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But it so happened ,
when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall ,
that he was furious and very indignant ,
and mocked the Jews .
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And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria ,
and said , "
What are these feeble Jews doing ?
Will they fortify themselves ?
Will they offer sacrifices ?
Will they complete it in a day ?
Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish--stones that are burned ?"
*
Now Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him ,
and he said , "
Whatever they build ,
if even a fox goes up on it ,
he will break down their stone wall ."
*
Hear ,
O our God ,
for we are despised ;
turn their reproach on their own heads ,
and give them as plunder to a land of captivity !
*
Do not cover their iniquity ,
and do not let their sin be blotted out from before You ;
for they have provoked You to anger before the builders .
*
So we built the wall ,
and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height ,
for the people had a mind to work .
*
Now it happened ,
when Sanballat ,
Tobiah ,
the Arabs ,
the Ammonites ,
and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed ,
that they became very angry ,
*
and all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion .
*
Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God ,
and because of them we set a watch against them day and night .
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Then Judah said , "
The strength of the laborers is failing ,
and there is so much rubbish that we are not able to build the wall ."
*
And our adversaries said , "
They will neither know nor see anything ,
till we come into their midst and kill them and cause the work to cease ."
*
So it was ,
when the Jews who dwelt near them came ,
that they told us ten times , "
From whatever place you turn ,
they will be upon us ."
*
Therefore I positioned men behind the lower parts of the wall ,
at the openings ;
and I set the people according to their families ,
with their swords ,
their spears ,
and their bows .
*
And I looked ,
and arose and said to the nobles ,
to the leaders ,
and to the rest of the people , "
Do not be afraid of them .
Remember the Lord ,
great and awesome ,
and fight for your brethren ,
your sons ,
your daughters ,
your wives ,
and your houses ."
*
And it happened ,
when our enemies heard that it was known to us ,
and that God had brought their plot to nothing ,
that all of us returned to the wall ,
everyone to his work .
*
So it was ,
from that time on ,
that half of my servants worked at construction ,
while the other half held the spears ,
the shields ,
the bows ,
and wore armor ;
and the leaders were behind all the house of Judah .
*
Those who built on the wall ,
and those who carried burdens ,
loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction ,
and with the other held a weapon .
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Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built .
And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me .
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Then I said to the nobles ,
the rulers ,
and the rest of the people , "
The work is great and extensive ,
and we are separated far from one another on the wall .
*
Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet ,
rally to us there .
Our God will fight for us ."
*
So we labored in the work ,
and half of the men held the spears from daybreak until the stars appeared .
*
At the same time I also said to the people , "
Let each man and his servant stay at night in Jerusalem ,
that they may be our guard by night and a working party by day ."
*
So neither I ,
my brethren ,
my servants ,
nor the men of the guard who followed me took off our clothes ,
except that everyone took them off for washing .
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And there was a great outcry of the people and their wives against their Jewish brethren .
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For there were those who said , "
We ,
our sons ,
and our daughters are many ;
therefore let us get grain ,
that we may eat and live ."
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There were also some who said , "
We have mortgaged our lands and vineyards and houses ,
that we might buy grain because of the famine ."
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There were also those who said , "
We have borrowed money for the king '
s tax on our lands and vineyards .
*
Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren ,
our children as their children ;
and indeed we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves ,
and some of our daughters have been brought into slavery .
It is not in our power to redeem them ,
for other men have our lands and vineyards ."
*
And I became very angry when I heard their outcry and these words .
*
After serious thought ,
I rebuked the nobles and rulers ,
and said to them , "
Each of you is exacting usury from his brother ."
So I called a great assembly against them .
*
And I said to them , "
According to our ability we have redeemed our Jewish brethren who were sold to the nations .
Now indeed ,
will you even sell your brethren ?
Or should they be sold to us ?"
Then they were silenced and found nothing to say .
*
Then I said , "
What you are doing is not good .
Should you not walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the nations ,
our enemies ?
*
I also ,
with my brethren and my servants ,
am lending them money and grain .
Please ,
let us stop this usury !
*
Restore now to them ,
even this day ,
their lands ,
their vineyards ,
their olive groves ,
and their houses ,
also a hundredth of the money and the grain ,
the new wine and the oil ,
that you have charged them ."
*
So they said , "
We will restore it ,
and will require nothing from them ;
we will do as you say ."
Then I called the priests ,
and required an oath from them that they would do according to this promise .
*
Then I shook out the fold of my garment and said , "
So may God shake out each man from his house ,
and from his property ,
who does not perform this promise .
