corn , the wine , and the oil , that ye exact of them . * Then said they , We will restore them , and will require nothing of them ; so will we do as thou sayest . Then I called the priests , and took an oath of them , that they should do according to this promise . * Also I shook my lap , and said , So God shake out every man from his house , and from his labour , that performeth not this promise , even thus be he shaken out , and emptied . And all the congregation said , Amen , and praised the LORD . And the people did according to this promise . * Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah , from the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king , that is , twelve years , I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor . * But the former governors that had been before me were chargeable unto the people , and had taken of them bread and wine , beside forty shekels of silver ; yea , even their servants bare rule over the people : but so did not I , because of the fear of God . * Yea , also I continued in the work of this wall , neither bought we any land : and all my servants were gathered thither unto the work . * Moreover there were at my table an hundred and fifty of the Jews and rulers , beside those that came unto us from among the heathen that are about us . * Now that which was prepared for me daily was one ox and six choice sheep ; also fowls were prepared for me , and once in ten days store of all sorts of wine : yet for all this required not I the bread of the governor , because the bondage was heavy upon this people . * Think upon me , my God , for good , according to all that I have done for this people . * Now it came to pass , when Sanballat , and Tobiah , and Geshem the Arabian , and the rest of our enemies , heard that I had builded the wall , and that there was no breach left therein ; (though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates ;)

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