4Nehemiah 4

1Now, Sanballat, hearing that we were building the wall, was very angry, and in his wrath made sport of the Jews.Select Nehemiah 4:1

2And in the hearing of his countrymen and the army of Samaria he said, What are these feeble Jews doing? will they make themselves strong? will they make offerings? will they get the work done in a day? will they make the stones which have been burned come again out of the dust?Select Nehemiah 4:2

3Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Such is their building that if a fox goes up it, their stone wall will be broken down.Select Nehemiah 4:3

4Give ear, O our God, for we are looked down on: let their words of shame be turned back on themselves, and let them be given up to wasting in a land where they are prisoners:Select Nehemiah 4:4

5Let not their wrongdoing be covered or their sin washed away from before you: for they have made you angry before the builders.Select Nehemiah 4:5

6So we went on building the wall; and all the wall was joined together half-way up: for the people were working hard.Select Nehemiah 4:6

7But when it came to the ears of Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabians and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites, that the building of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and the broken places were being made good, they were full of wrath;Select Nehemiah 4:7

8And they made designs, all of them together, to come and make an attack on Jerusalem, causing trouble there.Select Nehemiah 4:8

9But we made our prayer to God, and had men on watch against them day and night because of them.Select Nehemiah 4:9

10And Judah said, The strength of the workmen is giving way, and there is much waste material; it is impossible for us to put up the wall.Select Nehemiah 4:10

11And those who were against us said, Without their knowledge and without their seeing us, we will come among them and put them to death, causing the work to come to a stop.Select Nehemiah 4:11

12And it came about that when the Jews who were living near them came, they said to us ten times, From all directions they are coming against us.Select Nehemiah 4:12

13So in the lowest part of the space at the back of the walls, in the open places, I put the people by families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows.Select Nehemiah 4:13

14And after looking, I got up and said to the great ones and to the chiefs and to the rest of the people, Have no fear of them: keep in mind the Lord who is great and greatly to be feared, and take up arms for your brothers, your sons, and your daughters, your wives and your houses.Select Nehemiah 4:14

15And when it came to the ears of those who were against us, that we had knowledge of their designs and that God had made their purpose come to nothing, we all went back to the wall, everyone to his workSelect Nehemiah 4:15

16And from that time, half of my servants were doing their part of the work, and half kept the spears and body-covers and the bows and the metal war-dresses; and the chiefs were at the back of the men of Judah.Select Nehemiah 4:16

17Those who were building the wall and those who were moving material did their part, everyone working with one hand, with his spear in the other;Select Nehemiah 4:17

18Every builder was working with his sword at his side. And by my side was a man for sounding the horn.Select Nehemiah 4:18

19And I said to the great ones and the chiefs and the rest of the people, The work is great and widely spaced and we are far away from one another on the wall:Select Nehemiah 4:19

20Wherever you may be when the horn is sounded, come here to us; our God will be fighting for us.Select Nehemiah 4:20

21So we went on with the work: and half of them had spears in their hands from the dawn of the morning till the stars were seen.Select Nehemiah 4:21

22And at the same time I said to the people, Let everyone with his servant come inside Jerusalem for the night, so that at night they may keep watch for us, and go on working by day.Select Nehemiah 4:22

23So not one of us, I or my brothers or my servants or the watchmen who were with me, took off his clothing, everyone went armed to the water.Select Nehemiah 4:23