Even thus may he be shaken out and emptied ."
And all the assembly said , "
Amen !"
and praised the LORD .
Then 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 until the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes ,
twelve years ,
neither I nor my brothers ate the governor '
s provisions .
*
But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people ,
and took from them bread and wine ,
besides forty shekels of silver .
Yes ,
even their servants bore rule over the people ,
but I did not do so ,
because of the fear of God .
*
Indeed ,
I also continued the work on this wall ,
and we did not buy any land .
All my servants were gathered there for the work .
*
And at my table were one hundred and fifty Jews and rulers ,
besides those who came to us from the nations around us .
*
Now that which was prepared daily was one ox and six choice sheep .
Also fowl were prepared for me ,
and once every ten days an abundance of all kinds of wine .
Yet in spite of this I did not demand the governor '
s provisions ,
because the bondage was heavy on this people .
*
Remember me ,
my God ,
for good ,
according to all that I have done for this people .
*
Now 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 ),
*
that 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 .
*
So 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 ?"
*
But they sent me this message four times ,
and I answered them in the same manner .
*
Then Sanballat sent his servant to me as before ,
the fifth time ,
with an open letter in his hand .
*
In 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 .
*
And 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 .
*
Then I sent to him ,
saying , "
No such things as you say are being done ,
but you invent them in your own heart ."
*
For 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 .
*
Afterward 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 ."
*
And 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 !"
*
Then 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 .
*
For 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 .
*
My 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 .
*
So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul ,
in fifty-two days .
*
And 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 .
*
Also in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah ,
and the letters of Tobiah came to them .
*
For 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 .
*
Also they reported his good deeds before me ,
and reported my words to him .
Tobiah sent letters to frighten me .
*
Then it was ,
when the wall was built and I had hung the doors ,
when the gatekeepers ,
the singers ,
and the Levites had been appointed ,
*
that I gave the charge of Jerusalem to my brother Hanani ,
and Hananiah the leader of the citadel ,
for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many .
*
And I said to them , "
Do not let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot ;
and while they stand guard ,
let them shut and bar the doors ;
and appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem ,
one at his watch station and another in front of his own house ."
*
Now the city was large and spacious ,
but the people in it were few ,
and the houses were not rebuilt .
*
Then my God put it into my heart to gather the nobles ,
the rulers ,
and the people ,
that they might be registered by genealogy .
And I found a register of the genealogy of those who had come up in the first return ,
and found written in it :
*
These are the people of the province who came back from the captivity ,
of those who had been carried away ,
whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away ,
and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah ,
everyone to his city .
*
Those who came with Zerubbabel were Jeshua ,
Nehemiah ,
Azariah ,
Raamiah ,
Nahamani ,
Mordecai ,
Bilshan ,
Mispereth ,
Bigvai ,
Nehum ,
and Baanah .
The number of the men of the people of Israel :
*
the sons of Parosh ,
two thousand one hundred and seventy-two ;
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the sons of Shephatiah ,
three hundred and seventy-two ;
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the sons of Arah ,
six hundred and fifty-two ;
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the sons of Pahath-Moab ,
of the sons of Jeshua and Joab ,
two thousand eight hundred and eighteen ;
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the sons of Elam ,
one thousand two hundred and fifty-four ;
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the sons of Zattu ,
eight hundred and forty-five ;
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the sons of Zaccai ,
seven hundred and sixty ;
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the sons of Binnui ,
six hundred and forty-eight ;
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the sons of Bebai ,
six hundred and twenty-eight ;
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the sons of Azgad ,
two thousand three hundred and twenty-two ;
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the sons of Adonikam ,
six hundred and sixty-seven ;
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the sons of Bigvai ,
two thousand and sixty-seven ;
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the sons of Adin ,
six hundred and fifty-five ;
*
the sons of Ater of Hezekiah ,
ninety-eight ;
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the sons of Hashum ,
three hundred and twenty-eight ;
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the sons of Bezai ,
three hundred and twenty-four ;
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the sons of Hariph ,
one hundred and twelve ;
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the sons of Gibeon ,
ninety-five ;
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the men of Bethlehem and Netophah ,
one hundred and eighty-eight ;
*
the men of Anathoth ,
one hundred and twenty-eight ;
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the men of Beth Azmaveth ,
forty-two ;
*
the men of Kirjath Jearim ,
Chephirah ,
and Beeroth ,
seven hundred and forty-three ;
*
the men of Ramah and Geba ,
six hundred and twenty-one ;
*
the men of Michmas ,
one hundred and twenty-two ;
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the men of Bethel and Ai ,
one hundred and twenty-three ;
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the men of the other Nebo ,
fifty-two ;
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the sons of the other Elam ,
one thousand two hundred and fifty-four ;
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the sons of Harim ,
three hundred and twenty ;
*
the sons of Jericho ,
three hundred and forty-five ;
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the sons of Lod ,
Hadid ,
and Ono ,
seven hundred and twenty-one ;
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the sons of Senaah ,
three thousand nine hundred and thirty .
