Nehemiah:6

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* Now when it was reported to Sanbal 'lat and Tobi 'ah and to Geshem the Arab and to the rest of our enemies that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left in it (although up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates ), * Sanbal 'lat and Geshem sent to me , saying , "Come and let us meet together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono ." But they intended to do me harm . * And I sent messengers 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 ?" * And they sent to me four times in this way and I answered them in the same manner . * In the same way Sanbal 'lat for the fifth time sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand . * In it was written , "It is reported among the nations , and Geshem also says it , that you and the Jews intend to rebel ; that is why you are building the wall ; and you wish to become their king , according to this report . * And you have also set up prophets to proclaim concerning you in Jerusalem , `There is a king in Judah .' And now it will be reported to the king according to these words . So now come , and let us take counsel together ." * Then I sent to him , saying , "No such things as you say have been done , for you are inventing them out of your own mind ." * For they all wanted to frighten us , thinking , "Their hands will drop from the work , and it will not be done ." But now , O God , strengthen thou my hands . * Now when I went into the house of Shemai 'ah the son of Delai 'ah , son of Mehet 'abel , who was shut up , 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 , at night they are coming to kill you ." * But I said , "Should such a man as I flee ? And what man such as I could go into the temple and live ? I will not go in ." * And I understood , and saw that God had not sent him , but he had pronounced the prophecy against me because Tobi 'ah and Sanbal 'lat had hired him . * For this purpose he was hired , that I should be afraid and act in this way and sin , and so they could give me an evil name , in order to taunt me . * Remember Tobi 'ah and Sanbal 'lat , O my God , according to these things that they did , and also the prophetess No-adi 'ah and the rest of the prophets who wanted to make me afraid . * So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul , in fifty-two days . * And when all our enemies heard of it , all the nations round about us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem ; for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God . * Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobi 'ah , and Tobi 'ah 's letters came to them . * For many in Judah were bound by oath to him , because he was the son-in-law of Shecani 'ah the son of Arah : and his son Jehoha 'nan had taken the daughter of Meshul 'lam the son of Berechi 'ah as his wife . * Also they spoke of his good deeds in my presence , and reported my words to him . And Tobi 'ah sent letters to make me afraid .

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