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The priests :
the sons of Jedaiah ,
of the house of Jeshua ,
nine hundred and seventy-three ;
*
the sons of Immer ,
one thousand and fifty-two ;
*
the sons of Pashhur ,
one thousand two hundred and forty-seven ;
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the sons of Harim ,
one thousand and seventeen .
*
The Levites :
the sons of Jeshua ,
of Kadmiel ,
and of the sons of Hodevah ,
seventy-four .
*
The singers :
the sons of Asaph ,
one hundred and forty-eight .
*
The gatekeepers :
the sons of Shallum ,
the sons of Ater ,
the sons of Talmon ,
the sons of Akkub ,
the sons of Hatita ,
the sons of Shobai ,
one hundred and thirty-eight .
*
The Nethinim :
the sons of Ziha ,
the sons of Hasupha ,
the sons of Tabbaoth ,
*
the sons of Keros ,
the sons of Sia ,
the sons of Padon ,
*
the sons of Lebana ,
the sons of Hagaba ,
the sons of Salmai ,
*
the sons of Hanan ,
the sons of Giddel ,
the sons of Gahar ,
*
the sons of Reaiah ,
the sons of Rezin ,
the sons of Nekoda ,
*
the sons of Gazzam ,
the sons of Uzza ,
the sons of Paseah ,
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the sons of Besai ,
the sons of Meunim ,
the sons of Nephishesim ,
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the sons of Bakbuk ,
the sons of Hakupha ,
the sons of Harhur ,
*
the sons of Bazlith ,
the sons of Mehida ,
the sons of Harsha ,
*
the sons of Barkos ,
the sons of Sisera ,
the sons of Tamah ,
*
the sons of Neziah ,
and the sons of Hatipha .
*
The sons of Solomon '
s servants :
the sons of Sotai ,
the sons of Sophereth ,
the sons of Perida ,
*
the sons of Jaala ,
the sons of Darkon ,
the sons of Giddel ,
*
the sons of Shephatiah ,
the sons of Hattil ,
the sons of Pochereth of Zebaim ,
and the sons of Amon .
*
All the Nethinim ,
and the sons of Solomon '
s servants ,
were three hundred and ninety-two .
*
And these were the ones who came up from Tel Melah ,
Tel Harsha ,
Cherub ,
Addon ,
and Immer ,
but they could not identify their father '
s house nor their lineage ,
whether they were of Israel :
*
the sons of Delaiah ,
the sons of Tobiah ,
the sons of Nekoda ,
six hundred and forty-two ;
*
and of the priests :
the sons of Habaiah ,
the sons of Koz ,
the sons of Barzillai ,
who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite ,
and was called by their name .
*
These sought their listing among those who were registered by genealogy ,
but it was not found ;
therefore they were excluded from the priesthood as defiled .
*
And the governor said to them that they should not eat of the most holy things till a priest could consult with the Urim and Thummim .
*
Altogether the whole assembly was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty ,
*
besides their male and female servants ,
of whom there were seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven ;
and they had two hundred and forty-five men and women singers .
*
Their horses were seven hundred and thirty-six ,
their mules two hundred and forty-five ,
*
their camels four hundred and thirty-five ,
and donkeys six thousand seven hundred and twenty .
*
And some of the heads of the fathers '
houses gave to the work .
The governor gave to the treasury one thousand gold drachmas ,
fifty basins ,
and five hundred and thirty priestly garments .
*
Some of the heads of the fathers '
houses gave to the treasury of the work twenty thousand gold drachmas ,
and two thousand two hundred silver minas .
*
And that which the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand gold drachmas ,
two thousand silver minas ,
and sixty-seven priestly garments .
*
So the priests ,
the Levites ,
the gatekeepers ,
the singers ,
some of the people ,
the Nethinim ,
and all Israel dwelt in their cities .
When the seventh month came ,
the children of Israel were in their cities .
*
Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate ;
and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses ,
which the LORD had commanded Israel .